Comp. at Wal-Mart

I use a diaphram compressor recycled from a Xerox photocopier.(max pressure 45 psi)
Use and air filter has a muffler for noise reduction.
My tank is and hold propane tank .
Total cost $10.00

I helped a friend clean out his renter house a few years ago, and there was a small hospital suction pump left in the carport(the renter was a nurse) so I asked him if I could have it. He naturally gave it to me and I reversed the fittings, added a pressure regulator/water trap and now I have a pretty quiet pump for my airbrush. The switch went South so I just plug it in when I want it to run.

Tom,

It runs when you press the airbrush trigger and stops when you release the trigger.
Ask Kik36 (Heath) about it, as he bought the one we were using at the Phoenix Nationals.
He loves it.

Mike

that is a pretty nice sounding deal for only 20 dollars over the Lowes/Home Depot price for a contruction grade one...

looks like it comes with the regulator and water trap attached, which seperately are about 20 apiece... so 99 verus 120...

don't have the 2 gal tank, so probably runs constant when the trigger is pulled... but it is probably quieter so wont be a drawback, Mike has used it so he can fill ya in...

John,

Have you considered the Thayer & Chandler Airstar V from Badger?
They have them refurbished with a 6-month warranty for $99 on Badger's Garage Sale page of their website.
It is a nice little compressor and it is very quiet.
http://www.badger-airbrush.com/garagesale.htm

I used one at the Nationals in Phoenix and was impressed with it for the price.

Mike

I saw it to and wondered if it was worth the box it's in. I've got a Silent -aire,and it is.
It would be better than canned air for someone just getting started tho.

hello all! Iam a rookie at the whole airbrushing thing, and i was looking for a comp. came to the forum read all your submissions/recomendations. Im gonna check out this C.H. comp. thanks for all your input.

QUOTE: Originally posted by RAF120 I have CH compressor and I don't think it's all that loud, but I decided to the wife if it was loud. 1st that was a mistake. After a long discussion I got out of it that yes it was loud, louder then the dish washer but not as loud as the vacuum cleaner. If that helps. The 2 gallon tank is a big plus.

I have one too and I love it.
I live alone and spray in the basement so noise really isn't that much of an issue.
However, I'm a night-owl and do alot of my work in the early morning hours.
So to cut down on comppressor noise at 3am with a window open for ventelation, I just added another 7 gallon tank to it ($17.99 at Wal-Mart) and I can paint for hours now and never have the compressor kick off.

hey tedium, email me Bbq.of.DooM@Gmail.com

I see that canned air sucks, I only used 1/3 of a can of one before I got a good compressor. reminds me of the time a friend of mine airbrushed with a can of testors propellent, and we all know how it stinks like mustard to prevent sniffing. well, it filled up his room about 15 x 20 and damn that stuff is powerful tear-gas

I have CH compressor and I don't think it's all that loud, but I decided to the wife if it was loud. 1st that was a mistake. After a long discussion I got out of it that yes it was loud, louder then the dish washer but not as loud as the vacuum cleaner. If that helps. The 2 gallon tank is a big plus.

Hi all, Beware the Campbell Hausfield quiet-air! Ive had one for about a year. First it is seriously NOT quiet and second mine just ate its own compressor pistion the other day. Probably didnt have more the ten hours on it either! I mean theoretically it is a great answer has compared to canned air. However, mine just didnt hold up. You might want to consider getting a small Carbon Dioxide tank from a soda fountain supplier and slapping a regulator on it. It is truly quiet and doesnt require a moisture trap either. At any rate maybe my compressor was just noisy because it was busy eating its own piston the whole time I had it on.

I just looked and that was not it...I'll have to go back this weekend and take a better look...I'll sneak it out of the box and snap a pic with my phone. The comp. I saw is not on the Testors sight!
John

hmmm I looked it up on Testors site and it is $150.00 there... also it is a piston compressor, not diaphragm... does 20 PSI at operating pressure.. (the blue ice I was talking about does like 16, so with air loss etc.. it could be less)

it doesn't have a tank... but if you don't want the noise (it's not that bad) of a CH compressor then I guess the price would be worth it... not having a tank would be a deficit in my book... but not a bad price...

I saw the one you're talking about. It was model # AC300. I too was curious about it's performance.

do you want something hobby specific and quiet? or is noise not a factor... most of the testors that I have seen are diaphragm driven which means noise, either more or less depending on the model..

if money is no issue I am sure some of the guys here can elighten you to something quieter and works good ($100 to $400 dollar range)

if noise is not an issue or you're not ready to spend a lot yet, I'd still go with something like the CH compressor. having the 2 gallon tank on there is nice.. at night when my wife goes to bed I fill her up and I still have enough air in the tank to do some spraying... not enough for a whole model start to finish but enough to paint the exterior on a 1/48 plane and still have some left over. Only the upper end testors/aztek compressors come with tanks and for as much as they are it would be worth your while to spend a little more and get something really good. (I think they are like 299 or more)

of course if space in your hobby room is an issue then probably the testors you saw would work...

Hey Ted, thanks for the offer, very generous of you.I am a carpenter by trade and have a compressor for my nail guns, but want something hobby specific. I didnt get a model number, but it was black, and about half the size of aloaf of bread. It had no visible tank and came in a kit with Testors paint and a external mix airbrush that threads right into the side of the box.
John

I have one I will send you if you pay for shipping. It's just the compressor designed for an air brush. If interested, let me know. tedman111@adelphia.net It's also a campbell-hausfeld. Light blue color. Works pretty good. I now have a large compressor in my garage that I plumbed into my model shop, so I don't need it anymore.

Ted

johnpo, about two months ago I purchase a campbell-hausfeld "QUIET-AIR" compressor from Wal-mart. It was on clearance, so I got it for about $50 (I think). This was replaced by a new incoming model, pretty much the same features. It comes with an attached 2 gal tank, auto shutoff, fully adjustable pressure regulator, and separate tank guage, coiled self storing hose, various nozzles. This thing is awesome!
I started off with canned air, the the cheap refillable 5 gal tank, then a cheap second hand diaphram pump, all of which totaled more than 3 times the price of what I paid for this compressor I just got. (and oh, yeah...it has enough power to use it for inflating anything, plus you can use a nail gun with it, all about the size of a boom-box)

if you are talking about the blue ice compressor you'll need a pressure regulator and water trap which will add about 30 dollars to it... it's adequate but like tominator said, you might consider the CH compressor at Wal Mart or the one's lowes carry for about 77 dollars with a 2 gallon tank and regulator comes attached, it's noisy but not much more than the testors... plus with the tank you can brush for a good while with the motor turned off if you have other people in the house... if it is the same testors as I am thinking about it runs constantly

dude im not in the states but ive ordered a cambell hausfeld comp from ebay, tho i know u can get it at walmart.
i was looking at the aztec comps aswell but when i saw this one i was sold.
i think its 1/2hp, 40 gallon tank, regulator and itsmarketed as being quiet ( i cant say as i havent got it yet.). i picked mine up off ebay for 35usd, so check that modeol out if u can. i should be getting mine this week (fingers crossed) so ill let u know how i go....