Good air compressor?

[MattB]

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"Originally Posted on:Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:53 pm"

Hi Guys

I've been lurking here a while, drooling over your skills and keeping my mouth shut... but thought you might be a great bunch to give me some advice.

Time has come for me to purchase an air compressor, mainly for airbrushing repair touch-ups more than finishing, but I'd like to get something decent enough to use a couple of other air tools like dremel type things and sanders/grinder/etc etc.

I'm happy to spend up to $1000 for something that's quiet and reliable and a little bit future-proof. OR should I be grabbing a little hobby size one for finer airbrushing and a larger one to do the rest?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[graham mcdonald]

10 years ago I bought one of the first of the cheap Chinese compressors for something like $120. I only use it for spraying instruments, maybe 4-6 a year with a regulator/ oil trap in line before the spray gun and only using it for nitro lacquer or shellac through separate, cheap spray guns. It has been fine for that, though the limited tank means that I can get maybe one coat of nitro on a body and I have to wait a minute or so until the pressure builds up again. Depends on what you want to do and how much you want to spend, but for basic spraying one of the cheap ones is all you need. Allen up in Cairns, who does this sort of stuff for a living, might have a different perspective on cheap Chinese compressors and spray guns.

cheers

[Allen]

For airbrushing you don't need much at all. The type that Graham is talking about is more than aduquate, and as he says, can also spray a coat on a complete instrument, though I think I'd find that just a little limiting. I'd prefer the next size up.

I'm not up on the brands available, since I've not been looking at purchasing one. We use a screw turbine at work, and the Cairns Woodworkers guild has a small/medium size compressor jammed into a dark shed that makes it impossible to tell what it is. Can't imagine that they paid big bucks for it though, and it has no problems at all in keeping up with a spray gun running continuously.

Get a good oil/water filter and this needs to be placed at a minimum of 3 meters down line from the compressor.

[Asquared]

Agree w all that - and listen to Allen.

I bought a small $99 GMC compressor about 6 years ago and run through a basic regulator/filter unit (not 3mm down line as Allen suggests Embarassed ). I have a fair but not fancy set of guns including a small touch up gun. I keep hoping that the GMC will die so I can justify getting a decent compressor but the tenacious little bastard just keeps on going and I can easily spray a whole guitar and keep going all day. When I bought it I asked the guy about air capacity and he said it is rated at 5CFM and that if I was worried about that then buy two and run them side by side - still a whole lot cheaper than any branded 10CFM compressor on the market. I've never had to do that. And I did paint a fence with it once - just about killed it but it is still going Wink It isn't quiet though.
Andrew

[MattB]

Hmm thanks guys. At the end of the day it'd probably only see light duty work so I might just save my pennies and get a little cheapish one. The noise factor isn't even that big of an issue really, and I'd welcome anything that drowns out the neighbor's music ("dancing in the moonlight" and only "dancing in the moonlight" played on repeat for hours, no word of a lie), so maybe I'll get the noisiest one available.

[kiwigeo]

For Matt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMc8naee ... xt_from=ML

[MattB]

Sad Seriously I probably wouldn't mind if it was the original version. Sadly, it's the Toploader version (2000) and it's horrible. Occasionally she's in a more reflective mood and instead chooses "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias (on repeat), cranked to distortion. Not even as a joke.

I hereby swear to buy the loudest tools available to man.

[Allen]

The reason you should have the oil/water trap at least 3 meters down line from the compressor is that compressed air is warm to hot, and holds onto the moisture while down line it's had a chance to cool some and lets the moisture drop out. The further down line the more effective the separator will be.

Seen far too many mounted directly to the tank because it was convenient, but alas totally useless.

[Paul B]

My missus bought me a framing gun (nail gun) it came with a free compressor, one of those little cheap direct drives things. Noisy as hell but I can spray a guitar with one.

Thanks Allen on the tip about the water trap, tried to use compressed air to clean up a machine the other day and it seemed like a 50:50 mixture of air and water was coming out of the damned thing.

(oh, and, yes I had drained the tank)

[Mike Thomas]

Our local Mitre 10 in Hobart (and probably most Mitre 10s) has a special on at the moment on Hyundai compressors. They are 50litre, 115psi, 5 cu.ft a minute, and they cost about $200. I know next to nothing about compressors, except that I know that sooner or later I am going to have to get one. I'm a bit wary of buying cheap stuff, but I must admit I have been tempted by these.

[Matt_W]

MattB wrote:
:... and instead chooses "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias (on repeat), cranked to distortion. Not even as a joke.

.


Enrique has distortion


Maybe thats when you need to pay her a visit.....

[Localele]

Hi Matt, I was walking through Bunnings yesterday and they had a pile of 2.5hp /40l tank compressors for $99 . Even if you need to replace the filter /regulator after a while they are still good value. Nearly bought one myself to take the compressor off and use the tank as a vacuum tank.

[MattB]

Localele wrote:
Hi Matt, I was walking through Bunnings yesterday and they had a pile of 2.5hp /40l tank compressors for $99 . Even if you need to replace the filter /regulator after a while they are still good value. Nearly bought one myself to take the compressor off and use the tank as a vacuum tank.

I actually picked one of these up on the weekend. It's a bit noisy while it's running but seems to be up to the job. The tank seems enough to allow some quiet use too, for airbrushing at least.

I've got a 3 meter hose and separator/filter for my airbrush coming so I think I should be good. Is there a good place to buy hoses, or is it better to learn to diy?

[Allen]

If you are referring to air line, then there are heaps of different sizes and grades. The smaller the inside diameter the more pressure drop you will get.


1/4" inside diameter has a shocking pressure drop in a very short run. Much better to go to 3/8" inside diameter, which is the industry standard.

From there there are all kinds of construction. Get one that doesn't kink easily, and doesn't want to hold onto shape. ie. coil up in a knot every time you go to use it. Rubber are the best, but also the most expensive.

I'd go to an automotive supply shop, or a Hydraulic fitting place. There are a couple local ones in the industrial section near where I work and they have all kinds of hose by the meter. They cut to length and fit ends.

[MattB]

Allen wrote:
If you are referring to air line, then there are heaps of different sizes and grades. The smaller the inside diameter the more pressure drop you will get.

Hmm that's interesting I actually didn't consider pressure dropping along the way. So really, a regulator at the gun/device would be more "true" than a tank mounted one?

I would have thought a larger line would lower the pressure, but hey you learn something every day.

[Allen]

25 feet of 1/4" id hose will drop air pressure by 50% at the gun. So if you have it reading 60 psi at the tank, it's only 30 psi at the gun.

Larger hose, less restriction. High end spray guns will have a pressure gauge and control built right into the gun, or you can get ones to bolt on.

You don't need the extra expense of a gun like this though. and as long as you are aware that there is always pressure drop in a line after the gauge, with a small inside diameter hose being the most extreme, you should be able to get by for the type of spraying that guitar makers do.


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