Is this the right compressor? and other questions

Bloodthorn

Bloodthorn

New member
I call upon all the airbrush gurus and weekend warriors her at CMON. I am still new to airbrushing, but I have been reading a lot of info and watching a few YouTube videos. Until recently I have been using a 5 gallon air tank that I fill with my little home compressor. I have a regulator on the tank and an in line water trap airbrush hose. I have read some people say that they get 1-2 hours out of these, but when I set my pressure to spray at 20PSI and the tank is filled to 100PSI I was only getting about 40 mins of good air. Am I doing something wrong?

This last time I got out my home compressor I noticed that it would only fill the compressor tank to about 60PSI. After letting it rest a bit I tried again only to go to 55PSI. So I think my little shop compressor is dying. So I thought if I have to get a another compressor, why not get a good one that I can use for airbrushing too?

Here is the one I am looking at: http://www.californiaairtools.com/u...compressors/1-0-hp-air-compressors/cat-4610a/

I guess my main question on this is does it put out enough CFM to run two airbrushes for hobby at the same time? Is this a good compressor for both hobby and general around the house usage?

Thanks in advance!
 
shponglefan

shponglefan

New member
I think you'd be fine with that compressor. I have a similar one (I use the 6 gallon California Airtools) and have used it for everything from airbrushing models to powering a framing nailer to build a wall.
 
denstore

denstore

New member
Sure, it is good for a shop compressor, but quite loud for dedicated airbrush use. My main compressor is a Bambi 15/50, and at 50dB, i find it too loud for work where i need to concentrate. Before that i had a much nicer Sil-Air unit. At 30dB, it was whisper silent. Compare 30dB unit with a 60dB in a store, and there's no question that the 60dB unit definitly isn't "Ultra Quiet"
 
shponglefan

shponglefan

New member
denstore said:
Sure, it is good for a shop compressor, but quite loud for dedicated airbrush use. My main compressor is a Bambi 15/50, and at 50dB, i find it too loud for work where i need to concentrate. Before that i had a much nicer Sil-Air unit. At 30dB, it was whisper silent. Compare 30dB unit with a 60dB in a store, and there's no question that the 60dB unit definitly isn't "Ultra Quiet"
Click to expand...

It has a 4.6 gallon tank, though, so most of the time the motor will not even be running. I have a similar 6 gallon unit and often times I'll fill it once and have more than enough air to get through an entire painting session. 0dB is the quietest of all :D
 
denstore

denstore

New member
shponglefan said:
It has a 4.6 gallon tank, though, so most of the time the motor will not even be running. I have a similar 6 gallon unit and often times I'll fill it once and have more than enough air to get through an entire painting session. 0dB is the quietest of all :D
Click to expand...

That is a solution. I do the same with my Bambi. But does it make it qualify as Ultra Quiet? In that case all compressors with tanks are Ultra Quiet.
Buying a compressor with the intent of only running it whenever noice doesn't matter isn't ideal, IMHO. It might be more cost effective, though, and the only alternative when money is scarce.
 
airhead

airhead

Coffin Dodger / Keymaster
denstore said:
Sure, it is good for a shop compressor, but quite loud for dedicated airbrush use. My main compressor is a Bambi 15/50, and at 50dB, i find it too loud for work where i need to concentrate. Before that i had a much nicer Sil-Air unit. At 30dB, it was whisper silent. Compare 30dB unit with a 60dB in a store, and there's no question that the 60dB unit definitly isn't "Ultra Quiet"
Click to expand...
Apples and oranges friend. Those rotary compressors are modified from refrigerator compressors. Yes, stealthy quiet, But VERY expensive.
If you are looking for a compressor that will do more than run an AB gun - like maybe a spray gun or nailer on occasion, those dedicated AB compressors are not going to cut it.
 
denstore

denstore

New member
airhead said:
Apples and oranges friend. Those rotary compressors are modified from refrigerator compressors. Yes, stealthy quiet, But VERY expensive.
If you are looking for a compressor that will do more than run an AB gun - like maybe a spray gun or nailer on occasion, those dedicated AB compressors are not going to cut it.
Click to expand...

That might be true, but the mentioned California Air compressor isn't much better suited for serious spray guns. My Bambi puts out as high pressure as the mentioned unit, about 115-120 psi (8bar). The Sil Air I had before stopped at 6 bar (90 psi). Neither of them produce enough flow to run a real spray gun, like an Iwata w400 or an HVLP. I guess that the California Air units higher throughput and larger tank might be a tad better than mine, but neither of them are anything but a compromise. I wouldn't choose either for painting my car. ;)
But the thing was the noice. To call anything that generates 60db "ultra quiet" is a laugh. Sure, it's a sales pitch, marketing as shponglefan puts it, but it still isn't true, in my opinion. I've seen a lot of starting airbrushers getting shop compressors because they are cheap, and then end up doing all airbrushing in the garage instead of their usual workplace, just because they or their wife couldn't stand the racket....
But if people are aware of what they are buying, there's no problem with me. I only reacted to the "ultra quiet"-label, since I don't believe people are completely aware how big a difference there is in noice between a shop compressor and a dedicated airbrush compressor. I've used most kinds of setups, everything from large workshop type compressors to CO2-tanks, and the only truth I've found is that if the Mrs isn't happy, I won't be (allowed to be) either..... :D
 
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