Thread: Compressor i just built.

Hiya i wanted a quiet compressor but didn't have the cash to get a good one. I found a couple of fridge freezers dumped on my estate at work so i retrieved the pumps to find that both worked well. So i started collecting all the parts ineeded and piecing it together. I been using my lunch breaks at work to gradually build it up fabricating bits as i go trying to keep it as small as i could. Here it is hope you like it.

Here's the insides


Outer cover


And just after i put it together for the first time.

hiya i might fit a handle for carying its not too heavy and will probably sit at the back of my desk or under. I still want to flat back the clear once its gone fully hard and was going to use itself to airbrush the outer case. I dont mind doing a step by step im thinking of building another just because i got another pumps so may base it on that. Thanks for your comment

Looks nice! Maybe you could also give the pressure stats as well.
TABG

Airpower Art Studio

Hiya i will keep an eye on temperature. a lot of the ones i have seen that are professionally built have a full cover. And the pump isn't as high h/p as the pumps from those wont be as quick to fill the tank.
It takes about 6 minutes to fill the tank from empty (not sure the volume of the tank it was a gas bottle) and the switch is set to turn off just above 6 bar about 90 psi and comes back on at about 2.5 bar (but I'm tinkering want it to restart a bit higher)
I have kept the original bottle fitting so i could empty the tank if i ever needed to and have adapted the blow off valve in the bottle tap to open at about 8-9 bar.

Looks nice and neat.

I would like more information on how well it runs, and heat issues if any, spec's on the size motor that you used, also max psi working with thick paints.
And mostley did you set it up for mostley working with solvent based paints or acrylics too.


Not to many questions I hope. Cheers.

hiya i am unsure really of what you are asking the output pressure is adjustable by the regulator and water trap from maximum of tank pressure down. like i say max pressure is set to 90psi the pump came from a medium sized fringe freezer it has no rating on it. i have run it up drained it and run again 3 times in a row so probably running continual for 20 minutes it gets warm to touch but that's about it. hope i can help with this but i cant give any more specs on the item i rescued from dumped freezers. i have only built it for airbrushing in the home i have a large normal compressor down my workshop for using large guns.

I don't know how hard the pumps work in the fridges they were fitted too but they are quite covered and run for longer periods of time. Only time using it will tell me if it overheats and as i don't airbrush consciously i may not know for a long time.

Cheers i will keep that in mind just incase.

Jlay can you tell me where you got the fittings and hose?

Originally Posted by Jmoore12

Jlay can you tell me where you got the fittings and hose?

Hiya yeah i got most of the parts from a company i use at work called LBA (Leigh Baxter Associates Ltd) And the one way valve came from an ebay shop. The parts were made by air-pro (what it says in the catalogue and where i got all the figures). Oh and the hose from the pump to the tank was part of an old airline.
Thanks