This might seem silly but

[countach79]

Whoa! i dont know what to do anymore!

I do know i have no regulator as i can't control the air pressure it just goes up to 60 then down to 40

There must be some sort of tank in there some where because it stops at 60 and holds it, but once i start with the airbrush it drops pretty quickly ( 20 secs or so ) down to 40

The regulator sounds like a good start, then i will go from there!

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions

Jason

[klutz_100]

Sorry if I confused you Jason but your plan of action sounds exactly right to me - get the regulator valve.

(I still think there is a small air tank inside there )

[tmathew1us]

I have a setup almost exactly like this. I believe the regulator valve is the black knob attached directly underneath the pressure guage (on my guage it is a brass knob). You can use this to cotrol the pressure. My Iwata will hold pressure for a few minutes at 20 psi, and longer if I turn the knob to increase the pressure.
The motor will heat up faster if the pressure is turned higher, and has an automatic shutoff if the motor gets too hot when I spray too long. The pressure usually drops a bit when I first start to spray and I have to periodically adjust the valve to increase pressure.

I would hook up the AB and spray with water to get a feel for the pressures.

Hope this helps

[countach79]

Originally Posted by klutz_100

Sorry if I confused you Jason but your plan of action sounds exactly right to me - get the regulator valve.

(I still think there is a small air tank inside there )

I just pulled the ends of the "tank" off and on 1 side is the electrics and the other side of the "tank" is the piston

I dont think there is a tank bugger it!!

I have a sneaking suspicion that the "water trap" might be a tiny tank and thats why it only last a couple of seconds??

There is a small filter type thing in the water trap and a tap in the bottom that when i release it all the air comes out and the pressure drops to zero

could this be right??

[freakray]

The kind of compressor you have does not include a tank. The bowl on the water trap is not to act as a tank, it's to capture the water. The 'couple of seconds' you have of air after you shut off the compressor is only a result of what is contained under pressure in the system (hoses etc.)
The release in the bottom of the water trap is for when you have water buildup, it's so you can remove the water from the trap.

Your compressor must be on to have air pressure - this is not such a big deal, you will definitely need to get a regulator though to control the pressure for now until you upgrade to a compressor with a tank.

[SteveK2003]

Get yourself a 'hobby' regulator, not something from the hardware store; The hardware ones go up to 150 or 200 psi, and it is way too hard to tell what you have when making fine adjustments. I have a Paasche regulator with a built-in water trap and a gauge that goes up to 60 psi and it works great.

If you can, get some fittings and longer airline and mount the regulator and gauge up on the work surface, and you can put the compressor on the floor, so it is out of the way and is a little quieter. Those little buggers vibrate a lot and are noisy, so look for a dense foam pad to rest it on. I have these interlocking rubber floor mats that my bench and chair sit on, it helps. Also keeps the wood floors nice

[countach79]

Thanks to everyone for helping me out with this! much appreciated !