So I just got myself a small blasting cabinet, an Eastwood benchtop model. I have a small (8 gallon) compressor and I’m trying to figure out what media to use in what application.
I have 60-80 glass bead, which seems to work well for lighter work. I have several undercarriage parts with heavier surface rust and the glass bead seems under powered. What media/pressure/nozzle should I be using to blast the rust off the outside of my brake drums, for example?
Brake drums come clean in an hour or so soaking in a drain pan filled with Evaporust. Much better than blasting.
Your compressor is too small for effective bead blasting. Something with only 8 gallons of air storage capacity is not going to have enough CFM to do very much at all. Generally I have found 5 or more horsepower to be necessary for bead blasting for any length of time. Usually compressors of this power level have storage tanks in the area of 60 gallons. Even so, blasting is slow and tedious on rough cast iron.
I use a media called Patriot Black. Works pretty good. Not sure with the glass, but the inside of the cabinet sure gets dusty. Luckily, my shop has a dust extraction system. After piping in the cabinet I can blast non-stop.
Royce is right about not having enough compressor. I tend to get impatient with things. The air system in my shop has two compressors in tandem. A 10 HP Kellogg-American and I’ve recently added a 20 hp Joy Twistair. The Joy was making a little bearing noise and is apart right now. But, even with 10 hp and 180 gallons of storage the Kellogg still gets warm during blasting. For doing bigger parts, you will need a lot more compressor or a lot of time and patience.
I agree with Royce, your compressor is the issue not the media.
Steve, what average psi are you getting from your compressor while blasting ?
It can keep up with 80-90 psi as long as I pause frequently. I have a one car garage that is already filled with a Cougar so space is at a premium. Getting a larger compressor isn’t really an option.
I will try evaporust on the drums and daydream about a four car garage with a lift and a giant compressor.
I just got a email about this stuff for removing rust.
https://raybuck.com/the-ultimate-rust-removal-liquid/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=WFX__March_2020__Rust_Release&utm_medium=email
Be sure your blast cabinet is outside the garage. Silicosis can be quite serious and besides those cabinets make a big dusty mess inside. Pro units have enough vacuum to collect and keep all the dust inside but they are expensive so I expect yours is the messy kind.
I’d have to agree that compressor is way too small to be practical for blasting. I’ve been using a harbor freight cabinet with a 30 gallon/3.5hp compressor and there’s still a lot of pausing to let it catch up. I did find the aluminum oxide media to be pretty effective with a smaller compressor, the glass bead may not be aggressive enough if you’re limited by compressor CFM.
Royce is right about the budget cabinets being messy. I hooked up a shop vac and a dust collector, makes a big difference. Not as good as the high end cabinets, but better than nothing.
I did pay close attention to sealing all the seams during assembly. With my shop vac hooked up it runs very clean. And yes, everything has to go onto the driveway to be used.
Thanks for all the input. I’m going to try out crushed glass and aluminum oxide next.
I use Black Diamond Medium grit from Tractor Supply for most of my blasting. Use glass bead for delicate parts.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/black-diamond-medium-blasting-abrasives?cm_vc=-10005
80 to 90 psi isnt too bad for blasting if you dont mind the waiting for the compressor to catch up. 
Also most “glass beads” are crushed glass harbor freight is good for this.
An air dryer would be a good addition.