Thanks to those of you who replied to my post. I took the advice of several of you and went to Harbor Freight and got their 93657 airbrush compressor. I tried it out for the first time today, and I'm happy with it. It is quiet and easy to use. Perhaps someday I'll move up to a more expensive compressor, but as for now I think it makes a good compressor for a beginner.
Refarkas
Capt. GrimekThanks. That sounds pretty durable. I appreciate the feedback.
No problem. What sold me was the small size and how quiet it is. I have a 6 gallon pancake compressor. I leave it for the nail guns and such.
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Capt. Grimekjbinkely, how long have you had yours and how much use has it gotten? I'm very close to buying something and would like more feedback on airbrush depot's compressors especially tank models like the TC20. If I knew they held up to a couple of years (anyway) of fairly constant use, I'd be willing to give one a try. Thanks.
I've had it 3 years. I've used it quite a bit but not daily, more like 3-4 times per month.
refarkas I have new neighbors in the next apartment who try to be quiet for me. Since at least one of them always seems to be home and my old full-sized air compressor was noisy enough to almost be heard two or three apartments away, I'm looking for a fairly quiet airbrush compressor. Can anyone recommend one that is powerful enough (30-35 pounds pressure) and fairly quiet? (I know I can get tanks filled elsewhere and bring them into the basement, but that's not for me.) Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Bob
I have new neighbors in the next apartment who try to be quiet for me. Since at least one of them always seems to be home and my old full-sized air compressor was noisy enough to almost be heard two or three apartments away, I'm looking for a fairly quiet airbrush compressor. Can anyone recommend one that is powerful enough (30-35 pounds pressure) and fairly quiet? (I know I can get tanks filled elsewhere and bring them into the basement, but that's not for me.)
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Bob
I own a 121TK that I purchased from Airbrush City. It is extremely quiet. As their ad says, you can talk on the phone while it is running. It looks like they have replaced it with the 144AC model. It is currently on sale for $109.
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..... Bob
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I used a small Badger compressor for years, until it simply wore out. It was replaced with a SilentAire Scorpion which has performed flawlessly. It has a filter/trap which keep water out of the hose, a BIG plus.
I believe it came from Blick's Art Supply.
Get yourself a Porter Cable pancake compressor from Home Depot or any other equivalent brand and build yourself a box out of extruded foam yeah the pink stuff people use for scenery large enough to slip over the compressor when you want to operated quietly. I do not recommend using it for long periods of time as your not going to get hardly any air flow around it. You can also make a box and line it with homasote. Thats one of the things it's originally designed for, believe it or not it's original intent was not for model railroading.
As far as air compressors go screw type are much quieter then piston type compressors but do not have as long of a life span. Most piston type compressors which last much longer are either iron or iron sleeved.
If your original compressor is small enough just try putting it in a closet when you use it when the neighbors are home.
I bought the cheap small one at Harbor Freight. I claim no expertise with airbrushing, but it seems to work and is quiet.