Water Catcher

They are actualy called "Moisture Traps" and are usually a combination moisture trap and particle filter. As to whether or not you need one, that depends on the humidity in your area. Any time you compress air the moisture in it is squeezed out. That moisture has to go somewhere and it usually gets blown down the hose and out the airbrush. Our humidity here in Tennessee is very high and every time I bleed my compressor down there will be about a half inch of water in my moisture trap. I much prefer that water to be there than to get spit out on whatever I'm painting.

Any large hardware store that carries compressor supplies will have them. Mine came from Lowes but I've also seen them at Home Depot. Just make sure it will fit the threads on your compressor. A Sears tank-style compressor should have 1/4" NPT threads on the outlet.

Water, the all natural paint thinner that comes out of your compressor...
Personally I would get a regulator, I have worked without one thinking everything was fine and it was for a few times, and then i was on the final coat of a very nice project and Splutter , splutter, eww gooey nasty gross rusty color came out along with the nice white paint job I was doing...

oooops I meant to say Water trap in the last post, not regulator...

I have an old tankless compressor in my basement I just use for odds and ends like blowing things off. It doesn't have a moisture trap and when using it in the summer it will literally blow a stream of water out. All of the fittings on it are rusted inside from so much moisture in the air.

For about $20 it's just not worth risking trashing a paint job you worked so hard to get right.

Alright, thanks guys. And I looked closer at the compressor, it is a 12 gallon, not 5. i misjudged that just a little.

QUOTE: Alright, thanks guys. And I looked closer at the compressor, it is a 12 gallon, not 5. i misjudged that just a little.

Twelve or five, doesn't really matter. The tank just holds a specific volume of air. Bigger tanks just mean that the motor comes on less frequently.

One thing you might want to check is whether there is any water in the tank. All tank-type compressors need to be drained after using, but sometimes people get a little complacent about it. There should be a drain cock on the bottom. ** MAKE SURE THERE IS NO PRESSURE IN THE TANK BEFORE OPENING! ** A few pounds is OK but not very much.