Air Tank?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

A tank simply acts as a buffer. The tank is pressurized by the compressor, and the air in it is used by the airbrush. When the pressure in the tank gets lower than the trip pressure on the compressor, the compressor comes back on and repressurizes the tank.

If you are having pulsation problems from your compressor a tank will smooth those out. If the outlet pressure of your compressor (with no regulation) is significantly higher than what you normally paint with your compressor would probably run a little bit less, but not a lot in the long run (since you normally end the day's painting with a full tank of air and bleed that off without using it, the run time used for that pressurization is wasted). Otherwise if your compressor is doing what you want I don't really think you'd accomplish a lot by adding a tank.

I don't think a Smartjet will push hard enough to significantly utilize a tank's ability. A (usual) tank can hold around 150 psi, and that is where the longevity comes from as far as giving the compressor motor shut-off relief time. With a large tank (over 2 gallons), you might end up running the Smartjet more than usual in order to do the initial tank fill up opposed to just letting the Smartjet do its usual auto on/off job. That's probably why that type of compressor never comes with a tank larger than 1 gallon... an example would be the Badger Millionaire. It has a tank, but it's only something like a half gallon.

I would agree David and I have a Million-Air compressor.
That poor Iwata would work so hard to fill an airtank that it would probably die a premature death. The Million-Air does have a bigger compressor motor but it still does not need a larger tank as that would hamper it's design.
The advantage of an airtank that is suitable for the compressor is that it gives the motor a time of rest to prolong the life of the compressor, as heat is what kills them. A compressor like my Million-Air has a 50% duty cycle which means that it should be off as long as it is on to have the most longevity.
The automatic types like the Iwata last fairly long also, but they don't have that cooling time that a tank compressor has along with being oil-cooled like many silent models.

Mike

mike, what if you rip it open and put in a corvette v8?

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337 mike, what if you rip it open and put in a corvette v8?

Then it becomes substantially louder than the 30 dB it is now.

Mike

what time is it ? its TOOL TIME ! MORE POWER ! thats right 1337, you have the idea, heck about the noise, stick in those ponies !

screw the 1/8 hp! go 400! infact, use the exhaust and air output to power the turbo's

If you want power forget that Chevy engine, it is weak.
Put a Caterpillar engine in that baby instead.

Mike

Thanks guys. I got my question answered by the second reply and was wondering what more can be told in the rest of the 8.

QUOTE: Thanks guys. I got my question answered by the second reply and was wondering what more can be told in the rest of the 8.

You didn't really think a topic in this area was going to stay exactly on topic, did you?

airbrushing: the offtopic crew

Screw the cat engine, go vought r2800 24 cylinder 2000+ hp

where is the GE nuclear turbines when you need them ? enough power in your AB to shoot paint across the room ! enough PSI to power all the airbrushes in the world! MUHAahahaha !

OK. I will join the fun here.

QUOTE: Originally posted by reggiethedorf where is the GE nuclear turbines when you need them ? enough power in your AB to shoot paint across the room ! enough PSI to power all the airbrushes in the world! MUHAahahaha !

I would guess it will shoot through the plastic.

Has anyone looked into the possibilities of using an attorney or politician as an airsource for airbrushing?

QUOTE: Has anyone looked into the possibilities of using an attorney or politician as an airsource for airbrushing?

Interesting ... in inexhaustable source of compressed air. The biggest problems that I see are 1) It would be far too loud to leave indoors, and 2) It has no on / off switch.

dont forget that the fact that since the air is hot , it might render the PSI inconsistent, perhaps you would need to fit a regulator.