Airbrush Compressor Discussion

is any old compressor fine for an airbrush?

Originally posted by ChopinPorkChop
is any old compressor fine for an airbrush?

It depends on application. This is a good compressor for cars, planes, and anything where you need nice even and uniform application. I build tanks now and some of those have very intricate camo schemes with very fine lines. For that I need something with a pressure tank to sustain really high pressures, around 40-60psi for that level of detail work. But to put it in comparison, the compressor I will be getting costs almost 400 dolalrs.

JDM if you are in the states go to wall mart and get a compressor for 99 bucks. Has a tank and everything

Originally posted by God|Zilla168
JDM if you are in the states go to wall mart and get a compressor for 99 bucks. Has a tank and everything

Those are way too loud for indoor use, and way too big.

Thats the compressor I use right now. It has a 1 gallon air tank. Its not nearly as loud as regular compressors, but its stilll loud. I put mine in the closet, set the pressure, turn it on and close the door.

I'm looking for silent types so i can airbrush with out bothering my GF or scaring my cat, but they are so expensive.

Originally posted by Mainomega
Thats the compressor I use right now. It has a 1 gallon air tank. Its not nearly as loud as regular compressors, but its stilll loud. I put mine in the closet, set the pressure, turn it on and close the door.

I'm looking for silent types so i can airbrush with out bothering my GF or scaring my cat, but they are so expensive.

This is a very quiet compressor, right around 60db or so when on

I use to use the same setup. Walmart here at Sacramento has it at $80 right now. Hooked mine up w/ a 7 gal tank($14 @ walmart) also, w/ 8 gal of 120psi total, I could do an entire night of shooting w/out turning on the compressor again.

BTW, just remembered that a friend of mine w/ the same setup rigged a frige compressor to his for another $100 at a professional shop using a used frige compressor off ebay. So for around $200 he got himself a nearly quite setup w/ plenty of pressure to play w/.

Size though is a major consideration for people like me and other. I can't dedicate a lot of space. Los Angeles real estate prices are a little high! I don't have a lot of space in my house.

Originally posted by JDM Evo7


It depends on application. This is a good compressor for cars, planes, and anything where you need nice even and uniform application. I build tanks now and some of those have very intricate camo schemes with very fine lines. For that I need something with a pressure tank to sustain really high pressures, around 40-60psi for that level of detail work. But to put it in comparison, the compressor I will be getting costs almost 400 dolalrs.

I'm curious, what kind of camo requires 40-60 PSI? I thought for fine control and lines, the lower the PSI and thinner the paint is, the more control you get.

I use a portable air tank with a pressure reg.,pressure gauge, and water trap,and a quik release coupling installed.It's quiet,light,and only cost 25 cents to fill up at the gas station.I got lucky and found mine at a yard sale for $25.

Originally posted by Sidewinder-03
I use a portable air tank with a pressure reg.,pressure gauge, and water trap,and a quik release coupling installed.It's quiet,light,and only cost 25 cents to fill up at the gas station.I got lucky and found mine at a yard sale for $25.

How much PSI will the gas station give you for 25c ?


I use to use the same setup. Walmart here at Sacramento has it at $80 right now. Hooked mine up w/ a 7 gal tank($14 @ walmart) also, w/ 8 gal of 120psi total, I could do an entire night of shooting w/out turning on the compressor again.

How did you hook up the extra tank. Is there and inlet and a regulated outlet ?

This seems like a good idea

thanks

It seems a lot of modellers favour the Walmart ones. But, we don't have a Walmart down under - just wondering - any Australians out here come up with a reasonably priced setup?

The Walmart compressor comes w/ a universal outlet/hose, and the tank has a tire chuck in(w/shut off) and a outlet for inflating stuff. I don't have the setup infront of me right now, but I remembered I took out the inflation hose and connected a 2 port outlet w/ quickrelease to it. One of the outlets went to the compressor and tank, the other one had a pressure regulator and the airbrush. I remember I was able to hook up two airbrushes to it by switching the components around also. Homedepot should have everything you need. This for me was the perfect setup since the airtank can be easily disconnect for airbrush on the go, or autoX.

Here's the Walmart $100 compressor with my setup. I used a simple 1/4" to 1/4" "nipple" (that's what the guys at Home Depot called it) to connect the airbrush hose to the compressor. It was like, a dollar or something really cheap. The bigger, larger gauge is the pressure gauge, and the smaller gauge is the tank pressure gauge. Whenever the tank pressure falls below 75 PSI, the compressor starts up again (if it's turned on). Definitely a good buy for only $100.

Originally posted by daggerlee


I'm curious, what kind of camo requires 40-60 PSI? I thought for fine control and lines, the lower the PSI and thinner the paint is, the more control you get.

You can do that but you don't get good thickness. I like using thicker paint, high PSI. This is good for 80's NATO woodland camo for US and English tanks.

so noone has andwered my question... i found my old Asthma compresser and i want to know if i can use it(see thread)

yes the old compressor will work providing that the connector fits.

I have a question for those who have the $100 compressor from Walmart. How long have you had them and how much do you use them?
The reason I am asking is on another forum there was a big discssion about some serious issues with that compressor. A few people had them fail on them and subsequently contacted the manufacturer and found out the compressor is designed for limited use only, about 25 hrs on time. The manufacturer reccomended a proffesional version with a bigger tank but gave them the better one for nothing if they sent the old one back. I think the one they gave them is about $150.

Originally posted by 935k3
I have a question for those who have the $100 compressor from Walmart. How long have you had them and how much do you use them?
The reason I am asking is on another forum there was a big discssion about some serious issues with that compressor. A few people had them fail on them and subsequently contacted the manufacturer and found out the compressor is designed for limited use only, about 25 hrs on time. The manufacturer reccomended a proffesional version with a bigger tank but gave them the better one for nothing if they sent the old one back. I think the one they gave them is about $150.

I've been using my compressor since last March of 2002 or so. It's worked fine, though I don't airbrush heavily (once or twice a week). I don't think the compressors approached 25 hours of use, yet. Do you know how long Campbell-Hauser will do the exchange program for? I wouldn't want to be left in the cold if/when this thing does go to the pits.

Originally posted by daggerlee


I've been using my compressor since last March of 2002 or so. It's worked fine, though I don't airbrush heavily (once or twice a week). I don't think the compressors approached 25 hours of use, yet. Do you know how long Campbell-Hauser will do the exchange program for? I wouldn't want to be left in the cold if/when this thing does go to the pits.

I don't know the details, I just wanted everybody to be aware of the problem.

I've had mine for around 1 and a half years, was working when I last used it. I'll contact cambell Hausfeld to see what they say, thanks for the heads up.

Originally posted by flyingmachine
I've had mine for around 1 and a half years, was working when I last used it. I'll contact cambell Hausfeld to see what they say, thanks for the heads up.

I think the problem is a deteriation in performance(psi output) not a complete breakdown of the unit. I would keep an eye on the gauge on the compressor output side.