Water in my airbrush!

Thats right. My unknown brand china made compressor is a dream to used after some modifications. My compressor have the auto switch. I also placed it under my spraybooth(http://junaustriamodel.blogspot.com/  sorry this pics didnt show my latest moisture trap and final setup of my spraybooth), with the industrial type moisture trap fixed on the side. And I also used the industrial type coiled airhose to connect the moisture trap from the compressor. As for the oil chamber that comes with the moisture trap, I rearranged them. Heres how it connects....

Compressor connected with an industrial coiled airhose. Then connected to the Oil chamber of the moisture trap(this acts as a reserved) then connected to the moisture trap. Then connected with an airbrush airhose. And enjoy spraying without water. Hope this is clear.

MikeV wrote:

keilau wrote:  MikeV wrote: Put a strong fan aimed right at the head of the compressor as well. Packing dry ice at the head of the compressor will be more effective and eliminate the fan noise problem. Why not just use liquid Nitrogen if you are going to go through that much trouble?

The Spraycraft STD compressor is not cheap (£150) and seems to have all the right features, but over priced. No, Pompounette should not have to go through all these trouble. I will stick with my original assessment: "take the new comperssor back to the seller and complain. Request an exchange or a refund. The unit he got seems either poor in design or defective."

A little while ago, some one posted this Ebay seller in UK. It seems to be more representative of UK compressor price.

keilau wrote:

MikeV wrote: Put a strong fan aimed right at the head of the compressor as well. Packing dry ice at the head of the compressor will be more effective and eliminate the fan noise problem.

Why not just use liquid Nitrogen if you are going to go through that much trouble?

MikeV wrote:

Put a strong fan aimed right at the head of the compressor as well.

Packing dry ice at the head of the compressor will be more effective and eliminate the fan noise problem.

Put a strong fan aimed right at the head of the compressor as well.

Pompounette wrote:

JunJon wrote: I used to have this problem before. I removed the moisture trap that comes with the compressor and refit it with an industrial type moisture trap(The industrial type is twice the size and it comes in two chamber good for storing reserve air). Also used a coiled hose. Since then no more water, even after 1 hour or more of spraying. That sounds like a good idea! It should not be an expensive feature to buy and will probably have good results. Any idea where I can get it in the UK?

The following comments are based on US experience. It may or may not apply to UK.

Name brand industrial moisture trap costs $80-100. You can also buy no-name brand at discount places such as Habor Freight for as little as $20 which has questionable quality.

The second chamber in an industrial type regulator/filter is usually for ADDING oil mist to the air stream to lubricate the pneumatic (air) tools. The moisture trap is bigger, which is good. But you do not want to add oil to your airbrush to mix with the paint. Just be really careful about what you order.

JunJon's suggestion to add a long (20-25 ft) coiled plastic host is a a trick successfully used by Iwata and Sparmax. The coiled hose cools off the air and reduces pulsation. You add the hose between the compressor and the moisture filter. See picture below:

That sounds like a good idea! It should not be an expensive feature to buy and will probably have good results. Any idea where I can get it in the UK?

I was pre-shading my Tamiya P47 last night and worked with a low 15-20Psi pressure...and did not get any water in the first 50min. When I first tried my compressor, I was working at 35-50 psi, and obviously high pressure means very hot compressed air going through the air supply hose, hence lots of possible condensation.  

Allright gents, I think this issue is done and dusted, thanks for your help again!

It is normal for running compressor to get warm. You should be able to keep your hand on the cylinder cooling fins without feeling uncomfortable (too hot to touch) after 30 minutes or longer airbrushing.

A good airbrush compressor should have the automatic stop feature that turns the motor off when pressure reaches 4 BAR and re-start when pressure drops below 3 BAR. It is about 45 psi on and 60 psi off. If the compressor does not have an airtank, the motor will be on only when the airbrush is on. This feature makes the compressor quieter and saves tear and wear of the unit.

yes my compressor gets very warm quite quickly (10minutes), I was quite surprise at first. it makes perfectly sense warm compressor produces moisture, I was just expecting the moisture trap to catch it, but obviously there is something wrong.

Thanks again

Pompounette wrote:

I recently treated myself a compressor: Although there is a moisture trap, I still have water coming out the air supply hose for some reasons. ........ Any idea where this water is coming from?

Moisture condensation comes from the cooling down of "hot and humind air". The combined factor of a very humind climate (such as in subtropical region) and a compressor getting too hot too quickly can cause condensation. Good quality airbrush compressor stays warm to the touch and will not get hot enough to cause excessive condensation in most situation. The built-in moisture filter is supposed to be more than enough to take care of whatever minute amount of moisture there.

I will suggest taking your new comperssor back to the seller and complain. Request an exchange or a refund. The unit you got seems either poor in design or defective.

It is different when using a garage compressor with tank. The compressor gets hot enough that I have to drain the tank each time after use. (I don't use my tools compressor for airbrush.)

Yeah, that's just the nature of the beast.  I had the same problem with my compressor.  It was really bad on humid days (I airbrushed mostly outside).  I had two moisture traps in mine; one attached to the compressor (like yours), and one at the other end of the hose just before the airbrush.  The second trap was just a metal canister with a screw at the bottom.  I couldn't see inside it, but every so often, I'd open the screw, tap the canister and water would shoot out.  But I'd get water spraying out of my airbrush within a few minutes anyway.  I eventually bought a compressed CO2 tank.  Many people buy a compressor with a tank.

Try to use it in an area where the humidity is low, and use a dehumidifier if you are inside.  Also, you should bleed your trap whenever you see droplets forming on the inside of the bowl.

Good luck!

matthew