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Quiet air compressor recommendations?

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  • Member since
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Quiet air compressor recommendations?
Posted by MikeyChris on Sunday, August 22, 2021 12:23 PM

Hello All. I haven't done any air brushing since the late 1980's. At that time I used a Miller 1/4HP compressor that ran noisy and hot. I eventually attached a 5 gallon tank to it, pumped it up well in advance of painting, and it worked fine. All that stuff is long gone (including the home made paint booth that worked quite well). I am going to get back into painting and was looking for recommendations on compressors that are quiet and can put out at least 25 PSI. I have a Bostich that came with a brad nail gun, but it is rather large and cumbersome. Since its 5 gallon tank can hold up to 150 PSI, I would only have to charge it before painting, but then I have to figure a way to attach another regulator, etc. I'm really looking for a purpose-built model setup. Thanx!

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 22, 2021 1:16 PM

I purchased this cheap Chinese are compressor for airbrushing from Home Depot (online) about four years ago, and it has been wonderful.

It runs on 120 VAC, draws about 4 amps, has an oil-less compressor, and is barely audible in the house.

That data tag says it draws 8.5 amps, but that must be start-up or intermittent peak draw. My current meter says 4.0-4.2 while it is pumping.

I also use it to fill tires, blow out the garage, run a palm nailer, and even spray my drywall texture with it.

It is pretty quiet. I added a good dryer/regulator I bought at Grainger.

-Kevin

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Posted by jjdamnit on Sunday, August 22, 2021 2:45 PM

Hello All,

You might consider the Harbor Freight Tools 1/5 HP 58 PSI Oil-Free Airbrush Compressor Kit.

The compressor is a relatively quiet unit and the airbrush is dual-action.

I added the 150 PSI Air Compressor Regulator Kit with Dial Gauge between the stock vapor trap/regulator and the airbrush hose.

They also list the "Avanti" Airbrush Compressor Combo Kit. This seems to be the same compressor with some upgrades.

If you are looking for just the compressor they offer an "In Store Only" compressor.

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

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Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, August 22, 2021 2:55 PM

Great topic!

My pancake compressor is extremely loud! I hate using it. I'm sure it disturbs the neighbours. I have planned on replacing it for some time.

When we had some new baseboards and trim installed in the house a few years ago the contractor's compressor was so quiet that I didn't know it was running inside the house.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by 7j43k on Sunday, August 22, 2021 3:05 PM

I bought an air brush compressor off of Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WBT7PTW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It's decently quiet--you can talk while using it.

I'd say the ultimate quiet compressor would be one for a dental office.  A good and quiet one will cost you some bucks, though.

 

Ed

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Posted by jjdamnit on Sunday, August 22, 2021 3:08 PM

Hello All,

hon30critter
...is extremely loud! I hate using it. I'm sure it disturbs the neighbours. I have planned on replacing it for some time.

Same thing with my Shop-Vac.

I didn't realize how quite modern equipment is compared to the older stuff.

When I fired up my 20-years+ shop vac to clean up a spill, it was so loud I had to wear earplugs!

Shopping for a new one soon.

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

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Posted by peahrens on Sunday, August 22, 2021 3:23 PM

I first used my 5 gal pancake compressor but it was terribly loud, even for the garage.  I looked into some of the small airbrush compressors, that can be very, very quiet.  But I also decided on a California Air Tools model as it seemed rather well engineered.  It is not whisper quiet, but I believe can be described as fairly quiet.

I did an experiment using my phone sound meter app.  The garage is at 25dB (ticking clock), my TV near my desk makes 40dB, the California compressor is 65dB and the pancake compressor makes 80dB.  I think the numbers can be misleading, as the TV seems as loud to me as the California compressor, which is much, much quieter than the pancake compressor.  If inside the home, you may want the super quiet versions but otherwise not necessary IMHO.

California Air Tools Light and Quiet 1-Gallon Single Stage Portable Corded Electric Horizontal Air Compressor in the Air Compressors department at Lowes.com

 Airbrush Setup 1 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

 Airbrush Setup 2 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

 

 

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

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Posted by Southgate 2 on Sunday, August 22, 2021 3:30 PM

My wife's cousin uses an old compressor from a refrigerator. Sez it works great, next to silent. So I got a hold of  one and will try it next time I airbrush.

