I was wondering if you can use a large air compressor with an airbrush. I have a Craftsman that I can adjust the pressure, that I use for my impact wrench, tires, etc.
Air is air! A moisture trap is a must-have. Personally, I'd get a separate regulator as well, and leave the compressor up high. Less cycling = less noise.
Sure, just be sure to use a regulator, which you already said you have. The only difference is it's volume, and that doesn't effect the airbrush at all. It will just have allot of volume available for the airbrush to use..
Make sure it's an oilless compressor! Else you'll find out the hard way why the paint is not sticking. It seems that the bigger the compressor is the more likely it is an oil compressor which would put oil into your air supply. A no no for painting.
Obtaining a moisture trap for my 2 gallon compressor has been on my to do list for a while, actually...I'll get airbrushing one of these days.
I have used my big bruiser for painting. I ran the air through two regulators, two moisture traps, and two filters, just to be on the safe side. The thing is terribly noisy and so it sits in the garage. It's hard to use it after about 9 PM, so I recently got an actual airbrush compressor. Make sure you can get the range between about 10 and 30 psi. I tend to start at about 10 psi and then dial it up over a test piece until I get the flow that I want. Enjoy! Adam
I don't recommend trying to shoot all your paint at 30psi. Some people and some paints prefer more than the 10-20 range that I tend to use. What I was intending to say is to make sure that whatever you're using isn't restricted to one pressure. Some of the cheaper compressors will do 30 psi or 40 psi without any sort of adjustment. I don't like that. I prefer having some more control. My big bruiser will easily do 120 psi or more. It has no problem filling my car tires.
I have a small 2 Gallon Target job. Variable pressure and I have an added regulator because I am paranoid about things under pressure near my knees. If truth be told, I spray with my Badger 150 anywhere between 10-17 psi depending on the thickness of the paint and which needle I will be using. HOWEVER, when I clean the airbrush with blue window washer solution before disassembly, I put it through at 30-35 psi. Since I started doing that, no clogs inside.
So, we shoot about the same airbrush (mine is a 155 Anthem) at about the same pressure. I find with my arcylics in my basement that about 12-18 is the best range. I also find it handy to be able to blow the thing out well when I am done.
As stated above, sure! I have a DeWalt that I use for air tools. I just fill it up to about 50 psi, adjust the pressure, and turn the motor off. Plenty of air in the tank! Just go to your local Harbor Freight for cheap hoses and moisture traps.
Yep! I got a 2 gallon Husky brand that is oilless for $70 when it was on sale. Can go up to some ridiculous PSI - like 150+. When I use it for airbrusing, I pressurize it to about 80 psi and then use a regulator to dial the pressure back down. Of course there's an additional moisture trap. Why 80? This prevents the constant cycling of the compressor as it takes a while for that 80 psi to drop down to 20 psi. I use it for other things too like tires, balls, and cleaning wood dust after I use my table saw. It works great as an airgun to clean stuff. Saves alot of those canned air at Staples.
I have noticed that Home Depot selection tends to vary by store, so it could be that the HD near Metro Red Line doesn't have any compressors. When I have seen them, they're usually up around the hand tools down a little mini-aisle of their own along with the airtools. It's not like they have an entire long aisle of their own like the paint or the lumber.
As noted, air is air. Larger compressors will give you more time between cycling, higher pressure compressor will give you more time between cycles, oil lubed compressors are much quieter than oilless, and last longer. You can extend your cycling time with a small compressor by getting an auxilary air tank (10gal for about $35). You can also use the air hose as an auxilary tank. If you have a permanent location where you're going to be airbrushing, you can simply put the compressor in a corner of the garage and pipe air anywhere you want it.
I've been using a "big" compressor for years, with multiple moisture traps and a Paasche airbrush hose trap on each of my airbrush hoses. I've never had an "oil" problem. I leave it in the garage and run a hose to my workshop, using the regulator that came with the compressor on about 40 PSI, then a smaller one with a more precision gauge on the end of the compressor hose in my workshop to regulate the final pressure. With its 40 gallon tank, it doesn't come on much when shooting at 18 to 20 psi with my Paasche VL's or my Paasche AB's and when it does come on, it has a low frequency noise and doesn't take long to charge the tank and shut off. I much prefer this to the overpriced "airbrush" compressors, and I've been airbrushing commercially (fine art, commercial graphics) since 1974. Hope this helps... Bob Gilmore Eden, UT
I've got a big air compressor too. Check out HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS: http://www.harborfreight.com/ for all kinds of regulators, moisture filters, and fittings for air compressors. With a big air compressor, I've been picking up pneumatic tools now. Air nailers, drills, sanders, impact tools and others to use with the air compressor. The air nailers alone are worth it when you're building a layout. Quick, fast and strong wood work.
You need to match everything up. As someone stated viscosity of the paint, the size of the air brush needle and type of paint all plays a role in how much pressure you need to run. If you are looking for good finishes pay close attention to air volume. You need to have a super fine mist of paint in order to spray coats in micron. This requires higher pressure to achieve the atomization of the air and paint. This is similar to DPI's in imaging. More DPI's the better the quality. Inobu
