It has started... (I finally got myself an airbrush)

[DiggaDon]

Hi everyone,

I finally bought my first airbrush and went with an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS

I probably should have asked opinions on them before I bought it, but I've heard good things, lots of people using them and are happy. I like Iwatas having used them before. On to a compressor! Thoughts?

- Don

[yardartnut]

Happy to hear....You should be well pleased with the CS...great gun...post some stuff when ya can ..........looking forward to it.....

[lsabourin]

Don, the eclipse is a very versatile brush. Started with the same gun. For compressor get something that has a big enough tank (4-5 gal) but that is SILENT!!!

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by lsabourin

Don, the eclipse is a very versatile brush. Started with the same gun. For compressor get something that has a big enough tank (4-5 gal) but that is SILENT!!!

Yeah, I was looking at a Scorpion II-TT but I don't know how versatile it will be. I mean, I don't know exactly I'm looking to do, but I'm sure I'll start airbrushing what I can, which will probably be t-shirts initially and I'd really like to do metals... i've got a guy lined up already who wants me to paint his welding helmet...

Versatility is important to me as well as silence.

Thanks guys!
- Don

[Airbrush Dreams]

Well if you are going silent plan on spending around $600 to $900. I am still waiting on the day when I can go that way. The Sil-Air 50-24 is a real good all around modle that will do t-shirts and metal with no problems. If it is going to be inclosed in a cabinat then you need the next step up with a cooling fan system. If your price budget is less you might think of a construction type compressor that uses oil and put a real good oil seperator on it and a moisture trap. These are a lot more quit than the oilless pancake compressors like I have been using. A 4 to 6 Gallon tank at least.

Fred

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by Airbrush Dreams

Well if you are going silent plan on spending around $600 to $900. I am still waiting on the day when I can go that way. The Sil-Air 50-24 is a real good all around modle that will do t-shirts and metal with no problems. If it is going to be inclosed in a cabinat then you need the next step up with a cooling fan system. If your price budget is less you might think of a construction type compressor that uses oil and put a real good oil seperator on it and a moisture trap. These are a lot more quit than the oilless pancake compressors like I have been using. A 4 to 6 Gallon tank at least.

Fred

Why such a large tank? obviously you don't want a pulse from like a small constant air from a compressor.... My budget is less than $500 and yeah, I'm looking for something that will be quiet as I'm working in an apartment.

Compressors are expensive

[redneck]

Originally Posted by DiggaDon

Why such a large tank? obviously you don't want a pulse from like a small constant air from a compressor.... My budget is less than $500 and yeah, I'm looking for something that will be quiet as I'm working in an apartment. Compressors are expensive

if you live on the bottom floor of the apartment building, a noisy compressors may not be that bad if the tank and motor are enclose with foam

[Airbrush Dreams]

2 gallon is ok but you will be putting the compessor to a lot more work to refill the tank and ware it down quicker also I have found with the Iwata power jet that I tried out once that it overheated very quickly and shut down on me. After an hour of shut down it would work again. This was suposed to be a studio compressor that was suposed to be semi silant ( not very silant ). The 4 gallon is plenty of air and for a t-shirt 1 t-shirt artist working for several hours; it can take the punishment especially running 45 to 60 psi for acrylics doing t-shirts which is the norm. The 2 gallon will be starting and stopping all the time on you. Trust me! Check out a compressor like a DeWalt or something simalare at a Home Depot store and have them run it for you to see the noise level. If you are in an apartment you definatly want something that is on the quit side and an oil compressor is going to be your best bet if you cant afford a full fledged silent one.

Fred

[Airbrush Dreams]

And I agree with you compressors are expensive thats why I have not bought a silent one.

[Airbrush Dreams]

I checked out the scorpion for you and you only have a 1/4 hp motor and the cfm output at 50psi will depleat the 1 1/5 gallon tank to quicly. That moter will be torn up using it for t-shirt work. That would be fine for illustration and finger nail art running at 20 to 30 psi. Also that is not going to be as silant as you think. the only ones that are truly silant are the enclosed refrigeration compressors like the Sil-Air and the Iwata Hammer Head Shark, Great White. Here is a link to a site and you can call the number and talk to the gentalman. I have spoken with him before and he gave me a lot of info. http://www.silentaircompressor.com/scorpion.html

Fred

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by redneck

if you live on the bottom floor of the apartment building, a noisy compressors may not be that bad if the tank and motor are enclose with foam

unfortunately I don't live on the ground floor. So I'm forced into a quiet compressor as a result. Anything that is larger than the Silentair scorpion I was looking at goes up in price really quick.

- Don

[Airbrush Dreams]

I know it sucks. you could try to buy a used one. I wish I could help. I have an old badger unit that is lacking the 1/4 silent motor. I called to ask the price of a 1/2 hp motor only and that was $600 by itself. To have the Sil Air 50-24 was $850 if I remember right. Just a little more for the rest of the unit.

This is all why I am suggesting the carpentry style. My Brother In-Lay runs a EM-Glow 1 HP that is plenty powerful enough and he said you can stand nex to it and hold a normal conversation without even raising your voice. and he paid around $300. It has a 4 Gallon holding tank and is considered top of the line in portable compresors for carpentry.

