I am considering the purchase of a Iwata Smart Jet compressor. I would like to hear from anyone who has any experience with this product. Is it quiet? Is it powerful enough? Any information or opinions would be helpful. I have been using a large pancake compressor but it is so noisy and I don't feel that it gives me enough control of the pressure. Also it does not have a moisture filter, etc. I also wanted o know if I could add a pressure regulator to this compressor and where would I find one? Also how does this compare to the compressors being offered by Harbor Freight, what makes this worth the price difference?
Thanks
wdcrvr
the iwata doesn't have a moisture filter or pressure regulator as standard either .. if the noise is a major issue, then the iwata is superior ..
The Iwata smart jets I see have moisture traps
https://www.iwata-airbrush.com/low-medium-pressure-output.html
I used to use a badger that came with my airbrush 25 years ago. It would always run and sometimes spit water. I still have it and am ashamed to sell it on Ebay.
When I got back into MR, I bought a Porter Cable pancake 6 gal. While it is noisy as it fills the tank, Once full, there is plenty of air for my usual airbrushing session. Your needs may be different. The Iwata has no tank, so it's going to run full time.
I bought a regulator and water trap on Amazon that fit the pancake. In less than 6 months, it developed an internal air leak. The water trap never had any moisture in it and now I just go by the gauge on the compressor.
It would not surprise me to find these gauges aren't very accurate. I do not lose a second of sleep over that possibility. If I was getting big bucks to paint some guy's Harley Davidson gas tank, I might.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Hello All,
wdcrvr...how does this compare to the compressors being offered by Harbor Freight, what makes this worth the price difference?
I bought the Harbor Freight & Tool airbrush set.
Yes, there were problems:
•One of the O-rings in the moisture trap had been crushed during assembly. I was told to return the unit to the place I purchased it for a replacement. The problem was that it was a 1-1/2-hour drive- -one way!I went to the local hardware store, bought the O-ring for less than $1.00 and was up and running.
•The "pressure regulator" does not actually regulate the pressure on the HF compressor. I added a pressure regulating valve with a dial. This is inline after the stock regulator/moisture trap and before the output.
•The included airbrush is a basic model but is dual action. I polished the needle and was able to get a finer action. Great for coverage.
Despite these challenges I have been pleased with the actual compressor, despite the disappointing peripherals.
That being said, I am sure that the HF model pales in comparison to the iwata. However the $150.00 saved can be easily used on other parts of my pike.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I initialy set up my airbrush in the garage using a Porter Cable pancake compressor that came with my nailgun kit. It was objectionalby loud!
I looked at the smaller airbrush compressors, which can be VERY quiet. I had a friend with both an indoor small, super quiet compressor and a small "California" garage compressor. I opted for the latter, as it seemed better engineered than some of the (maybe not Iwata) common (many look the same) small airbrush compressors. The California I purchased is not as quiet (phone dB measured) as advertised but just fine, very reasonably quiet, in the garage; i.e., orders of magnitude quieter than the pancake. Rather good reviews. I included a separate regulator (you can't see the pressure gage behind it) and water knockout device that I already had. Just an option, these seem reliable and very affordable.
Airbrush Setup 1 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
https://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA/ref=sxin_4_ac_d_pm?crid=2Q0KNY3J5Z41Q&keywords=california+air+compressor&pd_rd_i=B01LYHYHEA&pd_rd_r=e9ffc62e-0367-4965-9de1-b48195229c95&pd_rd_w=NVBXu&pd_rd_wg=2s0gQ&pf_rd_p=be5d8dec-444e-4770-91df-1e16a8c46da8&pf_rd_r=PWR1Z9YE4859CY5VNCX0&qid=1563238148&s=gateway&sprefix=california+air+compressor%2Caps%2C185
Airbrush Setup 2 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=airbrush+regulator+moisture+trap&crid=3QHYF7GOCR58S&sprefix=airbrush+regula%2Caps%2C178&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_15
Just an option.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
peahrensJust an option.
What a great option indeed!
Love the pressure regulator/nozzle on the bench.
Wishing I could have a setup like that.
Unfortunately not enough room in the computer-/spare bed-/railroad-room.
Until then, I'll have to settle for the more portable units.
Thank you for sharing.
