Would this be a good compressor?

I have a CH 3 gallon pancake compressor, and that one will be fine. Noisy, but fine. Two gallons of air doesn't last very long, so expect to hear it running a lot of the time. It's not that it runs out of air, but this is a 100PSI compressor, and it kicks on when the pressure in the tank drops to 60PSI.

Sectick

I'm wanting to upgrade my compressor to something more powerful than my current Paasche D3000.

I'm looking the Campbell Hausfeld FP2048 2-Gallon Air Compressor: http://tiny.cc/compressor  (I shortened the link with Tiny URL so it didn't take up the entire page.)

My family owns a hardware store and I can get this thing in for really cheap.  My current airbrushes are a Paasche VL and an H&S Evolution.  On paper I think this would be a perfect tank & compressor when I had a water trap.

Noise isn't a huge concern, plus with the 2 gal tank I think most jobs I wouldn't even need it on. 

Thanks for your help and please let me know your thoughts.

No, it is a step backward from the Paasche D3000. It is too heavy and too noisy.

First, it is NOT much more powerful than your Paasche D3000. The spec is 0.8CFM @ 90 PSI, compared to 0.3 CFM @ 30 psi of the D3000. The D3000 spec is not great, but sufficient for a single airbrush. If you need more air for 2 airbrushes at the same time, even the Paasche DA400 can provide 1.2 CFM up to 50 psi. Why mess with the noisy tools compressor that has no other useful use at home except top off car tire or pump up toys.

Since you invested in an H&S Evolution airbrush, I presume that you appreciate quality over quantity. And the Campbell Hausfeld does not even provide quantity with its very low power. If you try to use it with an airtool, you will see what I mean. A good brand tools compressor at $100-200 range should have a spec of 3-4 CFM @ 90 psi. Since your family runs a hardware store, you would not need me to tell you what the spec of a good compressor should look. 

I guess I'm really confused.  My understanding is that with it providing .8 CFM @ 90PSI it will be providing well over that at 50 psi and lower.

I know this particular compressor is junk for airtools, but I never planned on using it for anything other than airbrushes and the occasional tire fill up.

I was really wanting a storage tank for zero pulsation.  What would your recommendations be on a compressor with a storage tank that wouldn't break that bank?  

I'm just finding my D3000 to not be able to keep up at higher air pressures.  When I'm spraying at 20-25 psi with my VL for even medium durations it has trouble keeping up.  I'm not that experienced airbrushing, but the D3000 seems to run out of pressure really fast and I find myself waiting for the pressure to build up a lot.

On a side note, when I look at the: http://www.iwata-medea.com/index.php/products/power_jet/  It is a .9 gallon storage tank with 1.2 CFM at open flow.  Compared to the one I'm looking at, I don't see the difference other than the noise (which its advertised as quite) factor.  One is $400 the other will cost me roughly $60.

I'm in no ways stuck on this particular compressor, but I just don't see how its not a decent improvement from my D3000.

I really appreciate everyone's help on this, unfortunately light duty air compressors is not a common item in my family's "Mom and Pop" hardware store.  They sell the 3-4 CFM models @ 90 you mentioned, but that is overkill for my needs.

EDIT ** http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-C2002-WK-Oil-Free-Compressor-Accessory/dp/B000N5UHK0 ** - This was the other one I was looking at, I'm just afraid this one would be way to loud.  The Campbell Hausfeld is advertised as a quite air.

You're right to upgrade to a compressor with a storage tank. I made do with a "hobby" compressor that worked OK with my VL but did pulse and lacked the ability to tune the pressure to the material. When that gave out I went for a big horse, big tank unit that could handle air tools, spray guns and everything else and have kicked myself for not doing it sooner. With an inline pressure gauge at the air hose/airbrush hose transition, you know what you are shooting, and the compressor turning on and off does not affect the spray pattern at all. Your intention to put in a moisture trap is also right on.

The little pumps that the airbrush manufacturers sell are very limited and very expensive. For apartment dwellers and other noise sensitives, they have their place, but if you can stand a little racket, you can do a lot more model painting with a tank style compressor. Oh - you can also inflate your tires, paint 1:1 scale stuff and use air tools - all with the same source!

mike

While the FP2048 will provide slightly more power, most users seem to find is excessively noisy. While there is a tank which does reduce pulsation I suspect the pump will be running often, several user have stated that is only capable of about 20 psi under continuous use.

