Airbrush compressor musings

paintguy · 28 Mar 2019 at 16:03

Hi, apologies right away for the long post but I can't make up my mind so thought I'd ask the collective to get some different points of view.

I'm new to modelling and am particularly interested in the airbrushing side of it. I figured my current compressor set up my shed would be ideal for this, but after just one evenings work I think it's way too loud, to the point of being anti social. It doesn't bother me but I'm sure the neighbours won't be happy if I'm working late into the night!

I'm running a 3hp belt drive unit on a 50l tank. This runs through 5m of airline for cooling, then to a water trap/filter/regulator. This works great for spraying car parts with full sized guns but overkill for airbrushing.

So I've thought of a few options:

1) Build a soundproof enclosure. This will take up even more space, make access to the compressor difficult, and may not even be that effective.

2) Ignore the current set up and get a dedicated airbrush compressor with a small tank.

3) Get a tankless airbrush compressor and plumb it into my existing set up.

I'm leaning towards option 3 as it'll probably be the cheapest, will be as simple as plugging the new compressor into my existing tank, and will make use of the pipwork/cooling/filter system I already have set up. I'll use a one way valve on the spare tank port to make sure I don't blow the little one to bits if I fire up the main compressor with it still plugged in.

My only worry is if the little unit will be OK filling such a big tank. I'm guessing it will have to go for a while but then it should get a decent break while I use such a big volume of air. Is that likely to be any worse for it than constantly cutting in and out as I spray?

Any thoughts or alternative ideas appreciated.

robfosters · 28 Mar 2019 at 17:13

Option 2 for me. An AS-186 would be fine and wouldn’t break the bank.

spoffle · 28 Mar 2019 at 17:47

An AS-186 is more than good enough, I don't see why you'd ever want another one. Unless it failed.

paintguy · 28 Mar 2019 at 18:09

Thanks chaps, that does seem to be the one I see recommended everywhere. I guess I'm just over complicating things.

There seems to be a new model out, AS-186S, which has a cooling fan. Probably worth getting but can't find anyone outside of ebay that has any stock right now. Just my luck

Dis86 · 28 Mar 2019 at 22:53

@paintguy check out everything airbrush. Some potential options for you there.

robfosters · 28 Mar 2019 at 23:45

I think this looks just the ticket for you.

https://www.everythingairbrush.com/...-air-receiver.html#product_tabs_review_tabbed

But the one with the cooling fan is good but it’s hard to find atm.

Personally, I think the cooling fan is not that important when using the compressor for scale modelling. 95% of the time, you will only use it in short bursts to paint parts, often very small parts, which are painted in a second or two. You very rarely spray for long periods without stopping for a while when modelling. It’s not like body painting or custom auto art. The compressor will have time between sprays to cool down sufficiently.

paintguy · 29 Mar 2019 at 04:55

Thanks again, that's one site I've been looking at since I've used then before.

I guess I'm just paranoid about air supply due to my job. With a gun and mask I can be pulling 20 cfm easily while 5 or 6 other guys use air tools at the same time. It's cooled and dried by refrigeration, filtered in at least 4 different ways, and checked quarterly by chemical analysis. Not really necessary for squirting a few models

I'll probably give them a ring to see if they are expecting stock of the fan version soon, if not I'll get the regular one.

Dis86 · 29 Mar 2019 at 07:52

paintguy said:
Thanks again, that's one site I've been looking at since I've used then before.

I guess I'm just paranoid about air supply due to my job. With a gun and mask I can be pulling 20 cfm easily while 5 or 6 other guys use air tools at the same time. It's cooled and dried by refrigeration, filtered in at least 4 different ways, and checked quarterly by chemical analysis. Not really necessary for squirting a few models

I'll probably give them a ring to see if they are expecting stock of the fan version soon, if not I'll get the regular one.

Lol you probably are. The size of the things you normally paint is what demands that quality though. A tiny fault will stick out.