Well, Hobby Lobby sells the Iwata Smart Jet compressor for the usual price of $279 but is currently clearing them out. Since no one jumped on this post with a horror story about this compressor I went ahead and purchased one on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $112. I figure I can't really go wrong at that price. I got the last one at that store but I checked and 2 other stores near me have another 3 units available for $119 each. So if anyone out there is looking for a deal, call your local Hobby Lobby. I don't imagine these will last long at that price. So far I plugged it in to hear how quiet it is and was pleased with it.
So since I have purchased the compressor I now still need to figure out how to get a good pressure regulator to add to it. This is because the pressure guage on this compressor is regulated by opening an air release at the bottom of the moisture trap. Essentially releasing air pressure and thereby bringing down the effective pressure of the compressor. But this will mean that the compressor will run contually because it will never be able to get to full pressure with that valve open. So I want to add a good pressure regulator to this compressor. That will also allow me to set the pressure at a particular point and always return to that pressure when I use the unit. Any suggestions?
wdcrvr...I want to add a good pressure regulator to this compressor. That will also allow me to set the pressure at a particular point and always return to that pressure when I use the unit. Any suggestions?
I'm not sure where you'd buy a regulator (try a place where they sell automotive paints) but most hardware stores should have suitable brass fittings to install regulators, moisture and oil traps, or bench-top connections for such items. I have a box of such fittings and couplers, in various sizes and types.
I use a rotary compressor, which uses no tank, as the output is continuous, without pulses like a piston- or diaphragm-type compressor....
That means that the 3/4HP motor runs continuously as I paint. Since my paint shop is in a detached garage, about 100' behind the house, the noise is not an issue. While it's equipped with a moisture trap and an oil separator (the compressing is done by two intermeshing screws in an oil bath), I have never had an issue with oil or water in the paint, and have never had any water to drain from the trap. It's been in this service for about 25 years, with the only maintenance being an occasional adjustment of the belt tension.
Wayne
Wayne,
That's a beautiful piece of classic machinery! I'm sure it will out last most modern compressors.
We have a water pump at the cottage. It is quite capable of hauling water up a 140' run with about an 8' rise. I believe it came from a 1920s fishing boat. The electric motor is probably from the 50s if not earlier. The pump rarely needs grease. It just runs when you need it. I enjoy running it just because it is such a beautiful, functioning antique.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks Dave. My father built what's shown. The actual compressor is from Wagner, although when I contacted them, they didn't recognise it as such, although the company, by that time, had changed hands, perhaps more than once.I believe that it may have been originally part of a tree harvester, as my father was, at that time, working at Koehring-Waterous where those machines were made.The oil separator tank is obviously the covers from compressors, as used on refrigerators, welded together, but I have no idea of what the function of the various piping (other than that for the air) might be.
The water trap is the vertical aluminum cannister between the motor and the compressor in the second photo, and the pressure regulator is above the on/off switch in the first photo.Both the water trap and oil separator have drain spigots, but I get neither water nor oil, respectively, from either. The water spigot, when opened when the compressor is running, will emit air, but that doesn't occur for the oil separator.When the set pressure is attained, excess pressure is automatically vented as the compressor runs - very handy when changing paint bottles during a painting session, as I never need to turn it off.
He never explained the operation of it, so it's a good thing that it's so reliable, as I wouldn't have a clue about servicing it.
wdcrvrEssentially releasing air pressure and thereby bringing down the effective pressure of the compressor. But this will mean that the compressor will run contually because it will never be able to get to full pressure with that valve open.
Houston we have a problem.
There is no feedback between an add-on regulator and that compressor. There is no storage tank. By design, it's going to run continuously.
BigDaddy
I don't understand your comment. The following is an excerpt from the Iwata website. "The Iwata IS-850 Smart Jet Compressor features Iwata's "Smart Technology" which means automatic shut-off. Automatic shut-off refers to the fact that the compressor is on when it needs to build pressure then automatically shuts off when the pressure needs are met or when not in use. This feature contributes to a longer life-time of the compressor, less noise for the user and a good consistent flow of air." I am new at all this airbrush tech so could you please explain your comment?
Thanks wdcrvr
wdcrvr...I went ahead and purchased one on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $112.
Congratulations on a great find at a great price!
wdcrvrI now still need to figure out how to get a good pressure regulator to add to it.
As I mentioned I added a secondary regulator from HF. At $4.99 it was a great value.
To put this inline I needed to do a little plumbing with adapters. As I recall these were readily available at my local hardware store.
I also used Teflon tape during assembly and one particular joint needed plumbers compound to insure air-tight seals.
