CO2 vs. compressor

QUOTE: Originally posted by molenz Yes noise is an issue for me thats why I went the CO2 route and no chance of water in the line is a bonus, plus it's cheaper than a good quiet hobby compressor. Thats pretty much the same setup as I'm getting Mathew, the bottle is about 500mm high.

Noise was my main issue, too. I went with nitrogen when we were still in an apartment and I was doing a lot of modeling late at night and early in the morning.

The other thing I love is the ability to throttle the psi from barely a whisper to (relatively) wide open. It makes a whole lot of effects possible.

I don't think I'd ever go back to a compressor at this point.

Matthew Usher @ FSM

Yes noise is an issue for me thats why I went the CO2 route and no chance of water in the line is a bonus, plus it's cheaper than a good quiet hobby compressor.
Thats pretty much the same setup as I'm getting Mathew, the bottle is about 500mm high.

As far as the FSM staff goes, Paul Boyer uses CO2, and I have a nitrogen tank.

When I shopped around, nitrogen was easier to come by at a nearby welding-supply shop. I take in the empty tank and they swap it out for a full one. The whole transaction takes 10 minutes and costs about $20. One gauge on the regulator indicates the line pressure to the airbrush, the second dial indicates how much is left in the tank.

Here's a shot of it:



(Note that it's chained to the built-in workbench.)

Matthew Usher @ FSM

Just for informational purposes, carbon dioxide cylinders are held at lower pressures than standard gas cylinders (~835 psig at 70 degrees F. compared with ~2,200 psig for gases like argon, nitrogen and oxygen). Depending on temperature, carbon dioxide may exist as a solid, liquid, and gas inside the cylinder (its triple point). In addition, to control expansion due to temperature, cylinders are never filled to more than 68% of the cylinder's volume. Because of the relationship between temperature and pressure, it's not always easy to determine how much CO2 is left in the cylinder. That's why they're weighed.

So, while it's definitely important to secure the cylinder to keep it from falling and the valve breaking, the risk of a bottle going through a wall is significantly diminished due to the lower pressure differentials.

While CO2 toxicity is low, it is important to spray in a well-ventilated area. Increased levels of CO2 in the air can cause headaches and some irritability.

Hope someone finds this useful.
Gip Winecoff

As mentioned, you absolutely, positively want to secure those tanks so that there is no chance whatsoever of them falling over and breaking the regulator off.

My first day in college machine shop the instructor showed us two places where the concrete block wall had been patched. One was a small patch where someone had forgotten to engage the magnetic vise of a surface mill and fired a piece of steel through the wall. The other was a spot about the size of a refrigerator where someone had knocked over a tank and it punched a whole section of wall out.

If you want to see some funny reactions, walk into a machine shop some time and yell "TANK!" as loud as you can. But be ready to run afterwards.

if noise isnt an issue; you can get a 2gallong 100psi compressor for 99$. add a water trap and your golden with no pulsations or anything.

its also smaller and easier to transport than a large CO2 tank. my thoughts anyway, it hinges on noise not being an issue.

What's the capacity of the tank you are thinking of using? Health and safety here stipulates cylinders are secured as you rightly state so if anyone is going this route follow Molenz's instructions, these cylinders if suddenly depressurised will go through solid walls let alone unsuspecting bodies.