Air compressor

[Bill Scheltema]

Hi guys,

Well Canadian tire has a compressor on sale, would this be adequate for finishing, as far as psi and such is concerned?

Bill

[jkingma]

I'm sure the psi is fine, but the air volume may be a bit low. It will likely be be running constantly.

[mgdesigns]

Contact Campbell Hausfeld in Lebanon, TN and see what they have to say about consumption of air at 100 psi. IMHO - I think for a guitar here and there you'll be fine. Just make sure to drain the compressor after each run, so you do not get condensation or rust in the tanks. And you may want to have a condensation loop in the output line before the paint gun, so you can collect and drain off moisture. I have that on my compressor for hand engraving (but mainly to keep moisture from damaging the $300 handpieces..

[Bill Scheltema]

So, what kind of specs should I be looking for in a compressor?

Bill

[jwells393]

The website you linked to doesn't actually give the specs for that compressor. You could probably find the specs at the C-H website. The ad says it's suitable for airbrushing. It might be best to choose a spray gun first then look for a compressor that will meet the requirements of the gun.

[Ronkirn]

What you need is one with a larger tank, at least 30 gallons; this volume allows the air pressure to equalize so there is no "spitting" from the gun... You will also need a pressure regulator/dryer.

The compressors with the smaller (7 gal) tanks are intended for pneumatic nailers that take a small volume of air at high pressure 100 psi +. A spray gun takes a continuous larger volume (about 7 cf/minute) at a lower pressure, about 30 – 40 psi.

Ron Kirn

[Bill Scheltema]

Thank you again guys.

Its true, knowledge is power.
I think I will hold off for now and investigate it more.

Bill

[treadwm]

Their site sez
"Ideal for inflating car and bikes tires, cleaning your workbench area, and installing trim"
and not a peep about the rated cfm. That doesn't sound promising.

I have (w/ a lot of patience) used automotive touchup guns on small compressors. So for occasional painting with a regular (not hvlp) gun, you can get by with a small compressor. But this description doesn't say how small is small. I'd go for one that states that it will handle at least 3-5scfm. My DeWalt that is the same design as this provides about 4scfm.

[KevinB]

As Jack suggests, chose the gun first then get a compressor that matches its needs.

Harbor Freight has some perfectly adequate ones at bargain prices. Their touch-up gun is perfect for spraying bodies and necks and at $13.99 compares very favourably with the ones Stew Mac and Sears sell for three times that much. HF's is Chinese made, while the others come from Taiwan, but they are almost identical and work as well.



That gun needs 2.8CFM @ 30psi, so use that as a basis to find a compressor.

[pavel]

If you don't have a compressor yet, wouldn't going with an HVLP setup with a turbine be the way to go? (Say the Earlex Spray Station Pro). The more compact setup sounds pretty attractive for my small shop, I mean garage.

[Buckocaster51]

My compressor is rated at:

150 psi max (which is probably irrelevant here)
5.4 SCFM @90 psi
it has a 25 gallon tank

I can paint about half of a body before the compressor kicks in.

a water/oil trap is mandatory

which is interesting because it seems that with the recent explosion of pneumatic tools, many compressors are designed to put oil INTO the air stream.

It would seem to me that Ron Kirn's suggestions are a very good place to start.

[fishtownmike]

I have a small compressor like that and it can get the job done. but trust me you will be disapointed with it and after a while wish you bought one with a much larger tank. I'm upgrading soon to one with a 20 gal tank. The little one runs out of air supper fast and you have to wait till it refills.

[Bill Scheltema]

So, I know some guys use Preval units, and since I am not quite ready to purchase a good size compressor I saw this last night, anyone use it or would this fill the gap, the prevals only go so far and these little units would save buying cartridges all the time.

Refillable spraycan

Bill

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by Bill Scheltema

So, I know some guys use Preval units, and since I am not quite ready to purchase a good size compressor I saw this last night, anyone use it or would this fill the gap, the prevals only go so far and these little units would save buying cartridges all the time.

Refillable spraycan

Bill

Interesting. You be the guinea pig and report back.

[KevinB]

I have a similar compressor to Buckocaster's. Mine is a "vertical" Sears Craftsman that I've had for well over 10 years. It has a 25 gal tank, 175psi max pressure, 5.1cf @90psi and was the largest one I could find that still runs off 110v. I originally bought it for winterizing my lawn sprinklers, and for using with automotive air tools, filling tyres, etc, etc. and it's perfect for spraying paint.

[JasonRobert]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

a water/oil trap is mandatory

I also use an inline microfilter, which screws into the bottom of the gun and an adapter can screw into the microfilter...

[Vizcaster]

By the time you add in a moisture trap, oil/particle filter, and an at-the-gun mini regulator, you've increased the cost quite a bit. Now if you plan on running other tools as well then a big compressor is worthwhile, and can drive the best guns which are high transfer efficiency (HTE) design, but then you're into the big bucks.

On a budget, an HVLP turbine is a very good bet. Gun, hose, and turbine all in one package like Earlex or Campbell Hausfeld (I have one, decent gun with some plastic parts) or Wagner/Capspray (upgraded to this one, which has more metal and more adjustments to the gun), not to mention the pricier ones from Fuji or Apollo.

However its nice to have a compressor for small touch up jobs with a gravity fed touchup gun like the Porter Cable.

[Bill Scheltema]

Well I was visiting my neighbor across the street while my daughter and their son sold hot chocolate, they made $17.00, I noticed his CH small compressor, while he was cleaning his garage I noticed a larger King Canada 20 gal upright, so we got to talking and I asked about compressors and he showed me an older 10 gal. (I think) compressor, he told me I good give it a try, so I did, it works, he got it from a guy that used it to paint cars so the volume issue isn`t. So its off to looking at guns now, I`m thinking gravity feed style.

Bill

[Scooter91]

Good find, ain't it grand to save some cash? ;)

[guityak]

Originally Posted by Bill Scheltema

So its off to looking at guns now, I`m thinking gravity feed style.

Bill

I am an advocate for gravity feeds having used both I love the way the gravity feed works so simply.

[Colt W. Knight]

Gravity fed is the way to go. My compressor is 60 gallons and runs off 220 volts.

[treadwm]

+1 gravity feed gun and check out the 3M PPS cup liner system. Saves a lot of hassle in cleaning. Also makes your gravity gun work no matter which way you turn it.

[garytelecastor]

I don't know, do you think it would fit on a pedal board????

[Bill Scheltema]

So I have been looking at gravity feed guns and am looking at these two.
The first is a Husky (aka Campbell Hausfeld) at $60 or the Canadian Tires Mastercraft on sale @ $35.
Have any of you guys used either, the adjustments are in different locations, is one better over another?
I'll be ordering my EM6000 waterbased lacquer next week.

[Colt W. Knight]

Like a lot of non american tools, I think most of those gravity fed guns are made in the same asian factory.

[Shepherd]

Yeah, they are all basically the same, knockoffs of the better brands. The CT is nice cause it has the pattern adjustment on the side. You can adjust it while spraying with one finger which is handy. If you still need a compressor, you can use mine anytime. I've got about 75' of hose, you got anymore to make up the difference .