I purchased a small benchtop sandblast cabinet a while back. It is a Clarke model. The window is Lexan or plexiglass. It came with three clear plastic covers that stuck on the inside of the window to protect it. It got cloudly all around the covers from blasting and I replaced the window with Lexan from a local hardware store. I can purchase more of the clear plastic covers from where I got the blast cabinet (3 for $10). I wanted to post and ask what does everyone else do?
I would think a piece of glass would give you the best view. The stick on covers would be needed to keep it from damage. TP tools sells the covers. Shawn
I have one of those small cabinets that I use quite often and what I do is to line the inside with a clear food wrap like saran (sp?) wrap. My cabinet has a bunch of hours on it now and the plexi-glass window has more scratches on the outside than on the inside, except around the edges. Just clean the inside of the plexi-glass with soapy water, dry thoroughly and apply the food wrap leaving enough room around the edges to secure it with tape, use ONLY extended release tape! The wrap will last longer than you might imagine and sticks to the plexi-glass quite well then when it does start to get cloudy and sag in the middle just replace it with another piece. No longer than they last 3 for $10 is a ridiculous price for those cheap plastic covers.
I too briefly considered using a sheet of glass but that just seems like it might be very dangerous besides I doubt the glass would last much, if any, longer than the plexi-glass.
Clear packing tape? You mean like the 2" wide stuff? I had not thought about that but I have a bunch of it, that might work better than the food wrap if it don't leave a residue after removal. Those 3 for $10 cover sheets sure are a joke and are mostly a waste of time as the last one's I had I went though them all in about a half hour, the saran wrap lasts a lot longer than that! The reason mine didn't last long was that the media stuck right to them and it was impossible to clean them off without ruining them, whatever plastic they were made of was ridiculously soft!
We have a couple larger blast cabinets at work and I order clear polycarbinate film from McMaster Carr. I order 2'x4' sheets of it and cut it down to the size that I need, which is 1'x2' so that works out good. These blast cabinets get used for production 5 days a week and the film last for about 2 weeks before it gets too cloudy to use.
Its about $4.00 a sheet, and if your worried about the extra cost of shipping I'm sure you could use a box of bolts or a couple taps or somthing so you not just paying shipping for a couple sheets of plastic....
Thats exactly what I use, the 2"wide stuff, it will sometimes leave some residue but I have a glass window on mine and it comes off easily with a littel acetone and a rag.
Thanks alot. I've been racking my brain trying to come up with something. I'll try both.
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