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, August 22, 2021 6:13 PM

I've gone through several air compressors for use in the spray booth and around the layout.

My most recent one (2019) is in line with Kevin and Paul above.

 Air_Pump by Edmund, on Flickr

The model shown above is very quiet compared to some I've had. I'm quite happy with it. It replaces this Porter Cable that I used for years. It was the quietest of the bunch of "hot dog or sausage" compressors when I bought it maybe ten years ago.

 Model_air by Edmund, on Flickr

I found this one in the scrap heap at my former employer: (they said I could have it)

 Model_air2 by Edmund, on Flickr

I was curious about what something like this might have cost. Whoo-eee!

https://www.grainger.com/product/GAST-1-Phase-Electrical-Hot-Dog-5Z672

For what's available today I would recommend those California Air Tools models.

Good Luck, Ed

 

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Posted by BigDaddy on Sunday, August 22, 2021 8:22 PM

MikeyChris
I would only have to charge it before painting, but then I have to figure a way to attach another regulator, etc.

The nomenclature is obscure and confusing as to which fitting will ultimately connect to your airbrush.  Unfortunately I don't remember exactly what I did, but I took the connector off a little Badger compressor and attached it to a quick disconnect fitting that fits a Porter Cambell 5 gal pancake. 

It's loud but I put it outside and charge it up while I go inside.  Unless I'm painting a lot of cars or a big building, it doesn't need to turn on again.  If it does, it's still better than that little Badger, running continuously and spitting water into the paint.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by Pruitt on Sunday, August 22, 2021 8:35 PM

"Quiet air compressor" is something of an oxymoron, like "military intelligence" (now don't anybody go getting upset - I'm mostly just joking. Mostly).

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 22, 2021 9:06 PM

BigDaddy
It's loud but I put it outside and charge it up while I go inside.

For loud air compressors...

For years I drove this service truck. It had a Ingersol-Rand T30 with a 12 HP Kohler Engine for an air compressor.

I would use it for my airbrush at home. I would park it across the road and run the air hose to the regulator I had on the back porch.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, August 22, 2021 9:41 PM

For pure airbrushing, perhaps one of the Silentaire Scorpions would be suitable; they go as quiet as 50dB (remember that each 3dB reduction is 50% lower perceived loudness).

I have used refrigerator compressors as vacuum pumps but not air compressors, so I'm interested in reading how they do.

I think there's something to be said for buying a slightly larger quiet compressor that can be used for other purposes, such as air tools or automotive purposes.  There are several 'used' sources for very quiet air, one that's not intuitive until you realize it being the dental-supply industry (and its aftermarket).  Among the pieces of industrial surplus I picked up over the years was the air supply for a light CNC machine, four little compressors on a pressure tank, which would give you several scfm at as high as 120psi at about 30dB -- that's really quiet enough for any indoor use.  

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 22, 2021 9:54 PM

Overmod
There are several 'used' sources for very quiet air

I have known many people that used their SCUBA tanks for airbrushing. Apparently when regulated down to 15 PSI a SCUBA tank will last a long time.

If you are already a diver, the cost is nothing, and they are completely quiet.

Badger used to make an adapter to use a spare tire that worked very well. You can get old tire/wheel assemblies for next to nothing at a scrap yard, and a couple of fully inflated tires will last for several projects, and again, no noise.

-Kevin

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Posted by NittanyLion on Sunday, August 22, 2021 10:09 PM

That's what my brother does: he's got a 20 gallon tank rigged up with a regulator and moisture trap. It goes to work with him and he fills the tank from a compressor at work.  I borrowed it from him once for a project and just filled it up at the gas station. Worked fine. 

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 22, 2021 10:15 PM

NittanyLion
That's what my brother does: he's got a 20 gallon tank rigged up with a regulator and moisture trap. It goes to work with him and he fills the tank from a compressor at work.  I borrowed it from him once for a project and just filled it up at the gas station. Worked fine. 

