mattmers Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I have been working on making my own air abrasive unit but the pen section I created it not precise enough being made of plumbing parts. I am curious if any of you have found a somewhat affordable pen. I have only seen tip replacements and pens with the abrasive feeder. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I got mine for about $23.00 at Harbor Freight. (with a coupon -28.00 without) Be warned, however, ... some people have problems with theirs. There are models made by Paasche and Badger as well, but they are a bit more expensive. If you do a Google search for Air Eraser, and you should find many options. "Air Pens" usually refers to air powered engravers with a pointed tip, that use a reciprocating motion to chisel away matrix. Hope that helps. Regards, 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I currently use the Paasche AECR unit, which has a nice stylus, (pen) that can be adapted to use luer lock 18-gauge dispensing tips which will give you a better rate of flow and rather nice dispersion control. @Malcolmt had shared the dispensing tip trick with me, you can hot glue them right on the end, but I went one step further and contacted Paasche directly. They were kind enough to send me a copy of the manufacturing diagram for the tip and I had a machinist fabricate a more permanent solution. 2 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 It's worth noting that if you're using hard abrasives like aluminum oxide, the hot glue method is better because you will wear out the dispensing tips. For my purposes with sodium bicarb and dolomite, the wear is minimal enough that the custom made tip will last me a while. 1 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 After re-reading your post, I don't think I actually helped. You could likely purchase a stylus like this and simply make your own media chamber. The AECR comes with a 1 qt stainless can where the air feeds in and picks up the abrasive. Since you've already gone through the trouble of making pressurized parts, you could probably manage to make something similar. I prefer the external feed to the ones with the stylus-mounted hoppers because they have a tendency to clog badly especially with finer abrasives. Maybe something like this is more what you're looking for: http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-A-70-Glass-Etching-Tool-For-Less-Than-10-Co/ Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Very nice Jay....... early on I did many a trilobite and a number of fish with my paasche and various size dispensing needles. A great way to start out but even still you need a blast cabinet and negative pressure to keep those lungs safe....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I use a setup from Cyclone Manufacturing that is a siphon system. It has a relatively small orifice as it is made for abrading jewelry after casting. it was super cheap at around $100. I use it with my shop vac running at the blast area with my standard respirator in order to keep the mess down and my lungs clean. Eventually, I will get around to making a blast cabinet. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 2 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said: I use a setup from Cyclone Manufacturing that is a siphon system. Would you mind sharing model info or a link? I checked out their site, but nothing jumped out at me as being "fossil-ready" so-to-speak. I'm sure that I'm just not looking at the right products. Thanks in advance! Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmers Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 (edited) Yea the handpeice without a stylus-mounted hopper would be Ideal. I already built the media chamber and sand blast cabinet. The media chamber is similar to swam blasters design but more DIY. I actually spent a weekend a University with a swamblaster. One was fully operational and the other one was not. I spent most of the weekend not prepping but actually fixing their unit. I worked with it enough that I felt confident I could make something similar. Swamblasters manual actually makes the design very clear with diagrams. Hope to have mine fully operational after my summer dig Edited June 23, 2017 by mattmers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 9 hours ago, DevonianDigger said: Would you mind sharing model info or a link? I checked out their site, but nothing jumped out at me as being "fossil-ready" so-to-speak. I'm sure that I'm just not looking at the right products. Thanks in advance! Consult Dr. Google regarding the Cyclone Manufacturing BB100. I found a place that has it on sale for $83.95. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanopus Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 On 22.06.2017 at 10:13 PM, DevonianDigger said: I currently use the Paasche AECR unit, which has a nice stylus, (pen) that can be adapted to use luer lock 18-gauge dispensing tips which will give you a better rate of flow and rather nice dispersion control. @Malcolmt had shared the dispensing tip trick with me, you can hot glue them right on the end, but I went one step further and contacted Paasche directly. They were kind enough to send me a copy of the manufacturing diagram for the tip and I had a machinist fabricate a more permanent solution. Did you ever think about selling your tips? They are looking perfect 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 On 6/22/2017 at 11:13 AM, DevonianDigger said: I currently use the Paasche AECR unit, which has a nice stylus, (pen) that can be adapted to use luer lock 18-gauge dispensing tips which will give you a better rate of flow and rather nice dispersion control. @Malcolmt had shared the dispensing tip trick with me, you can hot glue them right on the end, but I went one step further and contacted Paasche directly. They were kind enough to send me a copy of the manufacturing diagram for the tip and I had a machinist fabricate a more permanent solution. I know this is an old post, but @DevonianDigger could you share a bit more info about the custom adapter you had made? I'm