Blast cabinet modifications
I've got a small blast cabinet that's about 2 ft on each side. The door and window are on the top. Even with changing out the stick on plastic protectors, the plexiglass still gets abraded to the point that it's useless. Plus, those plastic protectors are expensive and after a few replacements, they don't stick on very well. The result is that it's difficult to see what your doing.
I replaced the plexiglass with a new one from Homedepot and added a roll of film that is mounted at the back of the cabinet, threads under the door at the hinge location, goes to the front of the door and back over the top to the rear. This way the film surrounds the door top and bottom. The width of the film is about 2 inches wider than the door so that the foam seals the film to the door when the door is latched, preventing the media from getting between the film and the door. Top side, I put a magnet on each side to hold the film in place.
It now only takes a few seconds to pull out a new section of film once the film is abraded and I have a new clear view again.
To do this, I had to move the hinges outboard using some aluminum angles and mount the roll of film with window blind brackets and a small dia. rod. The film comes from Michaels crafts used in wrapping flowers. It's comes in a roll about 30 inches wide. I cut it to width with a band saw while it's rolled.
Since this is a small cabinet, I've also cut a 4 inch dia hole in the side and added a plastic gate from a sawdust extractor used in woodworking. I keep the gate closed normally. A long part like the sway bar shown in the picture, sticks out, I dam up the rest of the hole with a rag. Putting another gate on the opposite side of the cabinet would allow a really long part to be pushed straight through.
Someone on this site mentioned wrapping the lights with Saran wrap to protect them from abrasion. I got and extra LED light which is way better than the florescent and is battery powered so there is no electrical cord to deal with. The Saran works but it doesn't take long before it unravels. I solved that by getting a spring, hooked together to from a garter belt and sliding it over the Saran wrap on each end of the light.
These changes made a world of difference, so I thought I'd pass them along.
I replaced the plexiglass with a new one from Homedepot and added a roll of film that is mounted at the back of the cabinet, threads under the door at the hinge location, goes to the front of the door and back over the top to the rear. This way the film surrounds the door top and bottom. The width of the film is about 2 inches wider than the door so that the foam seals the film to the door when the door is latched, preventing the media from getting between the film and the door. Top side, I put a magnet on each side to hold the film in place.
It now only takes a few seconds to pull out a new section of film once the film is abraded and I have a new clear view again.
To do this, I had to move the hinges outboard using some aluminum angles and mount the roll of film with window blind brackets and a small dia. rod. The film comes from Michaels crafts used in wrapping flowers. It's comes in a roll about 30 inches wide. I cut it to width with a band saw while it's rolled.
Since this is a small cabinet, I've also cut a 4 inch dia hole in the side and added a plastic gate from a sawdust extractor used in woodworking. I keep the gate closed normally. A long part like the sway bar shown in the picture, sticks out, I dam up the rest of the hole with a rag. Putting another gate on the opposite side of the cabinet would allow a really long part to be pushed straight through.
Someone on this site mentioned wrapping the lights with Saran wrap to protect them from abrasion. I got and extra LED light which is way better than the florescent and is battery powered so there is no electrical cord to deal with. The Saran works but it doesn't take long before it unravels. I solved that by getting a spring, hooked together to from a garter belt and sliding it over the Saran wrap on each end of the light.
These changes made a world of difference, so I thought I'd pass them along.
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