Shortly after Gunner’s Great Garage opened in 2010, I bought a huge media blasting cabinet from Eastwood (www.eastwood.com) and it has done a lot of work for the shop. However, I am new to using a blaster and I have struggled with getting the maximum benefit from this tool.

The problems I’ve had are not with the cabinet itself, but with the abrasives I’m using, the nozzle, the window protection, the dust collection and the general way I set it up. I’m trying to do Willys-Knight work with a Whippet system!

My friend Larry Fechter is a talented car restorer who has a background in building trades and facilities management. In his spotless car restoration building he has built a blasting system with two cabinets, two compressors, a “high horsepower” vacuum system, PVC manifolding between his blasters and so on. Larry taught me that cabinets work well, but have to be set up well.

Two months ago, at the Buick-Olds-Pontiac-Cadillac Swap Meet in St. Charles, Ill., I ran into a company called Metal Finishing Supply Co. (www.metalfinishingsupply.biz) that is based in Brookfield, Wis. They were selling a very impressive array of cabinets, blasting tools and related supplies.

I picked up the company’s calling card and got in touch with owner Dave Wallendal. After a few emails back and forth, I realized that Dave is a guru in this area and I asked him if he would come to Manawa and do one of our free seminars. Last week, Dave confirmed that he will come to Gunner’s Great Garage on June 9 and put on a seminar. I am going to buy the equipment and supplies needed to “tune-up” my cabinet and Dave is going to go over each improvement he’s making to explain the who, what, where, why and when of it. So, this will be a pretty hands-on seminar from Dave’s view.

I have invited Dave to bring along anything he wants to offer to the group so that they can get into media blasting or make improvements to the blasting systems they already have. Anyone who wants to connect with Dave beforehand can reach him at 262-782-0555 or 800-242-6363. You can also email him at d.wallendal@metalfinishingsupply.biz

If you plan to make the seminar, please let us know vis the contact page at www.gunnersgreatgarage.com.