DarrellC
Airman
Thoughts on air brush compressors? I need one.
compressors
- Thread starter DarrellC
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It may be a such one , the piston one with water trap, airpressure adjuster and indicator. The kind of a compressore is quite cheap. There is offered a couple of them via the net. The max airpressure is 4-6 atm depending on variant. The airpressure adjuster allows to set the pressure from 0-4/6 atm. The AP indicator is calibrated with PSI and BAR ones.
Or a such one which is actually the one showed above with an air tank of 3 litres attached. This device is much better because it works longer without compressing of the air untill the pressure in the air tank goes down to the level you set. Then it starts compressing and giving the air to the tank again till it gets the set level.
Or a such one which is actually the one showed above with an air tank of 3 litres attached. This device is much better because it works longer without compressing of the air untill the pressure in the air tank goes down to the level you set. Then it starts compressing and giving the air to the tank again till it gets the set level.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Good info Wojtek. With the first one shown, there are some deals on the 'net at the moment, which include the compressor, all hoses and accessories, and two, dual-action airbrushes. Average offer price is around £65, including shipping, in the UK, so I'd guess there'll be similar deals in the USA.
I've been using a simple, cheap, mini-compressor for the past five years, without problems, and it works fine. OK, it's limited to a fixed air pressure, but it does the job.
I've been using a simple, cheap, mini-compressor for the past five years, without problems, and it works fine. OK, it's limited to a fixed air pressure, but it does the job.
Gwaredd
Airman
Greetings Darrell,
I've done a lot of research on compressors and I've discovered some problems with them. Maybe they have improved now but the earlier ones had a tendency to build up moisture which fed into the line causing a bit of a problem. What I decided to do was to purchase an air tank with a regulator such as a one a scuba diver would use. The tank itself stands about 3 feet and is about 6 inches wide. The nice thing about these is that they last a long time, there is virtually no maintenance and having them refilled costs next to nothing. And, most importantly there is no moisture build-up.
Maybe you've already purchased a compressor but if not I'd look into this.
Cheerio!
Gwaredd
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Both of mentioned above compressors have the moisture ( water ) trap attached. It is the clear ( transparent) container under the airpressure adjuster. However the hot air from compressor may cause condensing of the moisture in an hose. As a result an airbrish can "spit" with it when painting. It is suggested using a small filter at the second end of the hose that is attached to the airbrush. Virtually a such air filter isn't needed if you have a factory-made compressor.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
It should b e remembered that, during the relatively short time the compressor is actually used for spraying the average model, the possibility of moisture build-up, or 'spitting', is minimal.
These compressors, and air brushes, were originally designed for use in graphic and art studios and similar uses, where they'd be running virtually continuously, five or six days a week, with an actual spraying session perhaps taking minutes, not the few seconds per 'burst' in modelling. This would cause a build-up of heat, and therefore the associated moisture problems. This rarely happens in modelling and, although it's a sensible precaution, the water trap is not really needed under average conditions of use.
I've used my very basic, little compressor for five years now, and have never had a mositure or spitting problem. If I was to run it for continued periods, however, I would expect this problem.
These compressors, and air brushes, were originally designed for use in graphic and art studios and similar uses, where they'd be running virtually continuously, five or six days a week, with an actual spraying session perhaps taking minutes, not the few seconds per 'burst' in modelling. This would cause a build-up of heat, and therefore the associated moisture problems. This rarely happens in modelling and, although it's a sensible precaution, the water trap is not really needed under average conditions of use.
I've used my very basic, little compressor for five years now, and have never had a mositure or spitting problem. If I was to run it for continued periods, however, I would expect this problem.