I should have mentioned that when I used the air compressor on the service truck, I could fill the tank to 120 PSI, and then shut the engine off and use the airbrush for hours.

Yes, a portable tank can be a great solution.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Sunday, August 22, 2021 10:39 PM

Since I moved my paint shop from the basement into the garage, I haven't worried about noise at all.  The garage is about 100' behind the house, and much further from the neighbours on both sides, so I can paint any time of the day or night without bothering anyone.
I've owned several compressors over the years, but have only three nowadays,
One is a small one that runs with a 1/4hp motor, given to me by a brother-in-law...I used it for years doing commercial work for a now long-gone hobby shop - it was used only in a small room in the garage of an earlier home.

I also inherited a nice, lightweight diaphragm compressor, which was easy to carry and had good output until the diaphragm ruptured...no replacement parts were available, as it was at least 60 years old.

I also have a fairly heavy compressor, with dual air tanks on a custom-made cart.  It's extremely noisy and used mainly for blowing-up tires or blowing-out the water from the roof-mounted heater coils for the pool, in the Fall.

My air brushing compressor is a rotary-type that has no air tank, so it runs continuously as I work.  While the screws which create the pressure operate in an oil bath, I have never had oil or water in the paint, and the air output is smooth and continuous, with zero pulsations.
In most cases, I run it between 15 and 25psi for airbrushing, which seems appropriate for both water- and lacquer-based paints

Wayne

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Posted by jmbraddock on Monday, August 23, 2021 8:46 AM

For those using compressors that are loud, a simple solution is to use hearing proteciton such as https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-53925A-Adjustable-S3-19-1974-Approved/dp/B003X5R9Z8/ref=zg_bs_393311011_41?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0NNGP744RPS6TEY0158Z

It's a lot cheaper than a new compressor and much less costly than hearing aids will be later in life.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Monday, August 23, 2021 10:38 AM

That's a good alternative.  A couple years after I started work in a steel mill, the company, I think under pressure from the union, issued hearing protection.  Depending on where one worked, it could be like the ones you show, but ours clipped-on to the hardhats, which were required pretty-well everywhere.
While they certainly couldn't block out all of the sounds in the mill, they did lessen it substantially.

I have a pair similar to the ones you showed, but only wear them if the wife has a little too much to say.

Wayne

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Posted by BATMAN on Monday, August 23, 2021 12:38 PM

I know a guy that got an old expired O2 bottle out of an ambulance. He fills it up with his brothers' compressor and it lasts him forever. I think they put a different fitting on it so it could be filled from the compressor.

Of course, if it were me it would always run low at the worst time, kinda like the barbecue propane tank. That's why I got natural a natural gas barbecue that plugs into the wall.Laugh

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by MikeyChris on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 1:37 PM

Thanx for all the info. I appreciate the effort you put into this!

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Posted by MikeyChris on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 1:39 PM

Thanx for the info.

 

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Posted by 7j43k on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 1:59 PM

I found this article on quiet air compressors:

https://www.airtoolsguy.com/quietest-air-compressor-reviews/

lowest number was 54db

 

Ed

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Posted by hon30critter on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 2:20 PM

7j43k
I found this article on quiet air compressors: https://www.airtoolsguy.com/quietest-air-compressor-reviews/

Thanks Ed,

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by hon30critter on Thursday, August 26, 2021 10:57 PM

I just ordered one of the California Air Compressor 1.0 hp 2.0 gal. compressors. My son was very happy to get the old pancake compressor despite the incredible amount of noise it makes.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by Renegade1c on Friday, August 27, 2021 11:19 AM

I bought my airbrush compressor on Feebay about 8 years ago for around $100 including airbrush (turned out be a decent airbrush surprisingly). It included a vapor trap, regulator and auto shut off. I did end up adding a 1 gallon tank to it buffer the airflow for it becuase you could see it pulse when airbrush was directly connected to compressor. The additional tank and hardware was about $50.  Its very quiet and sits under my work bench. 


Colorado Front Range Railroad: 
http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/

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