Moisture Traps

The moisture trap should be as close to the airbrush as is (conveniently) possible. My setup is compressor, regulator, moisture trap, 6ft AB hose, AB.

To make the most of the moisture trap, the hot/warm air from the compressor must be given as much time to cool as possible, so the water vapour can condense, so it may be preferable to put a long coiled hose between the compressor and the moisture trap, the air should cool in the long hose, then be caught in the trap.

None of this is from personal experience though, I use a 21L tank and the compressed air inside has usually cooled by the time I use it. I use a moisture trap anyway, but I have yet to see a single drop of water in it, most probably due to the previous reason and the fact that I live in Australia.

I also have quick connect couplings on everything, makes it a lot easier to change equipment around.

From my experience, I think you're better off with the first option whereby you have the moisture trap fitted in-line with the hose and close to the airbrush, as opposed to having it by the regulator with all the hose down stream of it.

I have a typical tankless diaphram compressor with a typical rugulator/moisture trap.  For the most part it has worked fine, but during a recent project while painting acrylics with my Paasche H, I got a fair amount of water spitting out.  Possibly my usual the spray settings on my Paasche with it's six foot hose versus the slightly lower pressure I run with my Badger and its ten foot hose accounted for the problem.

However, after puting in an in-line trap in the hose a foot or two from the airbrush, the problem is completely gone.

 

Ok, thanks guys

Will

What a hassle!  The more I listen to compressor-related (this time, moisture) madness, the better I feel about deciding to spend $200 on a 20lb (scuba-size) CO2 tank and regulator.  It's silent and dry, costs me less than $15 a year to fill, and has dial-in pressure adjustment from less than 5psi to over 80psi (great for blowing thinner through the the AB between colors).  What could be better than that?  I consider myself an advanced novice, so I don't have a lot of knowledge or experience, but I just don't see the appeal of a compressor.  I know, what about safety?  Well, that's easily addressed by firmly bungie-cording the tank to a solid object (not too tough).  So, why do so many  people use compressors?  Are there any other CO2 useres out there?  Opinions? Thanks,

TomB

I hear you and i agree with what you say about an air compressor , even though i have a  compressor myself i do wonder some times why i put up with it . Even with a moisture trap just before the AB i can still get drops of water sometimes when i'm spraying for a long time and its cold down in the basement in the winter .If my compressor ever dies i'm going the compressed air tank rout .

Shell

TB6088 wrote:

So, why do so many  people use compressors?  Are there any other CO2 useres out there?  Opinions? Thanks, TomB

Because no one thinks about using CO2 tanks. Now that you have mentioned it i most likley will go this route down the road (solves the problem of noise in a appartment). All that you have to worry about is cracking off the valve on top, and that an't going to happen on carpet or hardwood. Are these tanks at 2,300 psi like with diving tanks?

And talking about mositure in the line reminds me of my last job. On the shop floor we we had a compressed air line at 80PSI, some days you could crack oven a release valve for 15 minutes and it's still shooting out a extremly heavy mist of water 6 ft (this is coming form a HUGE air tank) that can soak you to the bone if you stand in front of it. And we often used arc gourging mechines on this line (lots of electricity at high amps)...

Not being familiar with the set up in your shop i'm guessing that the water was from condensation in the lines , due to the compressed air cooling off ,that flowed there if that was a low point in the shops air lines .In a compressed air tank the air is already cooled off by the time you use it and so shouldnt condense in your air hose .

Hi folks:

I've got a normal moisture trap at my compressor, which is a small Sears tank type... very noisy. The Harbor Freight moisture trap/regulator has yet to show the slightest bit of moisture in it, and very rarely the airbrush will throw a drop of water, ruining my acrylic paint job.

There are two ideas that I want to try to prevent this. One is to get a longer hose and set the compressor in a cabinet on the other side of the room. This should help the noise, too.

If she still throws water, an in-line water trap will be required... has anyone ever tried making their own in-line moisture trap? Might be fun to try, and I've got all the tools to build one... even a small lathe.

Happy building!

BPG