Every now and then I need a little bead/sandblasting on a project. Nothing major, just a matte finish on a 3" X 3/4" oval on the top of a 1911 slide for example or giving a stainless steel Smith revolver a matte finish. A couple of local shops have been very good about doing this for me but I'm thinking it would be a more efficient use of time and a lot less of a hassle if I could do this myself. Does anyone have any recommendations as to equipment and abrasive I should be looking at? I'm looking for something fairly simple, that I could run my compressor line out to the porch and use. Thanks in advance for any guidance you may have.

i have been parkerizing guns for years, and i used just a suction sandblaster, but it finally wore out. i ordered a new blaster gun with hose from sears and you can drop the end of the pickup hose into a bucket of playsand that is completely dry and it works great just make sure the sand is dry or it will clog, ofcourse you could use glass beads also, but unless you have a cabinet the beads would be lost so sand is cheaper. the new blaster gun with hose was just a little over $20.00.

Perfect! This is just the type of advice I was looking for. Thanks!

Do some research on silicosis caused by sand blasting before you try to save a couple of bucks. The little paper masks won't protect you.

I have a cabinet at work and a friend locally who allows me to use his.

If I where looking to purchase something for what your talking about THIS would be at the top of my list for small items, Fill it with 320 glass and I think you'd be very happy.

Silicosis