hey its me again with a weird question, (I think?)

I used to airbrush with one of those portable air tanks, the kind that you blow up a car tire with. There realy wasnt enough air there to complete a project. I was constantly going to the gas station and filling the thing up. I was in college at the time and didnt have a whole lot of money to spend on the hobby. It worked, and was a cheaper alternative to a compressor. In order to regulate the preasure, you will need to buy a regulator, not a cheap piece of equipment, and a preasure gauge. It was my experience that my regulator did not come with the gauge, I had to buy it seperately. This is a viable way to do things but it does have a few draw backs. One, you will need a place to fill up your tank. Two, you may make several trips filling up your tank on one project, and three as the preasure in your tank drops so does the preasure at the airbrush. It's hard to keep a constant preasure. I hope this helps a little, Good luck!

Look around in the painting area and you'll see that question beat to death. It seems to come up every 2 or 3 days.

By the time you buy a tank, regulator and some fittings you'll probably have around $75 in something that you will need to fill up frequently. While it is a viable solution to the problem, having to refill it frequently is a nuisance. A compressor is much easier to deal with since they don't require refilling. Badger usually has some rebuilt Thayer & Chandler Air Star Vcompressors on their Garage Sale page for $99.

I have a solid source of air, no running to the store to fill up again. Im in Iraq with a 5 ton, they have air systems so that is no problem. I hate to beat that question up, (sorry about that!) I just wanted to know about regulating the air. I new to air brush, but i find it seems to be worth while.

Not a problem. If you have a handy source of air to refill the tank you are in good shape.

You can pick up a regulator at any good hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot for around $20. DixieArt has some combination regulators / moisture traps for $28 to $55.

Make sure your hose will fit the regulator outlet. Most regulators have 1/4" NPT fittings on them. While many airbrush hoses have this same thread, some don't.

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity has some combination regulators / moisture traps for $28 to $55.

Most definately. Don't forget the moisture trap!!!!

being in Iraq myself a moisture trap is a nice thing to have, but not a neccesity. I dont have one and I have done OK with my airbrush. Micromark.com is a good source for us over here. They are on the east coast and shipping is pretty fast. I think that they have regulators as well. I have purchased a lot of hobby tools from them while I have been here. I'm gonna have 2 complete workbenches when I get home! LMAO. Stay low, and I hope the air system works out for you. If not micro mark sells compressors as well.

I use Nitrogen that I get from my welding supplier. The tank rental is $5 a year which covers inspection and certification (required by law to have it filled), the regulator cost $45, and to refill the tank cost about $20 and a tank lasts me about 2 yrs or several dozen models.

I don't have to worry about moisture, Nitrogen is inert so it won't interact with solvents, unlike compressed air, it is not under high pressure so there isn't a risk of a tank rupture, and the tank is quiet, portable, and keeps a constant supply of pressure.

Scottrc

Where do you get low pressure nitrogen? I've used nitrogen for years in aircraft maintenance and it always came with 1500 to 1700 psi no matter what size bottle we got.

Wow, you guys are in Iraq and you still get time for the hobby. That's amazing!

Tankmaster, there are slow times here. The second biggest enemy here is most often boredom. Just like any other job, there is slow and off time here. Why not fill those hours with a relaxing hobby? It does take a persons mind off of the war.