Page 1 of 1

Which Compressor?

Posted: July 22nd, 2016, 9:11 pm
by SBO
I am sure this is a question that gets bandied about a lot, please indulge me! I am finally in a position to afford a modest compressor, somewhere in the £70-£100 range and am looking for a decent model for a beginner with an airbrush. Does anybody have suggestions? They would be much appreciated. I have spent a long time perusing ebay and amazon etc. but it is quite an overwhelming task choosing one!!!

Thanks all :-D

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: July 22nd, 2016, 9:17 pm
by Ratch
Here's what I use...
Image
Image
Image
Image
A Wolfair - cost £60 from Screwfix. Industrial in capacity, it has a large tank, regulator, safety valve and gauge. It has served me well for nigh on 10 years ;-)

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 12:53 pm
by SBO
Great thanks! Could I ask how loud it is? Unfortunately I live in a block of flats so noise is an issue. I wouldn't have thought it would be that bad, but the word 'industrial' was there so I thought I had best check!!!

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: July 26th, 2016, 1:11 am
by Zen
Something like this is good: http://www.artesanialatina.net/EN/airbr ... iltre.html;
It's silent enough for use in a flat surrounded by neighbors... at least till 8.30, 9 p.m.

Good luck! :beer:

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: July 26th, 2016, 8:08 pm
by Ratch
SBO wrote:Could I ask how loud it is?
My neighbours don't complain, but then I don't use it during anti-social hours :lol:
Its a bit noisy but not for long at all - it fills the tank and you spray from the reservoir :ha:

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: July 26th, 2016, 8:13 pm
by iggie
This is similar to the one I use;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Airbrush-Comp ... rkt%3D1%26
No reservoir but you would struggle to hear it from a dozen feet away.....but any compressor needs to be stood on something to absorb the vibration as that is usually the source of noise heard by neighbours. Stand it on a thick foam sheet or similar and you should be ok

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 4th, 2016, 8:43 pm
by SBO
Excellent thanks chaps! Ok so a novice question coming up - reservoir or no reservoir? Does a compressor with no reservoir make less noise? Is a reservoir something that makes an appreciable difference to a beginners airbrushing? And lastly, how loud roughly would a 'loud' compressor be - i.e. is it vacuum cleaner loud?

Sorry - I am sure you can tell I have never even seen a compressor let alone used one!!!

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 4th, 2016, 9:00 pm
by iggie
Interesting question....mine is a non-reservoir type, so the compressor runs as long as I am on the trigger; I would say it is half the sound output of a dyson upright vacuum cleaner.
I can't speak for the reservoir types....

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 4th, 2016, 9:17 pm
by jssel
I have a non-reservoir Paasche compressor. Very quiet. So quiet I put a tag on it to remind myself to turn it off. $90.00USD. Been using it for around four years now.

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 11th, 2016, 11:47 am
by SBO
That sounds ideal for my purposes - could I trouble you for a model number? Thanks!

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 11th, 2016, 12:17 pm
by jssel
Realized I could have added this above. A senior moment.

http://www.paascheairbrush.com/discount-class/g/D500SR;

This is the Company ad but mine was obtained via my LMS who, in turn, obtained it from Stevens International.

Good luck.

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 13th, 2016, 3:28 pm
by SBO
Haha no problem! I looked into it and unfortunately that particular company's products retail for a vastly inflated price on this side of the Atlantic, which puts them out of my price range. In the end I plumped for a nice cheap and cheerful compressor with excellent reviews on Amazon, the thinking being it will allow me to get acquainted with the intricacies of airbrushing before hopefully upgrading in the near future.

So I must say thanks to all in this thread, your advice has been incredibly helpful! I doff my cap to you all :-D

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 16th, 2016, 4:23 pm
by rob_van_riel
SBO wrote:Ok so a novice question coming up - reservoir or no reservoir? Does a compressor with no reservoir make less noise?
A reservoir acts as a pressure stabilisor and buffer. The pumps on many compressors do not generate an even pressure, but rather very rapid peaks (think pistons in an engine). The reservoir evens this out. Also, the pump is the part that makes the noise, and you don't want a loud compressor like the one I have running while working. You either want a quiet hobby model, that can have the pump running while working but either has a more advanced pump design, or a small reservoir, or a more basic pump with a large reservoir so you can shut it off while working.
Is a reservoir something that makes an appreciable difference to a beginners airbrushing?
No. You want even, steady pressure, and a reservoir is but one way of obtaining it.
And lastly, how loud roughly would a 'loud' compressor be - i.e. is it vacuum cleaner loud?
Very. As in, don't stick around in the same room without hearing protection loud.

My current compressor is a big powerfull brute like Ratch's, but with a much larger tank. It's designed to drive power tools or fill tyres and such, and makes a monstrous racket. On the other hand, on a full day spent mostly on airbrush work, it runs maybe 4 times, while I grab a mug of tea and/or some breath.
Before that one, I had a smaller unit without a reservoir that ran all the time (at roughly vacuum cleaner noise levels). Didn't like the noise when working, and didn't like the fact that it ran hot and would shut down at inconvenient times for cooling. I don't think this was a very good compressor..
I've also been in the room with an airbrushing workshop going on, meaning about a dozen little compressors chugging along, and it didn't feel like a noisy room. From what I've read so far, this is the sort of compressor that would fit your needs best. Noise level, max pressure, and capacity should be somewhere in the specs; compare those to get an idea of what you might need.

Also, a small word of caution: the glitzy folders are almost certain to show people cheerfully airbrushing without any breathing protection. This is plain stupid. Put something between your lungs and paint, even when working with acrylics (the solvent might not be a problem, but the resin and pigments are). Also keep in mind that the paint will fly anywhere near your workarea; it may be just a very slow buildup, but you will paint the room..

Re: Which Compressor?

Posted: August 22nd, 2016, 9:12 am
by Gadfly
I started out with a Tamiya Sprayworks Compressor and basic Airbrush.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/ ... c_comp.htm;

It was very good and as long as you stuck to Tamiya or Gunze paints it worked very very well. I painted a lot of models with it and at some point upgraded the basic airbrush to a more 'advanced' model also a Tamiya.. Its not overly noisy and is quite compact.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/ ... r_fine.htm;

This runs fine with the Tamiya basic compressor.

The reality is a combination of the Basic Tamiya gun and this Airbrush could probably spray pretty much any model to a reasonable standard.

If you get into more exotic paint types such as Alclad and Lacquers then being able to control the output air pressure feeding the airbrush is handy. However for the other 97.5% of modelling this will probably be sufficient.

The Tamiya sprayworks set is non adjustable and outputs a fixed air pressure constantly. It's what's known as a constant loss system.

I liked it because I wanted to paint models not become a de-facto expert on: compressors, air pressure, water traps, air hose fittings and dB ratings of compressors.

There is one for sale on Ebay Uk currently

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-Model- ... SwPhdU-Hby;

No connection to the seller etc.. I have the older version of this which is pretty quiet. This version is much more quiet.

I currently use a small reservoir compressor like Rob and Richard with an outlet pressure regulator water trap and all the gubbins. Mainly because I now run a series of classic Holbein Double Action Airbrushes and want to paint with Alcald and lacquers etc which benefit from lower outlet air pressures than the Tamiya compressor can deliver.

However I'd happily use my Sprayworks again. The reality is there is no 'buy this and it will work' type answer for the question you have asked. However IMHO the Tamiya Sprayworks gives the most complete answer to the requirements you have and is not overly expensive..

HTH

Cheers
Gadfly