Compressor / Nebulizer Alternative

I am not sure how well that would work as those compressors have small motors and using them to fill a 5-10 gallon tank might overheat them.
How about the quiet compressor that Badger sells under the Thayer & Chandler name? If they have any in stock you can get a factory refurbished one for $99 and they are very quiet.
Look at the bottom of Badger's "Garage Sale" page here:
http://www.badger-airbrush.com/garagesale.htm

Mike

med comps are actually relitively quiet, if you put some insulating stuff there it's even quieter

I have actually worked and still work with those medical compressors you have shown. They are actually as loud if not a little louder than the Compressor you have. (I have the same one). Plus the medical compressor will only pump out 50 psi of air ( the standard pressure that most medical equiptment runs at.) and runs all the time it is on. Where as the C-H compressor will go to 100 psi and stops when that pressure is reached. If you have the one with a tank.

What you can try is this. Put the C-H on a Piece of Styrafoam to isulate the bottom from vibrating the floor when it runs. Bring the C-H up to pressure then turn the compressor off. At 100 psi you may be able to get through a session without having to turn the compressor back on,by having the compressor off it won't keep coming on once it hits the 80 psi mark. Once you use all the air in the tank. You can turn the compressor back on and fill it at your leisure or time that won't disturb anyone around you.

Hope this helps ya out and good luck with the move

Paul

You might want to try the Testor Blue Mini. It's very small and pretty quiet. As bad as Testor airbrushes are this little compressor isn't bad. I use it with by Badger all the time.

QUOTE: Originally posted by warlock0322 What you can try is this. Put the C-H on a Piece of Styrafoam to isulate the bottom from vibrating the floor when it runs. Bring the C-H up to pressure then turn the compressor off.

Paul,

A lot of T-shirt artists put their compressor in an insulated box to quiet it down as they use them in malls and such. The box is lined with egg carton foam or any other good, sound dampening material. The compressor will get a little hotter inside the box so putting a computer fan on the end to exhaust the heat is a must.
They also make one end of the box a couple inches shorter from the floor than the other end so that air is drawn up into the compressor.
Here is a photo from West Coast Airbrush's website on how the one they made looks.


The box has handles on top to remove it for draining the air tank, etc.
These guys spray at 60-100 psi for hours on end and the compressors seem to last a long time. Painting models at 10-30 psi should be no problem.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV A lot of T-shirt artists put their compressor in an insulated box to quiet it down as they use them in malls and such. The box is lined with egg carton foam or any other good, sound dampening material. The compressor will get a little hotter inside the box so putting a computer fan on the end to exhaust the heat is a must. They also make one end of the box a couple inches shorter from the floor than the other end so that air is drawn up into the compressor. Mike

I had a buddy who did something very similar but used a large cooler as the box. He then glued egg crate foam inside the cooler and on the lid.

i use a blue mini with my badger 155, and it is a good setup. works rather well. pretty quiet too. it cant be heard upstairs.

Seeing as I already have the C-H compressor, it seems to make the most sense to try and build a simple box for it, as suggested. The overheating issue in my case is a minor one as I really don't AB large pieces. For the 2 minutes (maybe) that the compressor would be on, it could be in a closed and insulated box I think. After it's 2 gallon tank is full, I would just shut it off and let it cool. That one tank would likely take care of a very full day of 1:220 painting.

Thanks all for the input... I'll try the box method!

John

I have a nebulizer, much like the one in the picture, that I use for medical purposes. There was a time when I didnt have to use it, so I figure I would use it to operate my AB. The connector was to big for my Badger 1/4" adaptor so I never ended up using it.

I would bet these machines could outlast most if not all hobby compressors. I have to use my machine when I sleep at night. So I have probably been using it 8-10 hours a day for the last 5 years, and it still works great.

Mike:

Thanks for the box idea. I would have never thought of that. I may have to give this a try cause I do a lot of my spraying in the wee hours of the morning before the house is awake.

One question I do have is. Would there be a minimum distance you want to keep between the sides box and compressor to get good airflow around the compressor to keep it cool, or can the box fit as tight as possible?

Paul

QUOTE: Originally posted by warlock0322 One question I do have is. Would there be a minimum distance you want to keep between the sides box and compressor to get good airflow around the compressor to keep it cool, or can the box fit as tight as possible?

I would leave some space between the box and compressor to allow for better airflow.
Most compressors have the air intake on the side of the motor and I would want to give the compressor room to get enough air.
I would think that maybe 8" or so would be enough although I am no expert on that.

Mike

I found this graphic that shows how much noise reduction you'd have using the box, and double box method. Not sure how accurate it is, but if it's even in the ballpark it would make using the Campbell Hausfeld / Craftsmen type compressors much easier on the neighbors' ears.

http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/articles/machine_soundproofing.htm

John