UKandy Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Hi all, so I'm looking for some sound information from you guys please. My next purchase along my lure building journey will be a compressor, this will be used for painting purposes & I would like to ask what compressors you guys are using for this & why you chose that compressor? I would like to make a good choice, so I can buy once & have the correct piece of kit I don't mind spending a bit as long as it's right. Many thanks for any input! Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Most hobbyists aren't painting a lot of baits and only if using for airbrushing don't need much in way of a compressor. I would be most concerned with operating decibels. CFM is easy enough to get when we look at compressors for airbrushes. Much depends on the scale you are doing things also. Small cheaper priced units what I have used for the most part as rarely painting more than a dozen or so baits at a time. If I was painting more often or decided to add a lot of air tools to my shop would just get a large compressor and run a line for airbrushing. I painted cranks with a Craftsman 4 gallon twin tank compressor for years. Extremely loud. It is "heavy" but wheeled and will take up space so if you are going to paint in multiple locations has some downside. I also bought a small airbrush compressor on clearance at Hobby lobby (25 bucks) It is a Fusion F1000. Very quite cycle time frequently but designed to do so. Personally would like it to push a little more CFM but has worked flawlessly for may years now and still going strong. Very small so if you need to be portable very easy to move around. I also have a California Air compressor, California Air Tools CAT-1P1060S, that is a small unit I used with a pin nailer out in the shop but has mainly been used for airbrushing during that time. Very quiet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 My primary consideration was cost. There are some really neat looking compressors designed to be quiet, which is an advantage. I got a 6gal. craftsman pancake compressor. I then added a filter and extra pressure gauge. I either leave the basement or wear ear covers while it pressurizes, then I can paint quite a bit before it needs to refill. I usually just turn it off while I paint. I'm still new to airbrushing, and I've only had this set up for a month. Like I said, my focus was cost and versatility. I figure I can use a pancake to operate a wider variety of tools than a dedicated airbrush compressor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKandy Posted February 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Thanks guys I will check those out for sure! Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan_alex Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) If noise is your main concern ( as it was for me too), and you're a little bit into DIY, then a Fridge Compressor is your safest bet. You really can't beat that in terms of "silence". I've built myself one with a tank from a fire extinguisher to protect the compressor from working too hard and the air coming out from the airbrush is noisier than the compressor itself. Edited March 2, 2021 by bogdan_alex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted March 3, 2021 Report Share Posted March 3, 2021 19 hours ago, bogdan_alex said: If noise is your main concern ( as it was for me too), and you're a little bit into DIY, then a Fridge Compressor is your safest bet. You really can't beat that in terms of "silence". I've built myself one with a tank from a fire extinguisher to protect the compressor from working too hard and the air coming out from the airbrush is noisier than the compressor itself. Dude! This looks like a really sweet idea. Now I'll just start looking for a fridge to curb-shop...and then hope it's not on the curb due to a bad compressor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKandy Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Wow! How did you think of that idea I will have a look into that over the weekend. Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I have a 6 gal on my back porch with a line to my basement where I do my airbrushing, nice and quite. Wayne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishordie79 Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I have a six gallon compressor with regulator and condensation chamber. It is loud but my shop is in its own building out behind my house so when it turns on the only person affected by the noise level is me. That said, I'll turn it on and let it fill to capacity and can then I can usually get about an hour of airbrushing in before having to turn the unit on to refill. So for me this has been a pretty good option. It's louder each time I fill it but it doesn't run constantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishordie79 Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 On 3/3/2021 at 12:00 AM, bogdan_alex said: If noise is your main concern ( as it was for me too), and you're a little bit into DIY, then a Fridge Compressor is your safest bet. You really can't beat that in terms of "silence". I've built myself one with a tank from a fire extinguisher to protect the compressor from working too hard and the air coming out from the airbrush is noisier than the compressor itself. Awesome idea Alex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 On 3/2/2021 at 3:00 PM, bogdan_alex said: If noise is your main concern ( as it was for me too), and you're a little bit into DIY, then a Fridge Compressor is your safest bet. You really can't beat that in terms of "silence". I've built myself one with a tank from a fire extinguisher to protect the compressor from working too hard and the air coming out from the airbrush is noisier than the compressor itself. This brings back memories. 