Sand Blast Cabinet Window Protector Using Screen Mesh
Sand blast cabinet windows are notorious for becoming hazy when used. Blasting media bounces off the part, hits the window and scratches it. A glass window is more resistant to hazing than plastic windows, but it will become cloudy over time, especially if using a large abrasive grit. A glass window tends to last a long time when bead blasting with glass beads.
There are disposable plastic covers that you can apply to protect the window and peel them off as they get cloudy, however these don't last long, and Static causes dust to cling to the surface causing the view to get cloudy even faster.
Some people have reported success with adding a screen mesh in front of the glass. Some people say that window screen works well. Window screen is 16-18 mesh in size. Most abrasive media is smaller than that, so it won't stop everything from passing through. Others recommend 40 mesh stainless screen. You may have to increase the amount of light inside the cabinet to see well.
The mesh needs to be stretched on a frame for the best transparency. A standard window screen frame can be cut to size and used with this screen.
Once the screen is stretched onto the frame, it needs to be mounted inside the cabinet and spaced away from the glass by at least 0.5in. It should be attached in a way that is easy to remove to maintain. Twist latches could work well. If the cabinet is metal, magnets could be used to attach it. But magnets inside a sand blast cabinet will attract a lot of metal fines.
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