Thank you for all the great on an airbrush. I decided on the paasche vl. It is on its way to me in the mail. I have yet to choose a compressor but I was wondering if in the mean time I have a tire air compressor that came with a auto emergency kit. Could that be used? If so I know i will need some sort of adapter to connect the airbrush to the tire valve end. Anyone ever used one of these? If so how do they work in comparrison

stevin,
Considering all the exotic ways people have obtained air supplies, it will work to some extent. People have used filled innertubes (or the whole tire!), pump action bug sprayers, various gas cylinders, aerosol cans, etc.

You will need oil/water traps and a pressure regulator. But you will need these items no matter which compressor you use.

If you will just be trying out the airbrush a little, one of those aerosol cans of propellant from the hobby shop is all you really need. With one of them you can do without the regulator, etc. just to test it out.

Then you can wait and pick out a good compressor, regulator, trap combo. The cans get expensive but are good in a pinch.

If you will be choosing a shop-type compressor eventually, be sure you get an oil-less one. The air output is much cleaner and easier to filter for an airbrush.

Jim

Those compressors will not work. You still need a tank to accumulate and hold an adequate amount of air plus you'll need an air regulator and filter with a moisture trap. Do yourself a big favor and invest in a quality compressor. You really don't want to cut corners here.

My opinion is different than Wild Mary. Harbor Freight, Northern or one of those big tool warehouse places sells a complete compressor kit for under 100.00. Maybe even Lowes, Tractor Supply or H.D. They come with just about everything you need except possibly the water separator. For the occasional times many need one it should work well for you. If you plan on near daily use then by all means get a good quality compressor with tank. As for hose adapter once you have your compressor a few easy to get fittings should do the trick.

I work at Lowes and tonight at work I found an air compressor and brad nailer combo that was originally 130 dollars but because the box was opened I got it marked down to 20 bucks. This unit says great for airbrushes and it has a dial which I believe is a built in regulator, there are meters on each side of the knob that look to be for air pressure control. I think overall I got a great deal.

quote:

Originally posted by stevin:
I work at Lowes and tonight at work I found an air compressor and brad nailer combo that was originally 130 dollars but because the box was opened I got it marked down to 20 bucks. This unit says great for airbrushes and it has a dial which I believe is a built in regulator, there are meters on each side of the knob that look to be for air pressure control. I think overall I got a great deal.

Sweet! Yes, the dial is the regulator. One gauge is tank pressure and the other is line pressure (dialed in through the regulator). You should have the hose (airbrush) open to dial in the line pressure.

Rand

Rand will I still need to get a moisture trap. If so I think I seen one at my lhs and if I remeber correctly they were pretty cheap.

Stevin great steal on that compressor and yes a water trap is a good thing to have online. You may have to get an adapter for the compressor to hook up your airbrush if it has 1/4" fittings instead of 1/8". Another cheap purchase though.

Thanks for the heads up vagolfer

Congrats on the new compressor. That's got to be the steal of the month. As long as you are shooting water base paint you should be able to get away w/o a moisture trap. Good luck.

So the moisture trap is only for when using oil based paints?

stevin,
You will still need a moisture trap with water base paints - particularly in humid summertime conditions.

You don't want the airbrush spitting droplets of water no matter what type paint you are using.

As the air travels through the hoses from the compressor, its pressure and, therefore, its temperature drops. Water condenses in the hoses and will be "spit" from the nozzle of the airbrush along with your paint. It will ruin the finish whatever type paint you are using.

Jim

I guess you could build your own moisture trap from some clear tubing and a few joints filling the tubing with Calcium Sulfate - if you can get the stuf called Drierite - that's Calcium Sulfate with a color indicator built in - blue when dry and turns pink when the drying capacity is exhausted.

Lowes should also have a small display with fittings, paint-spray components, etc that will include moisture traps in 1 or 2 sizes for 15 to 30 bucks. The small one of these is all you need for casual work. If you want you can pick up a few quick-release fittings to make the moisture trap a snap-in, snap-out for when you want the full flow for the brad nailer or "house" painting gun (the usual HW store air sprayer is good for doll house, dog house, tree house, but probably not big house).

Airbrush is cool,but its more work,you have to tape up the parts you dont want paint on,plus the noise of the compressor is terrible,unless you get a qualty compressor they run about 300 and up,I think ,but i know they are not cheap.My friend does airbrush shirts has been doing them for years,and he caims the IWATA double action is best.They cost about a buck.He has a compressor that is extremly quiet costs around 900,but he got it used for 400.anyway they are great for weathering ,but as I said before,its MORE WORK.Have fun.....

