Oldline...
.
As I said I would... here is my awesome little air compressor that I bought to use with my air brush:
This is from Home Depot, 1 Horsepower, 5.5. gallon tank, oil free compressor. It is also very capable at filling automobile tires.
It is governed at 120 PSI. It comes with a regulator on the compressor that I set to 70 PSI when I am using the air brush. I have a secondary regulator on my paint station that I adjust down to 14 PSI into the air brush.
I also have a dryer on the regulator assembly. I am in Florida, and moisture in air lines is a constant enemy.
It is VERY quiet, and in my oppinion, it is PERFECT for using with an airbrush. It will cycle about once every 20 minutes in continuous use with my Paasche model H.
Here it is on the Home Depot page:
That is my very best advice. I could not be more satisfiied with this purchase. Does this answer all your questions? If you need more specifics, please feel free to ask.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Many good suggestions and tips. Thanks for the help! Could some of you also include a brand and model number to maybe help in the search? Surprisingly a lot of the websites don't offer some of the more pertinent information we need for the compressors.
I do custom painting and, like doctorwayne, I can often use my equipment steadily for 6-12 hours at a time. My new shop is remote from the garage where my large, noisy and very old Sears compressor lives. I don't want to run a line that far for several reasons. Having a compressor in the shop will help with the condensation issue and save a lot of money in plumbing and hoses. Being inside with me and the layout having one that's as quiet as possible is something mandatory. It has to have a quick recovery, 45psi capacity, a decent sized reservoir and be easy to drain.
Anyway, thanks for the responses but I would really appreciate some more detailed info than "mine is pretty quiet", etc. Not being picky but specifics are better info.
Thanks,
oldline1
Depending on what or how many items I'm painting, a session could last 3 or 4 hours. I use a rotary compressor, with no tank, so it runs constantly when I'm painting. For that, and other reasons, I moved my paint shop to my detached garage, about 100' behind the house. The compressor is oil-filled and driven by a 3/4hp motor, and is fairly noisy. In the winter, I have to either pre-heat the compressor using a portable electric heater, or store the compressor in the house, carrying it to the garage when I want to paint.Either way, though, a great compressor for airbrush use, and virtually maintenance-free (a good thing, as I can't find any information on it).
Wayne
I have that same tank. While nice to partially air up a flat tire it sure won't handle painting trains. That requires something more potent!
how about a tank that can be pressurized from a compressor and used for airbrushing near the layout. Can't be quieter.
yes, you need a regulator
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Looking to augment my 4 HP garage compressor, I recently bought a small ultra-portable compressor on sale for $40 from Harbor Freight Tools (www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-compressors/1-3-hp-3-gallon-100-psi-oilless-air-compressor-97080.html). Not exactly quiet but much quieter than the 4 HP unit. Since I usually paint outside on my back patio, I just use a long air hose to get away from the noise. This compressor does a nice job powering my airbrushes and can also handle small air tools like my 18 ga. brad nailer. VERY happy with this little compressor and you can't beat the price! I know there are a LOT of people who claim to have very bad luck with HFT products, but I have had just the opposite experience. With the exception of some very cheap items that looked like throw-aways when I bought them, most every HFT tool I've bought has proven to be a great value (and I've bought a lot of their stuff).
Hornblower
My Badger putt putt compressor put out some water. I bought a 6 gal Porter and Cable and a water trap from Amazon, Even though I never overpressured the water trap, it started leaking from it's blow off valve after a couple months.
That said, I don't seem to have a water problem without it. I live in humid mid-Atlantic. Water does accumulate in the tank, so keep it drained. Once the tank is pressurized, it's dead quiet. I would never go back to a little compressor.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
It might be worth your while to check prices with places like Home Despot, Harbor Fright, Lowes, and Sears (if you still have a working Sears). To equalize your pricing, figure you will need not only the compressor, but an air tank to smooth out the puff-puff-puff, a regulator, a pressure gauge down stream of the regulator, and a water trap. Some times this stuff comes with the compressor, sometimes it don't.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Corey,
Thanks. I was looking at it and their near identical one from Paasche. According to their info the Microlux one is a better deal. Cheaper and some better features.
It just seemed like a possibilty in my new situation. Running approx 45-55' of line from my present garage location to where I need it in my new shop just didn't sound like a good way to go. Being inside the shop I do have concerns about the noise.
Starting to thimp and make more noise after only running 6 or so bottles through it doesn't sound like it's high on quality. Maybe something has worked loose? Bummer!
Thanks, again.
I purchased one of those Microlux compressors with one of their knockoff Iwata double action airbrushes a few years ago. The compressor is still able to keep up with the airbrush after going through maybe a dozen of the half ounce jars of paint, only cycling the compressor about half the time if I am doing a heavy spray round at 25 psi.
As for noise, it started out reasonably quiet, but after about 6 jars, its developed a knocking sound that has made it quite a bit more noisy. It was past the warranty point then, so I figured I would keep running it to failure, since there doesn't seem to be much in the way of servicing, but it just keeps going, knock on wood...
Hope that helps.
Corey
I have an awesome air compressor that I bought from Home Depot online.
I am away on business right now. When I am home this weekend I will post a picture with brand name and details. It is very quiet, and I have been 100% satisfied with it.
I'd do a bit more research. I did a search for "silent air compressor". Of course, I found a whole lotta sites tryin' to sell me stuff. But continuing, I found this site that had interesting things to say:
http://airtoolguy.com/4-ultra-quiet-air-compressors-brands-worth-checking-out/
I already have a not-silent-not-loud compressor, so I'm not gonna keep looking. You might.
Ed
Has anyone had any experience with the Micro-Mark air compressor:
http://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-Twin-Cylinder-Portable-Air-Compressor
I'm looking to replace my older compressor and this one looks promising. I would like to hear something about this one or another that could be used inside that's quiet and will carry the load of painting with an airbrush (Badger 150 and 200 models).
My current compressor is a rather large one in my garage and I'd rather not run all the lines needed to reach my new train building. Having something that can handle the needs inside or at least much closer would be a good thing.