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With a No. 6 nozzle at typical abrasive consumption (~750 lb/hr), a 6 cu ft pot loaded with coal slag (~100 lb/ft³) holds 600 lbs of media and runs roughly 45–50 minutes. 

Tungsten carbide (TC) — 300–1,000 hours of life. Lower upfront cost. Standard production choice.

Boron carbide (BC) — 750–1,500 hours. ~3× the cost of TC, but in heavy-production environments the longer service life and reduced nozzle-swap downtime usually pays for itself.

Long-venturi — longer convergent/divergent section accelerates abrasive to higher velocity. ~40% more production than short-venturi at the same CFM. Standard production choice for tungsten carbide and boron carbide blast nozzles.

Short-venturi — cheaper, easier to keep clean. Used in light-duty service and where weight matters (hand blast in hard-to-reach areas).

Piping size. The TLR-100 is the 1″ system with a 1″ NPT inlet valve, used on smaller Classic blast machines. The TLR-300 is the 1-1/4″ system with a 1-1/2″ NPT inlet valve for larger machines and bigger nozzles. Both are pneumatic pressure-release remote controls and work identically — press the RLX handle to pressurize and blast, release it to depressurize and stop.

Suffixes stack onto either model: D means a diaphragm outlet valve instead of the standard piston valve (recommended for fine-mesh or aggressive abrasives), and C adds the abrasive cutoff system (ACS). So a TLR-300DC is the 1-1/4″ system with diaphragm outlet valve and ACS.

The abrasive cutoff system (ACS) is a toggle switch mounted directly behind the control handle that closes the abrasive metering valve so air alone exits the nozzle. It only operates while the control handle is pressed. Toggle away from the nozzle (ON) = blast mode, air and abrasive; toggle toward the nozzle (OFF) = blowdown mode, air only.

Common uses: clearing abrasive out of the blast hose when blasting is finished (which prevents heavy slugging at the next startup, especially with vertical hose runs), blowing residual abrasive off the blasted surface, and drying the surface after wetblasting.

The ACS requires a pneumatically operated abrasive metering valve, and it is not available on Lo-Pot machines, which lack clearance for the valve.

The piston outlet valve (stock no. 01967) is the standard choice and is used in most applications. The diaphragm outlet valve (stock no. 03371) is recommended when you run fine-mesh or aggressive abrasives — the fine or sharp media that's hardest on a piston valve's cup, rod, and plug.

TLR remote control systems with a "D" in the model name (TLR-100D, TLR-300D, TLR-100DC, TLR-300DC) ship with the diaphragm valve.

Yes — but install a Clemco antifreeze injector (stock no. 05537) on the remote control air-supply line first. Moist air that freezes can block the control handle or the control lines, and a blockage in the control circuit is dangerous in both directions: it can cause involuntary activation of the remote controls, or prevent the controls from deactivating when the operator releases the handle.

Clemco's warning applies to freezing or near-freezing weather, so don't wait for hard frost. Keeping the compressed air dry helps year-round — an air filter (moisture separator) at the machine inlet is recommended, with a dryer or aftercooler if moisture persists.

Yes, with two safeguards.

1. A check valve at each machine. If one machine is under pressure when another pressurizes, the sudden air demand can reverse flow and push abrasive-laden air back into the compressed-air supply. Install a Clemco ball cone check valve at each machine's air supply — 1-1/4″ NPT (stock no. 02088) for a TLR-100 with 1″ NPT inlet valve, or 1-1/2″ NPT (stock no. 02296) for a TLR-300. Do not use swing check valves; the swing gate can break in blast machine service. Point the flow arrow toward the machine. If machines are grouped close together, run separate air lines to each from a receiver tank or manifold.

2. Hose identification kits. With two or more machines close together, cross-connecting a control hose or blast hose to the wrong machine can unintentionally actuate a machine someone else is working on. Keep hoses of equal lengths, mark every hose and coupling with a hose identification kit — stock no. 15890 for two machines, 15891 for up to four — and trace and verify each connection before operating.

Yes. Clemco control hoses come with reusable hose ends, so excess hose can be cut to length and recoupled:

1. Hold the sleeve (vise or backup wrench) and unscrew the insert counterclockwise, then turn the sleeve clockwise to remove it from the hose.
2. Cut the hose to length.
3. Lubricate the hose inside and out with SAE 20 or similar oil.
4. Turn the sleeve counterclockwise onto the hose. Stop as soon as the hose bottoms against the sleeve's internal shoulder, then back it out 1/4 turn — over-tightening curls the hose inward and can cause blockage.
5. Push the insert into the sleeve and turn it clockwise until the insert hex seats against the sleeve.

Either side of a twinline can attach to either fitting on the control handle and valves, so orientation isn't a worry when re-coupling.

For pneumatic TLR remote controls, we recommend switching to electric (electro-pneumatic) remote controls when the nozzle and control handle are farther than 100 feet from the blast machine. Over longer distances the pressure drop in the pneumatic control lines increases response time — the lag between releasing the handle and the machine actually shutting down — which prevents fast, safe operation.

Within 100 feet, the standard system (50-ft. twinline to the handle plus 5-ft. twinline at the machine, joined by unions) responds quickly: pressurization starts when the handle is pressed and depressurization occurs when it's released.

The two usual suspects are the abrasive trap and the exhaust muffler — both sit in the machine's exhaust path.

1. Abrasive trap: a blocked screen or a trap full of abrasive chokes the exhaust. Empty the trap and clean the screen — Clemco calls for this at least twice daily, and a neglected trap is a major cause of system malfunction.
2. Exhaust muffler: the porous element body clogs over time. Replace the muffler element as soon as depressurization time noticeably increases — a plugged element can build enough internal pressure to burst.

Slow depressurization also causes a second problem: abrasive gets forced up into the blast hose while the machine bleeds down, which shows up as heavy surging at the next startup.

At least twice a day — more often if the machine is frequently cycled. Empty the trap and clean the screen with the air off, before blasting. Failure to clean the abrasive trap on a regular basis is a major cause of system malfunction, and a blocked trap is the first thing to check when a machine depressurizes slowly.

When servicing the trap: remove the screen and inspect it for wear and blockage, replace it when clogged or worn, and reinstall it with the smaller-diameter end facing up. The upper and lower caps are identical except the screen gasket is glued into the upper cap — make sure the gasket and both cap O-rings are in place before reassembly.

The choke valve is the ball valve in the pusher line below the machine. In normal blasting it stays fully open — the handle aligned with the piping. Closing it while blasting drops the pusher-line pressure below vessel pressure, which forces abrasive down through the metering valve. That makes it useful for exactly two things:

• Clearing minor blockages, such as damp abrasive: rapidly open and close the choke valve several times while blasting.
• Rapidly emptying the machine of abrasive at the end of the day.