Some years ago I bought a very large compressor at Home Depot. It has an 80 gallon tank. It was set up in my back yard. PVC pipe was run around and into my garage. In the garage I made a number of down pipes / water traps, where a hose could be plugged in. I also had one out in my front yard. The water traps work very well. They are just a piece of vertical pipe, with an inlet at the top. about half way down, I installed a T fitting. From the T fitting going out horizontally is the outlet to the air hose. going down from the T fitting, is a little valve. The valve is opened to drain the water. You would be amazed at how much water you will drain out of these things. Also drain the water from the tank each day before use. Not to long ago, I bought the fittings to hook up my Paasche airbrush to my big compressor. I have moved since I had all of that setup. Now the compressor is in the garage. I figure I can just run a hose over to a basement window and connect to my airbrush regulator there.

I picked up a NPT IN-line desiccant dryer is this the same thing as a moisture trap. From what the associate at lowes was saying this is whats used to catch moisture.

I have posted this before. It touches base with a lot of things necessary for good air brush work.

I use two moisture traps. one on the end of hose just before the air brush and a larger trap at the air compressor.

Air compressor is from Pep Boys usually a Sunday newspaper special for around $90.

Additional items that go along with the Air Brush.
(1.) A couple of cans and an assortment of Brush bottles or cups for distilled water and cleaning solutions depending on whether you are using acrylic,(water based) or solvent based paints.

I find Q-tips and pipe cleans along with a lot of paper towel a neccessity for cleaning. Even using acrylic paints, I find a brush cleaner solvent very useful.

Air brush thinner may also be necessary.


(2.) I use a Quick-tach hose coupling system which allows for the use of the air brush top, Air nozzle middle, or a tire fill chuck bottom.




(3.) A small water seperator installed in the air hose line ahead of the air brush. Humidity here in Pennsylvania quickly gets to the air brush with out this item




(4.) A slop bucket. Any bucket with a little oil dry or cat litter in the bottom. I usually start painting here just to be sure things are working right and clean the brush here after I'm done.


(5.) An open space to work with good lighting. Note that this picture shows a roll of paper towels, very important. Adequate ventilation is also a good idea.


(6.) A brush holder. Most brushes will need some type of holder. This holder was fabricated from #10 solid copper wire.


(7.) This is a Badger 150 brush with my favorite 1/2 oz paint bottle



(8.) Air compressor with a good regulator.
A small compressor that will operate an air brush.

A larger multi-function air compressor.


This is a picture of a small air regulator. The gauge to the bottom left is tank pressure and the small gauge to the upper right is the hose pressure. the knob at the bottom adjust the air pressure. Out is less pressure, in is more pressure.


(9.) I also have a second larger water seperator install at the air compressor.

(10.) Air hose to hook it all together.


Hopefully that gets you up and running.
Best wishes on your project.
Mike CT

Wow, thank you for all the info. It was very informative. The pictures and explanations were also a big help. The piece that I picked up that was told to me is a moisture trap doesnt look like the ones in your pictures. It is a cylinder shape with small ball shaped filters inside of it. Is this the same thing?

Thanks for doing those pics again, Mike. That set was a big help to me as I contemplating hookups for my airbrush last Spring.

Stevin, what you got is a dessicant type moisture trap. I'd never use one myself, I prefer the direct trap-the-condensate-and-drain-it-out method. Then again, I'm sure it has some instructions for how to dry out the dessicant for water elimination and re-use... right?

Actually there were no instructions, it did say that when the filter turns colors its tie for a replacement. Does this not do the same thing as the moisture trap you use?

astevin,
I believe that the dessicant type filter is meant to reduce the humidity of the air passing through. It removes water vapor. I'm not sure how it does on liquid condensate.

The type Bob refers to traps droplets of water that have already condensed into liquid. That is the type I have used. It is these drops of water that will ruin your finish.

I'm really not sure if the dessicant type will also trap drops of water.

Jim

If I attach the trap right before the gun, I can't see how water would make it's way through.

stevin,
I'm not familiar with the construction of the dessicant filters, but, although I'm not positive, I would think they would work.

Basically, if the air is forced to go through any kind of filter or baffle arrangement, it should stop liquids.

I'd just go with what you have unless you experience any problems.

I went for quite a while with no filter and experienced no problems until I had an extended airbrush session on a hot, humid evening. If any water is getting through you'll hear and feel a definite spitting as the drops come through the airbrush.

A few minutes of weathering should be no problem. I was doing a whole fleet of passenger cars the evening I had problems.

Jim