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wetluers

Quiet air compressor?

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First time post for a newbee to air brush painting.

Spent the last few nights reading posts and doing searches so that any questions I may post will be narrow and to the point. Unfortunatly, my first posted question won't be any such thing.

Need some advice on selecting an air compressor. I'm looking hard at an Eclipse HP-BS gravity feed brush so any compressor suggestions should keep this in mind. I think that I want a tank attached, a regulator, and a water filter, at least that's what I've gleened from the site so far.

I'm looking for performance and value, with a big emphsis on QUIET operation. Willing to spend what it takes for such, but would perfer not to spend more than I have to. Please suggest any makes and models of compressors and associated equipment I should be looking at?

Oh, did I mention that QUIET operation is imperative? Living on the Gulf Coast rules out working in the garage for 11 months out off the year. And I'm thinking that the Tower is going to have a cow when she finds out that I'm going to be spray painting in the house. So QUIET operation will go a long way towards easing her anxieties!

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I think spraying in the house is going to be a big mess and mistake at the same time. You may want to think about that a little bit more. I have overspray all over the garage and I only paint in 1 corner. After about an hour of painting and cleaning the brush, my garage looks like a steam bath.

You could put a big tank compressor in the garage and run hose into the house to the brush. I would suggest two water traps, one on the compressor and a in-line filter. the dryer the air the better.

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Marty you're way too messy! I paint in the house, in a spare bedroom and use a cardboard box for a spray-away...of course I know that I have to keep it clean, but I really don't make any mess besides my very small area. I use a #93657 airbrush compressor from Harbor Freight, which is the larger airbrush compressor that they make. It has a little more power than the smaller one and also has a regulator which is more easily adjustable than the bleed valve the smaller one uses. It is also a little louder than the small one (which is one of the quietest around), but not bad by any means--it doesn't bother my wife at all. Both are total bargains, frequently on sale too, & light weight. I've had the smaller one for 4 years, it has untold hours on it and would be in perfect conditions had I not knocked it off a table. I still use it though.

I use a small trash can, squeeze bottles of filtered water, and windex for cleaning right at the table between color changes. No problems!

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Wetluers, not sure you'll find a compressor that can't be heard in the house. They tend to be pretty noisy, even the dedicated airbrush models. Some of the more expensive units with tanks might work in a room with the door closed. If you want really quiet, you might investigate a commercial size CO2 tank. I don't know about initial cost or whether a tank could be had with a security deposit from a commercial gas company, but it might be worth investigating. You'd only need the tank, a pressure regulator and fittings to reduce down to your airbrush's hose size. CO2 is completely dry.

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Badger makes "silent" air compressors that sell under the names Million-Air Model 480-1, Billion-Air Model 480-2, and Trillion-Air Model 480-3. Unfortunately you almost have to be a millionaire to buy them because the smallest model (480-1) retails for $790 although I found a website that sells it for $450. The price is an additional $100 for each model up. If you are THAT concerned about having a silent air compressor, PM me and I'll give you the link to the site that sells them. In my opinion there is just no way it is worth it.

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Thanks for the input, Guys. I've start to look harder at a few compressors. The Central Pnumatic 30psi from Harbor Freight has a nice price. The Polar Bear 1000 @ 30psi (or maybe the Twin Piston @ 45 psi, don't know enough about the importance of higher psi at this point) from Bear Air is described as "whisper quiet". Well, QUIET is what I'm looking for. Or an Iwata Smart Jet which should at least work well with an Eclipse airbrush. Any thoughts about the above compressors to share?

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most of the noise nuisance is masonry based, the low frequency travels through the floor and walls. If you mount the compressor on thick rubber mats, or a combination of rubber and foam, a lot of this noise can be eliminated.

This will not solve the problem of the noisy compressor completely, but could make the diference and save your marriage.

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Hey Wetluers - I had a Central Pneumatic (Chinese) "30 psi" compressor that I used a few months. Just want to note that its "30 psi" is max pressure. Pull the trigger and that 30 psi becomes a steady 15 psi, which I felt was very marginal. My new compressor maintains a constant 40 + psi. IMO, 15 is right sometimes for details but it's nice to have more when you want it. Working pressure and horsepower usually correlate as you look at different models.

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