not sure I see how the Luer Lok needle fits inside it. Do you have to cut off part of the pink plastic to get the needle to fit inside the adapter? I'm thinking of getting the AECR and this would be a good addition. I have my own lathe so I could fabricate the adapter myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 @Sagebrush Steve Basically, what happened is that the inside diameter of the existing nozzle was bored out to make enough space to push in the Luer. Unfortunately, this doesn't make replacing it particularly easy, but if you have your own machining equipment, it's a fairly straightforward solution. I wanted to have them made in quantity, but I would need a bunch of people to want them in order for it to be practical. They aren't cheap in small quantities. I have all of the specs to just have them custom fabricated, this was basically a prototype. If you're interested, I can see about having just a few more like this one made. They would probably be around $20 a piece because the bushings would just come straight from Paasche, then be modified. 1 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 2 minutes ago, DevonianDigger said: @Sagebrush Steve Basically, what happened is that the inside diameter of the existing nozzle was bored out to make enough space to push in the Luer. Unfortunately, this doesn't make replacing it particularly easy, but if you have your own machining equipment, it's a fairly straightforward solution. I wanted to have them made in quantity, but I would need a bunch of people to want them in order for it to be practical. They aren't cheap in small quantities. I have all of the specs to just have them custom fabricated, this was basically a prototype. If you're interested, I can see about having just a few more like this one made. They would probably be around $20 a piece because the bushings would just come straight from Paasche, then be modified. Thanks for the quick reply! I'm still evaluating my options before I decide what direction to go for an air eraser. I won't be using it very much so I might just go with the Harbor Freight cheapie that some people hate but others like @Fossildude19 seem to like. I do like the idea of the separate canister of the AECR. Paasche says you can't use the AECR with baking soda, only aluminum oxide but I know some people do fine with BS. Maybe if I make my own blast cabinet rather than buy even a cheap one from HF I can afford the AECR... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 The problem I've run into the with AECR with baking soda and dolomite is that you really should have an oscillator for that finer, lighter powder. I've found that it works out okay as long as I pick up the can and shake it every minute or so. Can get annoying pretty quick, but I can't really swing a Swamblaster just yet. Have you checked out Vaniman yet? They seem to have a nice unit for about $350 that seems to work quite well, the trilobiti.com folk use them exclusively I guess. I made a blast cabinet using a big rubbermaid bin, a piece of a plexi and some caulk and just hooked up my dust collector to it through a dryer hose through a hole cut in the side. Of course, this idea is predicated on already having a dust collector. The AECR is a good unit for the price, but I've found myself using my cheapo HF air eraser a bit more lately just because it can run at a higher PSI and sometimes the AECR just can't cut the mustard with the matrix removal at only 40-50 psi. 2 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Now I have upgraded to a Vaniman Sand Storm that I am already enjoying quite a bit. Just need to figure out these flow issues with sodium bicarb and dolomite. If only I could figure out a way to attach a modulator to the canisters without shaking the entire cabinet while I'm using it, lol! 1 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaniman Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I can neither confirm nor deny a current R&D project involving the development of vibratory modulators for Vaniman blasters...wink..wink... 3 Please PM me for more info on our products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 On 7/23/2018 at 10:45 AM, Vaniman said: I can neither confirm nor deny a current R&D project involving the development of vibratory modulators for Vaniman blasters...wink..wink... I can neither confirm, nor deny that I am a little excited about that post. I wish I could hypothetically ask if such items would be an add-on to existing models or entirely new models. Either way, I'm excited. ...unless it's just going to make them cost as much as Comcos... then I would not be excited. I would be sad. Hypothetically speaking, that is. 2 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaniman Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 12 hours ago, DevonianDigger said: I can neither confirm, nor deny that I am a little excited about that post. I wish I could hypothetically ask if such items would be an add-on to existing models or entirely new models. Either way, I'm excited. ...unless it's just going to make them cost as much as Comcos... then I would not be excited. I would be sad. Hypothetically speaking, that is. An excerpt from our company handbook; we value existing customers as much as new ones so our focus is, and has always been, to provide solutions to new and existing challenges while maintaining our core belief of providing high-quality products for reasonable prices. 2 Please PM me for more info on our products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Nice. 1 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 On 7/23/2018 at 8:45 AM, Vaniman said: I can neither confirm nor deny a current R&D project involving the development of vibratory modulators for Vaniman blasters...wink..wink... How much popcorn do I need to buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaniman Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Good news! About a half-a-tub, I'd wager. 1 Please PM me for more info on our products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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