50 years ago I had a biker buddy who airbrushed his bike frame, and used a homemade rig built from a fridge compressor. It just hummed, because it was designed to be in a kitchen, not a workshop. I still remember that quiet sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exx1976 Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I have a Paasche with a 1 gallon tank. It's super quiet, but it's nowhere near large enough. 10 seconds of spraying and it kicks on, which causes a pretty regular change in output PSI at the nozzle, resulting in difficulty painting. I just ordered a 6 gallon DeWalt pancake compressor, should be here next week. It was on sale, and comes with an 18ga brad nailer, which I'll use for other projects around the house as well, so win/win. The Paasche is for sale if anyone is interested... LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Great sales pitch @exx1976! I have been very happy with a 6gal pancake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan_alex Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 (edited) On 3/5/2021 at 7:51 PM, exx1976 said: I have a Paasche with a 1 gallon tank. It's super quiet, but it's nowhere near large enough. 10 seconds of spraying and it kicks on, which causes a pretty regular change in output PSI at the nozzle, resulting in difficulty painting. Something is not right...even if it kicks in, the pressure should be steady. This means the pressure regulator is not doing its job properly or the compressor starts too late when the tank pressure is below the working pressure. I have a 3 liter tank (less than a gallon) and although I'd love to have one bigger, it's working really nice and steady . Edited March 6, 2021 by bogdan_alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan_alex Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 (edited) On 3/3/2021 at 8:09 PM, Big Epp said: Dude! This looks like a really sweet idea. Now I'll just start looking for a fridge to curb-shop...and then hope it's not on the curb due to a bad compressor... make sure you also get - a pressure regulator with oil/water trap - fridge compressors runs with oil which sometimes is pushed into the air flow...it will be a pity to end up on your lure. - a one-way valve to prevent back-pressure - a safety valve ....for safety reasons Edited March 6, 2021 by bogdan_alex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exx1976 Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 3 hours ago, bogdan_alex said: Something is not right...even if it kicks in, the pressure should be steady. This means the pressure regulator is not doing its job properly or the compressor starts too late when the tank pressure is below the working pressure. I have a 3 liter tank (less than a gallon) and although I'd love to have one bigger, it's working really nice and steady . I'm totally, like WAY amateur with an airbrush. I'm sure I'm spraying at too high of a psi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) I've heard many spray between 30 and 40 psi. That's about where I spray, though I'm an amature in this as well. Baker builds (youtube) mentioned spraying at 40. Higher for thicker paint I think. The free booklet I picked up at hobby lobby says to use lower psi for up close details and higher for greater coverage. Makes sense to avoid overspray esp when using stencils. Edited March 7, 2021 by Big Epp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan_alex Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 19 hours ago, Big Epp said: I've heard many spray between 30 and 40 psi. That's about where I spray, though I'm an amature in this as well. Baker builds (youtube) mentioned spraying at 40. Higher for thicker paint I think. The free booklet I picked up at hobby lobby says to use lower psi for up close details and higher for greater coverage. Makes sense to avoid overspray esp when using stencils. I use somewhere around 30psi ( 1.8-2.2bar range...you do the math). I'm not an expert by any means but I've noticed that is better to spray at the lowest pressure the paint can handle and atomize correctly without leaving a rough finish. Spraying at too high pressure can cause the paint dry on the tip of the airbrush and that is one thing that gets me on my nerves so I try avoiding it at all costs . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKandy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 Some really good info here guys thanks Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Mang Posted March 9, 2021 Report Share Posted March 9, 2021 bogdan_alex, can you post a picture of that set up. I like to do DIY projects! Thanks, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