[dobie]

i read a post a few months back, i think it was on this site, where a guy built a box of styrafoam,and plywood, with a couple of small cooling fans, which he put his compressor in, and he said it was quite enough that his neighbors quit complaining(he lived in an apartment and had top floor),,,i was thinking of doing this myself, i have a kobalt 17 gal.compressor, and everytime it kicks in, im doing small detail, and GEEESSE WHAT THE HECK,,,every time it scares the bejesesus out me,,,,i think i saved the file of his plans, if your interested, pm me and ill send it to you

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by dobie

i read a post a few months back, i think it was on this site, where a guy built a box of styrafoam,and plywood, with a couple of small cooling fans, which he put his compressor in, and he said it was quite enough that his neighbors quit complaining(he lived in an apartment and had top floor),,,i was thinking of doing this myself, i have a kobalt 17 gal.compressor, and everytime it kicks in, im doing small detail, and GEEESSE WHAT THE HECK,,,every time it scares the bejesesus out me,,,,i think i saved the file of his plans, if your interested, pm me and ill send it to you

I need a compressor first.... =/

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by dobie

i read a post a few months back, i think it was on this site, where a guy built a box of styrafoam,and plywood, with a couple of small cooling fans, which he put his compressor in, and he said it was quite enough that his neighbors quit complaining(he lived in an apartment and had top floor),,,i was thinking of doing this myself, i have a kobalt 17 gal.compressor, and everytime it kicks in, im doing small detail, and GEEESSE WHAT THE HECK,,,every time it scares the bejesesus out me,,,,i think i saved the file of his plans, if your interested, pm me and ill send it to you

I got myself a small pancake compressor! it is an el-cheapo one that was used that I ended up getting from my girlfriends father because I brought the issue up to him and he said he had one laying around that he didn't use anymore (lucky me!). But it's a non-oil compressor, it needs a regulator and a water trap on it, I built a small sound proof box with some of that styrofoam (sp.) insulation and wood, cut a few holes for the air to get in and other than that I'm short some paint and cleansing solvents and then I'll be good to go with painting!

WOOT!!!!


- Don

[Airbrush Dreams]

Thats what I use. What size is the Motor and how large is the holding tank? Also since you are putting it in a sound proof box get two fans to fit the holes one for intake and one for exhaust to keep the compressor cool enough so that the piston dose not seize up on you. Had that happen once and broke the piston rod in half and put it through the cylinder wall.

[fontgeek]

Some things to consider...
First, if you are going to buy a noisier/louder version of compressors, keep in mind that you have to consider more than just the noise level when you go to box them up. Compressors generate heat, as does the motor or engine that runs it. The heat is normally dissipated by the surrounding air, the same air that absorbs and carries the sound. When you box a compressor up, you trap the air it needs to cool it too, and without the mass of air you have in a room, or outside, that would normally help keep it cool, you make your compressor work in hotter and hotter air, and that leads to an early death for compressors and motors, for both oiled and oiless models. You can offset this by installing ventilation fans and ducts, but that same air that carries the heat also carries the sound, so you need to pad the duct work to help absorb the sound from the air coming out, and also the opening where the fresh air comes in. You may find that the work to quiet your compressor up will cost you more in time and money than just buying a silent compressor from the start.

You might also consider using CO2, you can lease tanks from welding supply and gas supply stores, they don't have the issues with the heat, the noise, the pulsing of air, or the moisture (though I would still use the moisture traps, filters, etc.), or the pressure capability for any and all spray equipment. The only real issue is the time when the bottle runs out of gas. For those that use CO2 on a normal basis, they typically have two bottles, they use one til it runs out, then switch to the second bottle to finish their job(s), then call the gas supplier to come switch out tanks, or to refill their tank where it is. The bottles/tanks come in a large variety of sizes, from small ones you can hold in your hand, to ones large enough to hold a few bodies in. The tiny ones are fine for mobile work in makeup or cake decorating, but for anything much larger, or that requires more pressure and volume, you would spend more time refilling them than you would spraying.
You can lease the CO2 bottles, and the refill cost is from $15 -$40 for the 50 pound tank, sometimes even less if you have more tanks or a larger user in the area.
You will need a regulator at the tank that can handle the initial pressure though, the pressure at the tank, when full, is about 3000psi, much more than your hoses and fittings, much less your airbrush or spraygun, are going to be able to handle. You can get the regulators for around $35 a piece from soda or beer vendors. Don't let anybody con you into buying one that is made for airbrushing, etc., at an elevated price, they all have to deal with the same pressure and gas, so it's just a matter of durability and accuracy, and the reality is that you will want a regulator at your work place, as well as the one at the tank, to keep control of your air source.
Regular regulators, filters, traps, etc., will work just fine with the CO2, the only place you have to really use the heavy duty regulator at is at the bottle itself, and that is just to get the pressure down to where your hoses and smaller regulators can handle it.
With CO2, keep an eye on how long a bottle lasts you when you paint, and always remember to shut the gas off at the tank itself when you are done painting for a while. Gas can leak through hoses, fittings, etc., there's no sense in paying for gas, just to have it leak away.

[DiggaDon]

Originally Posted by Airbrush Dreams

Thats what I use. What size is the Motor and how large is the holding tank? Also since you are putting it in a sound proof box get two fans to fit the holes one for intake and one for exhaust to keep the compressor cool enough so that the piston dose not seize up on you. Had that happen once and broke the piston rod in half and put it through the cylinder wall.

It's a 3/4 HP motor and it's got a 4.5 gallon tank on it. There are two holes in the case I made, I haven't gotten any fans yet... but when I do they'll probably be a couple 3" fans... anyways, I made two holes one for intake, one for hose/plug. But I don't think heat will be a major problem since it isn't going to be running constantly.

[redneck]

If the intake hole are across from the hose hole then this will serve as a exhaust hole