I have one that looks similar to the one Dave posted from California air, but the HF knockoff version aparently. It supplies plenty of air for airbrushing, at up to any PSI I wish to spray. (Capacity is up to 110 PSI, Airbush's I have are rated at 60 PSI.)
Some weathering techniques use very high PSI to work right. Freight trucks are one that comes to mind, with dirt sprayed at 50+ PSI. That creates the "splatter pattern" it needs to have. Other techniques require low PSI, with some fade style patterns sprayed at 15-20 PSI, to allow much more color transparency.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
SeeYou190Yep, mine is quiet enough that when I accidentally leave it on it does not wake us up when it cycles, and it is less than ten feet and one wall away from our bedroom.
I gave my old very loud pancake compressor to my son and he is making full use of it. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how close you are to his house), most of the time he uses it in warmer weather when he can park it outside where I'm sure all of his neighbours can hear it. His neighbours don't seem to object. Instead the noise seems to attract them so they come over to see what Cole is up to. Almost all of his neighbours are senior citizens so they love to socialize with him (the young mid 30s guy on the block). He is very patient with them despite the fact that they waste a lot of his time.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter gmpullman I can run it at 3AM with Mrs. Pullman sleeping in the room directly above, no problem. Likewise. Dave
gmpullman I can run it at 3AM with Mrs. Pullman sleeping in the room directly above, no problem.
Likewise.
Yep, mine is quiet enough that when I accidentally leave it on it does not wake us up when it cycles, and it is less than ten feet and one wall away from our bedroom.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I have a Porter Cable pancake compressor for jobsites. I have a serious Porter Cable shop compressor for automotive level air tools and painting.
But I have found the simple diaphragm compressors just fine for airbrushing - I have two of them so that I can move an airbrush setup around the layout without a long hose or disturbing the the paint booth setup. (at the old house the workshop was not near the train room - workshop in basement - layout is 1000 sq ft room above detached garage).
Just this week I have been finally getting a lot done on the new layout, as well as getting the new model workshop completely up and running. My paint booth is getting a new fan and ductwork, as well as a dryer/regulator which I have had for some time but had yet to hook up.
Space is a consideration. The diaphragm compressor sits neatly behind the spray booth and is pluged into a switched outlet along with the fan and booth light.
Nothing against the idea of a bigger compressor, other than my space and logistics.
Pictures soon in my layout build thread.
Sheldon
maxman hon30critter gmpullman I can run it at 3AM with Mrs. Pullman sleeping in the room directly above, no problem. Likewise. Dave And what, exactly, is Mr. Pullman doing while you are running the compressor in his basement?
And what, exactly, is Mr. Pullman doing while you are running the compressor in his basement?
You're killing me Dick
TF
gmpullmanI can run it at 3AM with Mrs. Pullman sleeping in the room directly above, no problem.
Good evening
Not familiar with California Air. Haven't needed to buy tools for years though. But if Ed, Kevin, and Dave say they're good, ya can take that one to the bank with the triple RRRStamp.
These are the two compressors left of the three.
My double barrel Hitachi got ripped off with the tool trailer. That compressor would run a framing crew and keep the trim carpenters happy downstairs. The largest of the three but also was the quietest, that thing purred like a cat.
The red Porter Cable is my one-to-go compressor as it's not that heavy, not that loud and the one I'd use for airbrushing.
You'll notice the blue CH is quite dusty as it's hated by me. It was purchased while subing for Twin City Handyman in the winter. It was nice for going up into high-rises as it was light and fit in my tool bag.
The smallest of the three but the loudest. When you fire that little baby up, it'll wake up the Hound of the Baskerville's in the next County over
What is the triple RRRStamp you ask (Reputable, Respectable, Reliable Source) of course.
Track fiddlerWhy? Respectfully stating, the airline doesn't know what size compressor it's going to.
Some of the supplied airbrush "compressors" are nothing more than glorified aquarium pumps.
From Iwata: https://a.co/d/fyYXnwu
https://a.co/d/iIXQ5ED
Years ago some equipment came in to GE, scanning electron microscopes, and each one had its own compressor. For purity reasons we were using argon and the compressors were surplus. "Hey, boss, OK if I take this compressor home?"