While it does provide slightly more power, which was your main concern I don't think it will provide any sort of quantum leap from what you have & imagine it may be a bit of a disappointment. I would think you are better saving the pennies to get with a unit with a higher ranking on the compressor food chain rather than spending them on something which is only marginally better.

Sectick

I guess I'm really confused.  My understanding is that with it providing .8 CFM @ 90PSI it will be providing well over that at 50 psi and lower.

Yes, 0.8 CFM is more than enough for one airbrush. I have not found an airbrushing situation that I need more than 35 psi yet. So 50 or 90 psi makes no difference to airbrushing. But the noise does.

I know this particular compressor is junk for airtools, but I never planned on using it for anything other than airbrushes and the occasional tire fill up.

If the noise does not bother you, it is fine, but try it first. A year ago, I wanted to upgrade to a compressor that can sustain full airflow at 40 psi or higher. I tried Paasche DA400 airbrush compressor and a Dewalt D55140 tool compressor. The Dewalt is slightly cheaper, has a tank and provides a lot more air at higher pressure. I ended up keeping the Paasche DA400. The difference is 12 dB in noise level. The Dewalt is not loud (71 dBA) and much quieter than the CH F2048. It is one of the quietest among tools compressors.  Go to a Home Depot to check it out. You can still hold a conversation with only slightly raised voice. I am sure some will find its noise acceptable. But it was too noisy for me to have it next to me when I airbrush. Different people has different tolerance of noise.

I was really wanting a storage tank for zero pulsation.  What would your recommendations be on a compressor with a storage tank that wouldn't break that bank?  

I have a Paasche DA400 compressor with home-added airtank. I concluded that you will not need an airtank if you start with a good airbrush compressor. Most of the modern piston design are pulsation free. You can see the review round up of compressors in the August 2008 issue of FSM.

I'm just finding my D3000 to not be able to keep up at higher air pressures.  When I'm spraying at 20-25 psi with my VL for even medium durations it has trouble keeping up.  I'm not that experienced airbrushing, but the D3000 seems to run out of pressure really fast and I find myself waiting for the pressure to build up a lot.

It seems to me that your Paasche DA3000 is NOT performing up to spec. I will send it back to Paasche and request a repair or replacement. I also heard some complaint about the new DA400 after Paasche switch supplier to someone from China. (They used to source the DA400 from Taiwan.)

On a side note, when I look at the: http://www.iwata-medea.com/index.php/products/power_jet/  It is a .9 gallon storage tank with 1.2 CFM at open flow.  Compared to the one I'm looking at, I don't see the difference other than the noise (which its advertised as quite) factor.  One is $400 the other will cost me roughly $60.

Agree that it is a excellent compressor, but overpriced. If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby, go check out the Sparmax TC-2000 twin piston compressor.

I'd recommend a 10lb bottle of CO2. Mine lasts a year or more, it's silent and super cheap to refill. It's maybe $50 or so to buy it in the first place, and maybe the same for a regulator  but then it's about $15 to refill. No electricity, no cords, no noise just nice propellant for your brush. Oh, yeah - it never needs maintenance....

Just my .02, but I'd really encourage you to investigate it.

benzdoc

I'd recommend a 10lb bottle of CO2. Mine lasts a year or more, it's silent and super cheap to refill. It's maybe $50 or so to buy it in the first place, and maybe the same for a regulator  but then it's about $15 to refill. No electricity, no cords, no noise just nice propellant for your brush. Oh, yeah - it never needs maintenance....

Just my .02, but I'd really encourage you to investigate it.

Yes but it's possible for you to run out of air at a bad time.

My compressor makes very little noise, I don't have to pay for refills and I never run out of air.

I have a very similar CH unit and it works fine.  I bought this to sit in the workshop since my big compressor out in the garage will not start in below zero weather (I have a line running from garage into workshop).

The unit is a bit noisy, but I use a large headphone set (the kind that covers your ears) and an adapter so that it plugs into the FM radio I keep in workshop.  With those headphones on I barely hear the compressor.  I run an outboard water trap-filter and regulator.

As I say, it works fine.  With my style of airbrushing the motor runs about 1/4 to 1/3 of the time.