Stripping the frame...

Yeah - that'd help quite a bit, 3hp isn't a bad size comp and only the really big (and costly lol) comps have the CFM delivery to keep up with any sand blaster so it's all about tank size and how long you hafta wait for it to fill vrs how long you can work.

The portable comp I used at the marina was just a 5hp - but it had a much larger tank than the "pancake" style - those are usually just used for nailers etc.

I figure if you had a good sized reserve tank hooked up inline, even just a 5gal - that'd be enough to give you some usable work time with yer lil blaster. I only had a 5gal reserve when I was usin' the pressurized blaster (and the blaster itself acts as a reserve too)- but ofc a lil more CFM.

Funny, I put my old Craftsman comp tank(no motor) on Craigslist and got more calls on that than for anything else - crazy. Should have asked more than $25! I can only assume they were piggybacking with it to add more reserve. Then again, every hobby has it's little niche item that people look for to fulfill a special purpose. Maybe I haven't heard all the alternative uses but a BBQ or smoker sounds like an option. I'm sure I'll wish I had kept it some day.

Well dmar836, they could very well have used it for a BBQ - but I bet they replaced their Craftsman tank w/yers. The tanks can get rusty and contractors/roofers etc. abuse the heck outa their equipment.

Cheapo 5gal portables only cost $25ish or so new, same as what you were askin fer yers - yet a replacement tank for a comp is expensive as heck or just not available for the smaller ones.

hmm... now I wanna make a BBQ