uk newby

[bigmal]

Hi there I have just recently retied and have started doing some craft work ,wich includes scrollsawing and shaping MDF to make 3D pictures and thought a airbrush would help me to finish the peices of .I also make fancy walking sticks sometimes with a carved trout for the handle, again I realy think an airbrush would help me do this. My problem is what kind of compressor will I need and does it have to have a tank and as cheap as possible please. I have looked at a uk website called airbrush pro but no idea what to buy. Help!!!!!

[OzDesigns]

Welcome, can't wait too see your work! As for compressors....I'm sure the pros shall post.

Oz

[lsabourin]

Hi Bigmal welcome to the forum. Go here for a start: learning to airbrush On-Line, airbrush tutorials

For compressors you don't need anything big. Small 2 gal will do the job. But those are noisy. Iwata and others make small silent compressors. Hobby (modeling and stuff) and craft stores are a good place to go. You will likely be running it at no more than 40 psi.

[fontgeek]

Before you go off and buy a compressor just for doing airbrush work, you might look at other needs you may have in the near future. Having the capability to use pneumatic (air) tools, larger spray guns for applying finishes, and the like, may help you improve your work, and make you more productive. If these kinds of things are worth considering, then you should look at a compressor that is big enough to run the largest or most demanding of the tools you are considering. It is much easier to make a large compressor do the work of a small one than it is to try to make a small compressor do the work of large one.
Your scroll saw probably creates a bit of noise already, so you are either working in an environment where the noise is not an issue, you have learned to cope with the noise, or you are deaf.
If you are working in an area where the noise is not an issue, then the larger compressor is not an issue, at least not as far as the noise is concerned. It would let you work with pneumatic tools and sprayers as needed. If you are wearing hearing protection, then the noise from a compressor (or your neighbors pounding on the wall) may not bother you.

If noise is an issue, you can locate the compressor in a more remote spot, where you can give it adequate ventilation and sound proofing.

There are lots of good, quiet - silent compressors available, but to get one of size for larger work, pneumatic tools, spray gun capabilities, etc, you would spend and arm and a leg.

So, the real questions are, what do you need, for both now and the future?
What are your limitations for: power, space, and cost?