air brush compressors

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

can any body give me any ideas how to make my own air brush compressors .rambo1

2

lol make ya own lol have fun , why dont ya just go buy one , least that one wouldnt blow up or something

3

I don’t use a compressor for my airbrush. What I use is a CO2 tank. Silent, and only needs to be refilled about once every 6 months in spite of heavy use. It is also portable for those times where you can’t bring the work to the spray booth!.

4

gmnodave…
Really like the idea of using a CO2 tank. Can you provide us some details? What size/type of tank? Any pressure regulation devices/issues? Where do you have it refilled? What’s the cost of the tank? Cost of refills? Moisture trap necessary?
Thanks.

5

[?] I hope you aren’t using co2 as a propellant it will put you into the BIG SLEEP.
That is why we buy co2 detectors for our homes, remember it is the byproduct of combustion and an asphyxiate.

6

CO2 is what you exhale.

CO is what’s dangerous. Carbon MONoxide will put you to sleep. Well, I suppose enough CO2 would too, but it’s not as dangerous as CO.

What’s wrong with using a SCUBA tank filled with plain old compressed air?

AL

7

You can easily get canned propellant at a reasonable price at your local hobby store, or you can get a compressor and airbrush combo package for a good price on eBay.

Here’s some info from a Testor’s publication (go to www.testors.com for several hobby guides):

  1. 20-30 psi is a good range of pressure
  2. Provide a moisture trap! Water in your solvent-based paint will ruin your finish!
  3. Storage tank(s) provide constant pressure to ensure consistent atomization as you continue to paint.

You can get compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) in cylinders from your local beverage supplier/distributor. No compressor noise and the gas is moisture-free!

Here’s another tip:

If you use canned propellant, the can will cool as you release the gas, lowering the pressure. To slow the cooling and pressure loss, place the can in a container of ROOM TEMPERATURE, NOT HOT water as you paint. Change the water if you paint for long periods.

I hope this info is useful!

Bruce J.

8

Building your own air compressor would cost more than buying one. If cost is the factor, go to your favorite search engine and type in “portable air tank”. Using google I got 993 hits. A portable air tank, which can be bought at your local auto parts store, can be re-filled at your local gas station like the tires on your car and cost starts as low as $20 USD.

Hope ths helps

Dave

9

The guys who paint propane tanks use propane as their “air” source. This isn’t as crazy as some of you may think… since the banning of florocarbons lots of products… hairspay… spraycleaners… spraypaints… use propane as the propellent. Read the label. 2 pound propane tanks make great supplies… just use with caution in a paintbooth… you do use one of them don’t you???

10

I use a full size air compressor for my air brush. I also use it for air for car tires, powering hand tools, and just about anything else that runs on air. I cannot see limiting myself to an airtank to provide air for just the air brush, there are too many other things to do with air power.
You can find full size compressors for bargain rates thru auctions , yard sales , newspaper ads, “Bargain Mart” sales papers, and check with air equipement sales companies, they will get trade ins that they will sell CHEAP.

11

rambo1,
It would be cheaper to buy a small compressor with
an air tank. Not to mention safer , the air tank would handle the high
pressure. Don’t forget a pressure regulator and moisture trap. Check
Home Depot , Lowes or Sears. Bear air and Dixie Art also sell them.
harry

12

Your best option is to buy one. Here in New Zealand everything cost twice as much as you play in the USA! I persevered with air cans for several years then purchased a modellers compressor. What a waste of time that was, Insufficent pressure for spraying acrylics. Then I bought a 2hp, 25litre tank, light compressor for tradesmen who only need to use a compressor irregularly. I then bought a hose and filter/water trap at my local engineering supply store. All up it cost me about $450NZ. For comparison a Kato SD90 retails for about $350NZ here. So there you are, just buy one for the cost of a couple of locos. Once you have it you will never look back and your modelling will reach noe hieghts.

13

The December 1979 Model Railroader (page 112) has and article titled “buildling a renewable air supply for airbrush painting” . It describes the use of a hand pumped tank (garden or other type) and common plumbing fittings to make the system. Check with the NMRA library for a copy of the article.

14

can any body give me any ideas how to make my own air brush compressors .rambo1

15

lol make ya own lol have fun , why dont ya just go buy one , least that one wouldnt blow up or something

16

I don’t use a compressor for my airbrush. What I use is a CO2 tank. Silent, and only needs to be refilled about once every 6 months in spite of heavy use. It is also portable for those times where you can’t bring the work to the spray booth!.

17

gmnodave…
Really like the idea of using a CO2 tank. Can you provide us some details? What size/type of tank? Any pressure regulation devices/issues? Where do you have it refilled? What’s the cost of the tank? Cost of refills? Moisture trap necessary?
Thanks.

18

[?] I hope you aren’t using co2 as a propellant it will put you into the BIG SLEEP.
That is why we buy co2 detectors for our homes, remember it is the byproduct of combustion and an asphyxiate.

19

CO2 is what you exhale.

CO is what’s dangerous. Carbon MONoxide will put you to sleep. Well, I suppose enough CO2 would too, but it’s not as dangerous as CO.

What’s wrong with using a SCUBA tank filled with plain old compressed air?

AL

20

You can easily get canned propellant at a reasonable price at your local hobby store, or you can get a compressor and airbrush combo package for a good price on eBay.

Here’s some info from a Testor’s publication (go to www.testors.com for several hobby guides):

  1. 20-30 psi is a good range of pressure
  2. Provide a moisture trap! Water in your solvent-based paint will ruin your finish!
  3. Storage tank(s) provide constant pressure to ensure consistent atomization as you continue to paint.

You can get compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) in cylinders from your local beverage supplier/distributor. No compressor noise and the gas is moisture-free!

Here’s another tip:

If you use canned propellant, the can will cool as you release the gas, lowering the pressure. To slow the cooling and pressure loss, place the can in a container of ROOM TEMPERATURE, NOT HOT water as you paint. Change the water if you paint for long periods.

I hope this info is useful!

Bruce J.