Model_air2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Take a look at what Grainger gets for this little baby:
https://www.grainger.com/product/GAST-Electric-Air-Compressor-0-2CJH1
I'm with Dave, Kevin and others that have invested in the California Air models:
Air_Pump by Edmund, on Flickr
I can run it at 3AM with Mrs. Pullman sleeping in the room directly above, no problem.
Some of the add-on regulators are "FRL"s which the L is a lubricator. You sure don't need a lubricator for painting
Good Luck, Ed
Good mor...aft..?..noon
BigDaddy Track fiddler Put one of these bad boys in line
Track fiddler Put one of these bad boys in line
Why? Respectfully stating, the airline doesn't know what size compressor it's going to. An availability of brass reducer & adapter fittings are always compatible. Just need the right ones.
Post forward
Track fiddler PS The above is just an inexpensive example as there are many to choose from. We all know you get what you pay for.
PS The above is just an inexpensive example as there are many to choose from. We all know you get what you pay for.
You must not have read the closing statement that was added as a PS within a few minutes of the original post.....It happens
Rambo2This compressor puts out about 18 psi not enought for airbrushing i think. Is there anyway to boost up the psi ?
I do all my airbrushing at 12-14 PSI using Scalecoat II solvent based paint.
Other than that, I have a compressor very similar to the one Dave showed, and I love it.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
It can do much more than just run an airbrush.
.
doctorwayneHere's my current airbrush compressor, built by my father...
Hi Wayne,
I love stuff like that! It is a testament to human inventiveness. The extra bits just add character. Don't mess with them.
Our water pump at our old cottage started life as a bilge pump for some long lost vessel. It was decades old but it never failed to do its job.
This one was my first airbrush compressor...
...powered by an ex-refrigerator motor, but I don't recall where the compressor came from. I used it for several years, mostly in a small room in a garage that I built. The garage was never used for a vehicle, but simply a place to store stuff when there wasn't enough room in the house.
When I built the house that we live in now, I made a small workshop in the basement, then used my original paint booth, along with an exhaust fan to get rid of the paint fumes. While it worked well, Wifey decided that it might be a good idea to move it out to the "garage"....
The so-called "garage" was, at varying times a house with two bedrooms upstairs, a two car garage, with a workshop and a bathroom (toilet and sink only).The garage, now in it's 180th-or-so year, is where we store furniture (upstairs), firewood and yard tools on the ground floor, a workshop at the back, and the former bathroom with now a permanently closed outer door and an inside door to allow access to storage racks for summer and winter tires.I built a small room in the workshop, with a raised floor (every spring, run-off from the Niagara Escarpment put 2"or 3" of water in the workshop, which is about 1' lower than the crumbling cement floor of the garage.
Here's my current airbrush compressor, built by my father...
...and inherited from him when he passed away. I was told how it works, but not of the extra parts, which may have been designed for some particular reason not applicable to airbrushing.The electric motor, from a 'fridge or freezer is quite obvious, as is the water trap (near the rear, and between the motor and the compressor ....which incidently has never needed to be emptied)...and the black tank to the right, apparently two freon tanks from 'fridges welded together...there's nothing in them - no compressed air and no water either.
The compressor itself is in the silver/grey casting with the pressure gauge on top, while the stuff at the back appears to be vents when the pressure becomes too high.The compressor consists of two vertical steel worms in an oil bath, meshing together to create a pressure of somewhere around 45 psi. In all of the years I've had it, I have never had oil or water come through my airbrush.
There is no compressed air storage tank...the compressor runs continuously when I'm painting and because of the screw set-up, there's never been any pulsation of the pressure when applying paint.
I don't understand completely why or how it works, but it has never failed me in over 35 years of service.
Wayne
Hi Rambo2,
I can't see a link to the compressor that you are talking about, but as others have said, 18 psi seems awfully low. I generally run at about 30 psi.
My recommendation for a compressor is to buy a slightly larger, more versatile unit like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B0B2D372T8/ref=sr_1_12?crid=3GGJ1DJZTRX0L&keywords=California+air+compressors&qid=1670899146&sprefix=california+air+compressors%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-12
This is a Canadian price so it will be less in the USA.
