compessors and psi

[flexin81]

i have been airbrushing for well....5 days now and i have been reading alot and i have this really puzzling question. I was reading in the december issue about how to airbrush the body art...and he said he was spraying at 15 psi...does the airbrush determine the psi or is it the compressor...and if it is the compressor is there one you can buy that come from lets say 10 to 55 psi??? i know this is a weird question and is probably obvious to every but me!!!

[aixguy]

If you have a resonable sized compressor (not a very small ab compressor) you will have to have a pressure regulator and guage on it. Most compressors have a shut off psi of 100-150 so the regulator drops that to the working psi of the tool. Do a forum search using the key word Compressor and then Regulator for more indepth reading.

[cbrunson]

What kind of compressor are you using? You can buy pressure regulators for about $20.

[gixster92]

if you have a sears around, get a pancake or a cyclinder 3 gallon tank, they run about 100.00 and you find them on sale a lot. This is what I use and it has a regulator built on it and will allow you to do body art to t-shirts. It is loud though.

[flexin81]

does the regulator let you control the PSI...i dont know what kind of compressor i have....christmas gift...it isn't big..and not load...the spec says it runs between 40 and 55 psi...i have a Badger 150 professional. and it seems just fine right now. (still practicing dagger strokes...ug!) but just wondering what kind i should get when i upgrade.

I know so little about compressors that I shouln't confuse you any more..I have a 2 horsepower, 8 gallon tank I bought at Walmart for $150--I suspect the air you have now is a continuous run hobby type, & you really need one with an air holding tank..mine has a built in pressure gauge..the compressor & pressure gauge determines the psi--your airbrush cannot be given credit for doing anything on it's own!! That would be a lucky day for all!! Walmart also has a small pancake compressor for less, but I always had a problem with over heating..You can check pawn shops as they seem to get a lot of used compressors..With the exception of very expensive silent compressors, everyone suffers thru a noise issue..my compressor is heavy (for me) & loud..when I work off site I use compressed air in a C02 bottle, also rigged with a pressure gauge, but that air source can get pricey..hopes this helps a little-- there are no weird questions..

[cbrunson]

Originally Posted by flexin81

does the regulator let you control the PSI...i dont know what kind of compressor i have....christmas gift...it isn't big..and not load...the spec says it runs between 40 and 55 psi...i have a Badger 150 professional. and it seems just fine right now. (still practicing dagger strokes...ug!) but just wondering what kind i should get when i upgrade.

Yes the regulator will let let you dial it in and adjust for different applications. The bigger the tank, the less your compressor runs. You can add a second pressure tank as well.