Congratulations again on a great find and...
jjdamnit
Great! Did this addition allow you to set the pressure at a lower rate? And this worked without having to use the bleed on the water trap? Can you explain how you worked this in to the line? Maybe a picture? Did you have to remove the guage and/or water trap that comes attached to the compressor?
Thanks for all your help. I know nothing about this and have to rely on this forum for information.
First of all I think you got a good deal on the price.
My badger just runs continously. If I am not using the airbrush, there must be an escape valve so excess air pressure is vented to the atmosphere. Otherwise it would sieze up or explode. The Iwata detects maximum pressure and turns itself off if the airbrush is not in use.
Their method of pressure regulation is to create a leak, that matches the output of the compressor to create the desired pressure.
There is no reservoir according the their specs. I cannot find a cut away view of any airbrush compressor.
What we know: There is a motor. There must be piston to compress the air. Beyond that, there must be some sort of chamber, otherwise the output would be pulsatile. All that has to fit into "under the hood" of the air compressor.
How big can that chamber be in a compressor that size? We know the size of a standard plastic bottle of water. Is there room for that? I don't know, but let's say there is: a pint,16 oz. In a pancake compressor, you see the chamber, in my case it's 6 gallons or 48 pints.
Picking numbers out of my head, you turn the compressor on and it pressurizes to whatever it's limit is, say 40 psi, and turns off. The add-on regulator will dispense air at a fixed pressure, say 20 psi.
Volume and pressure and directly related. Pull the trigger on the airbrush and the pressure in that chamber is going to fall much faster than the pancake. If the chamber is 16 oz, and you shoot 4 oz, you have lost 25% of the volume and 25% of the pressure.
Only Iwata knows what automatic means and what pressure drop will turn on the compressor. Is it 38 psi, 30 psi or 20 psi? I have no idea. The smaller that chamber really is, the bigger percentage drop in both pressure and volume.
It was hyperbole to say you compressor will never turn off, but it will have to turn on more frequently than a pancake compressor. If it's quiet enough for you, it will work. It will just perform differently than your pancake.
wdcrvrDid this addition allow you to set the pressure at a lower rate?
Yes, adding the secondary regulator allows the pressure to be set and maintained at what ever P.S.I. you choose and it retains the stock moisture trap and regulator.
wdcrvrDid you have to remove the guage and/or water trap that comes attached to the compressor?
No, I added the secondary regulator after the existing pressure regulator and moisture trap.
wdcrvrMaybe a picture?
Unfortunately, not. This forum relies on using a third-party hosting site which I refuse to use.
wdcrvrCan you explain how you worked this in to the line?
Absolutely!
The fittings for the air compressor are 1/4-in. NPT. The threads on the airburush hose are 1/8 inch BSP.
On the stock compressor I got from HF the primary moisture trap/regulator are plumed to the compressor with a M/M 1/4-in. NPT fitting.
Out of the stock moisture trap/regulator is a M/M adapter; 1/4-in. NPT to 1/8-in BSP.
To add the secondary regulator, remove the M/M adapter on the output side of the stock regulator/moisture trap (1/4-in. NPT to 1/8-in BSP). Avoid any damage as you remove you will be reusing this fitting.
Put a M/M 1/4-in. NPT fitting between the output of the stock regulator/moisture trap and the secondary regulator. (Remember to wrap the threads in Teflon tape for best air seal.)
The secondary regulator is attached to this fitting.
Put the 1/4-in. NPT to 1/8-in BSP fitting on the output side of the secondary regulator.
To operate:
Before turning on the compressor make sure that the drain valve of the moisture trap is as hand-tight as you can get it.
Turn the knob on the secondary regulator all the way to the minus (-) [full counter clockwise].
Attach the air hose and brush.
When you power up the compressor the primary gage will read the maximum pressure from the compressor.
Adjust the secondary regulator to your desired pressure- -plus (+) [clockwise].
For short burst painting- -Adjust the secondary regulator approximately 5 P.S.I. more than the target pressure. Test by dry running the airbrush to see where the pressure settles.
When using a loaded airbrush monitor the pressure and adjust as necessary through the secondary regulator.
For continuous spray- -With a dry airbrush, fully depress the air release. Notice where the pressure of the secondary regulator registers. Adjust the secondary regulator as necessary.
When using continuous spray with a loaded airbrush monitor the pressure and adjust as necessary.
As always, test before using on your final project.
bigdaddy
Thanks for all that info. I really appreciate it. I can always count on this forum to expand my knowledge of this hobby.