Air Brush Compressor

[BobH48]

I hardly ever use my airbrush because the compressor that I have has a couple of problems.

1. There is no regulator with a guage to set the pressure. There is just a knob where you can guess the pressure.

2. No water trap... so splotchy paint on days when there is any humidity.. even if it's good enough for rattle cans.

3. Very loud

I am thinking of getting this:

https://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGUZ8&P=0

Does anyone have any experience with this compressor? Good, bad, or otherwise.

Thanks, in advance, for your feedback.

 

[sandman]

JimZ showed me his airbrush compressor that he MADE.

He made it out of an old refrigerator compressor.

He also told me that he had used a spare tire a while back that he filled to 35 psi and just hooked a hose onto it. He said it lasted for about an hour of constant sprayng.

Sorta like the windshield washers on the old VW beetles.

 

[BobH48]

He also told me that he had used a spare tire a while back that he filled to 35 psi and just hooked a hose onto it. He said it lasted for about an hour of constant sprayng.

I'll bet the tire didn't make a lot of noise

 

[11bravo]

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43223&item=3842313563&rd=1

With 20 cubic feet of air per minute you could run, what, like 100 airbrushes and not run short.
And with FIVE THOUSAND psi you will not only be able to {begin wimpy, limp wristed accent} "apply" {end wimpy, limp wristed accent} paint, you will be able to infuse paint into whatever material you're working with, be it paper tubes, balsa nose cones, or steel. This will result in a much stronger rocket, in much the same way that epoxy added to simple carbon fiber cloth makes it more rigid and user friendly.
But hurry, you only have a little over a week until the auction ends.
I'd get it myself, but I already have 5; one in the house, one in the garage, one in my Jeep, one on my bicycle, and a spare just in case.

Greg

 

[Stymye]

can you put a gauge on the one you have? you might have to add a T fitting.

also harbour freight has an AB compressor for $75

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34844

 

[stevem]

any air compressor, no matter how good, will produce moisture in the air. You can get inexpensive in-line dryers that will trap the moisture before it gets to your gun.

 

[Quasar]

I use a 20-pound cylinder of CO2 with a regulator. No moisture, no noise.

 

[edwardw]

Originally posted by sandman
Sorta like the windshield washers on the old VW beetles.

I have a 74 VW Bug. The windshield fluid is powered by the pressure in the spare tire in the trunk. I carried a foot pump in there just in case. Then I decided I would just bypass the spare tire and pump up a 2L bottle with a tire valve in the cap. I liked that better anyway. About 75 psi and it took less time to pump and worked better. I even threw in a spare bottle that was already pressurized so in the rain I didn't have to stand there and work the foot pump. Ahhh..the good memories.


Edward

 

[BobH48]

Originally posted by Quasar
I use a 20-pound cylinder of CO2 with a regulator. No moisture, no noise.

A couple of questions.

1. Where would I get something like that?
2. How expensive is it to get the setup?
3. How long does a 20-pound cylinder last?
4. Can you just refill the cylinder?

Thanks for the information.

Bob

 

[OARJeepr]

You can get the entire setup at any welding supply house. Probably be around a hundred to set up depending on how fancy a regulator you get. I have no idea how long it would last running an airbrush I only have experience with this setup on offroad vehicles. There people use it to fill tires and run tools. A 20 pound tank will fill a lot of tires so I imagine it will last a long time running an airbrush. Yes you just refill the tank.

Things to be concious of: Its a tank of liquified gas, so it must be mounted straight up. If its inside confined space (anywhere inside a home really) and starts to vent (unlikely) then you need to move someplace else quickly or you will find yourself in a low oxygen environment.

 

[Quasar]

Originally posted by BobH48
A couple of questions.

1. Where would I get something like that?
2. How expensive is it to get the setup?
3. How long does a 20-pound cylinder last?
4. Can you just refill the cylinder?

Thanks for the information.

Bob

Sorry to take so long to reply. OARJeepr is right. I paid around $100 about 15 years ago. Got it from a place that supplies welding gases, oxygen, and other gases. Check the yellow pages in the phone book for the above and you should be able to find a source. I use mine only occasionally and my first fill-up lasted me several years. Hope this helps.

 

[Stymye]

there are a few options but it's hard to beat a good compressor
because you want to regularly cycle the air thru, and that helps keep the tank clean inside

the only downside to the welding tank is ,keeping that type of tank for so long under pressure it will develope alot of moisture inside, and has no drain in the bottom, also alot of the gas station refilling stations do not have the power to fill a tank like that beyond mabey 50 psi(if your lucky) and that would take a hand full of quarters and some time,
you will also have to adapt the inlet down to accept a male tire airchuck, the gas station airpumps are often full of moisture as well. before long the tank will develope scale and debris inside simply from storing the air for a long time ... like anything else ,air goes bad, and if you store it for a long time it gets downright rotton from the moisture.


also you would want to take it somewhere that has a nice big compressor to fill it for you.(like a garage) not to mention you have to drive somewhere to fill it up.
If you don't use it for a while, you want to drain it(kinda defeats the purpose)

you can buy a pretty nice compressor for the same money , it has a drain and regularly cycles the air thru.

you can buy a 4 gallon compressor from harbour freight for $100
with regulator , gage and airchuck built in.ready to rock.

if you use the welding type tank often and cycle the air thru it regularly than it will do fine and last a long time.but for an airbrush thats often not the case.

 

[BobH48]

I'm not sure which option I'll go with yet.

Andy, I think that Quasar and OARJeep are talking about using CO2 and not just air so that moisture shouldn't be a problem.

That would require getting the tank filled back at the welding supply house.

How much pressure do you need to get good performance for painting rockets?

I used to use the airbrush for painting plastic scale models using expensive hobby paints that were very thin so you didn't need much pressure but I think they are unsuitable for painting large areas.

The cheap compressor is just 30psi and not adjustable. I don't think that's what I want. But how much will I really need?

I don't mind spending a little extra for a compressor with a regulator but I certainly don't want spend a lot of extra money for capacity that I don't need.