Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[jules64]

Hi

I am looking for some advice on buying a new compressor.(Last one oil based was stolen)

I am currently considering two models, Oiled and oil free.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/tiger/path/airmaster-2
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/tigger/path/airmaster-2

This will be used for general work(Fence spray, inflation, staple gun, blower etc.) and I would now like to use this for model paint spraying.

My key question is regarding the water/oil that appears in the air feed. My previous compressor was oil based and this would generate oil and water when used. I have tried to find some sort of filter that may be used for removing the oil and water but I have found the descriptions quite confusing and some of the solutions very expensive.

Can anyone suggest the best way forward to achieve acceptable painting results without huge costs?
I assume that I will still have a water problem with an oiless compressor, but have to accept lower working pressures for general use.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks
Jules

[Circlip]

Separate oil and water trap and if you can manage it a secondary air reservoir.

  Regards  Ian

[geoff p]

Jules,  Don't do it!
Last year I bought a 2HP compressor very similar to the 8/44 unit, with an integral motor-compressor.  Worst bl**dy thing I ever bought:-
 The noise is deafening, mostly because the whole lot is rotating at 2,800 rpm;
 The regulator was great until the thread in the regulator control-knob stripped - whoops, no pressure at the delivery;
 It cuts-in when you least expect it - like three o'clock-in-the-morning - which doesn't please the neighbours too well.  OK, that could be avoided by unplugging it from the mains.

I've since bought a very much quieter belt-driven jobbie but with it's only 1/4 HP motor it is v..e..r..y slow to build up to pressure and, when spraying, it cannot keep up with demand.  Having said that, it keeps up with my staple gun and also just about keeps up with air-testing my steam engine.

I guess the best bet would be a belt drive from a 1 or 2 HP motor.  But that will be expensive to buy.

Geoff

[w3bby]

Get a hold of the March or April number (if I remember correctly) of Practical Classics magazine, I'll check the issue when I get home . They had an excellent product test on compressors.

[billa65t]

Hi Jules,
weather you buy a oiled or oil free one you are best fitting a water trap in between the regulator and air line and you shouldn't really get any oil coming out of it! Also if you plan on running any air tools or painting more than a couple of fence panels at a time you would be better off with a compressor with a 50 litre tank rather than a 25 as the 25 loses pressure quite quickly when painting panels or using air tools due to their quite large air consumption (cfm)
Belt drive ones are quieter and it is always best to turn them of when you are not using them or at least close the valve to the airline when you have finished with it because you will always get slight leakage over time which will cause it to cut back in to build up pressure again at the worst time. As with all things these days just get the best you can afford bearing in mind what you will use it most for IE if you plan on using it alot get one with a fifty litre tank as this will stop it running all the time while under high demand.

Regards
Bill

[w3bby]

Well I was wrong on the issue, the December 2009 issue of Practical Classics had a review of 50 litre compressors. Their best buy was the Clarke Boxer 55, belt driven. Their budget buy and recommended was the SIP TN3/50-D direct drive. Major difference between the two apart from price was the noise level, the Clarke being 10dB quieter at 83dB.

[jules64]

Gentlemen

Many thanks Ian, Ian, Geoff and Bill for all your replies, much appreciated. Some very interesting information and experiences.

I am unfortunately not in a position to spend the sort of money that I would like to and also cannot justify ther cost with the potential use.

My previous compressor suffered all the faults that Bill described when spraying fence panels and meant it was running continuously, this meant you needed a break every so often to top up the pressure as this seemed to decline as the tank emptied. However having had the previous model for 10 years with no mechanical problems it had served me well. I do not use it a lot but would like to now use it for model painting if possible.

Can anyone recomend specific oil and water traps that would be suitable?

Many thanks

Jules

[w3bby]

For your painting needs you might like to consider a HVLP system http://www.spraydirect.co.uk/acatalog/hvlp_high_volume_low_pressure.html as it would reduce what you require from the compressor. Again there are some independent comparison tests available.