Yes, it costs more, but this compressor has a couple of advantages over the tiny hobby units.
First, it is far more versatile so it can do a whole lot of other things that the 18 psi compressor simply can't. Of course, if you don't need it for any other purposes, that is a moot point, but the extra psi capability is going to be a huge benefit just by itself.
Second, this particular compressor by California Air Tools is amazingly quiet!!!!!! I'm guessing that it makes less that 1/10th noise that my old pancake compressor did. There is almost no comparison. It also has an air tank so, when I am air brushing, it only comes on briefly every few minutes.
I have a secondary pressure control mounted right on my spray booth so I don't have to walk back to the compressor to make pressure adjustments. It's not necessary but it sure is convenient.
Track fiddlerPut one of these bad boys in line
Those won't fit in the tiny compressors.
I had a similar one, from Amazon, similar price and it started leaking after a couple months. There was no way to fix it.
Since I got rid of it, I have not had a water problem, although water can collect in the reservoir tank, and you should make sure you drain the tank.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I've been using the same as what Sheldon referrs to, about 15 yrs.? It runs constantly, but it's no big deal.
I did add a regulator.
If you already have a larger compressor like Henry describes, you can adapt it to your needs.
My problem with any of the bigger compressors I have, for running nail guns, is the noise, as I do 95% of my painting in the basement.
Mike.
My You Tube
Regarding water in the lines. This can also happen in a higher humidity environment when hot air from the compressor cools in the line (past the water trap) and water condenses out of it. I have two traps on my set up to prevent water getting through to the brush - one at the compressor and the other right at the airbrush. Relative humidity here rarely drops below 60%....
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Some good points here but to simplify and make things carefree.....
Put one of these bad boys in line at the start of the Edit (smaller airbrush) hose so you don't have to worry about water anymore.
You can run an airbrush off a big compressor and regulate down to any air pressure you want. They have different ones with wider range PSI adjustability as well.
Another nice thing about a bigger compressor with some volume, (in agreement with Henry) it will fill up once and probably won't run more than a time or two if any, throughout your whole paint project.
BigDaddy I had a Badger airbrush compressor set that I bought in the 80's. It was loud and constantly (no reservoir) ran. It spit water from our humid mid Atlantic weather. When I got back into MR 10 years ago I bought a Porter pancake compressor. No more water. One it fills the tank, you can do a lot of airbrushing before it needs to refill. I love it. It was less than $100 when I bought it, now $140
I had a Badger airbrush compressor set that I bought in the 80's. It was loud and constantly (no reservoir) ran. It spit water from our humid mid Atlantic weather.
When I got back into MR 10 years ago I bought a Porter pancake compressor. No more water. One it fills the tank, you can do a lot of airbrushing before it needs to refill. I love it. It was less than $100 when I bought it, now $140
Henry, the secret to no water from the compressor is to be in a low humidity space in the first place, which makes for a better paint job....
I have another compressor with a tank but i use it alot for car tires hassel to change the hose airbrush is badger 350
Airbrushing requires about 30 psi. I have been using one similar to this for 35-40 years.
http://www.badgerairbrush.com/Model_180-10&12.asp
A regulator and filter are nice, but not generally necessary with a diaphragm compressor of this type.
I'm interested to see opinions on this. I think many good airbrushes benefit from a higher pressure than 18psi peak; there is no way to 'amplify' the pressure although it would be highly sensible to build both a condensing coil and pressure tank to actually connect the airbrush to. This may take a long time to charge, and you'll want to periodically blow condensate out of it just like with larger air-compressor tanks, but the absence of moisture and pulsations in the air ought to be highly worth it.
We have had very detailed discussions about specific pressures for specific types of airbrush; you might find these through use of the right combination of secret woids in the Search the Community box, or have someone here who remembers post a link for you.
My general recommendation is to buy a compressor capable of higher pressure, and invest in a good regulator to go on the tank you build.
This compressor puts out about 18 psi not enought for airbrushing i think. Is there anyway to boost up the psi ? This compressor has no tank . Or do i have to thin the paint alot?