Air compressor owners - Questions for you!

[smallblock500]

when you mount the filter/moisture trap make sure their is at the very least 3-4 feet of air line between the trap and the tank out let. it would prob be best to put it right before you hose reel if u can find a place to mount it. i made that mistake when i put my water trap on its only about 4 inches from the tank and it never had any water in it but i still got it coming out of the air tools. the water trap is a 100% must have for doing any sort of painting the water will gum up the spray gun and or leave drops on the surface your painting.

another must have is a few extra air fittings male and female with male and female threads. they will ware out over time the brass ones seem to seal better but on the tools that you use the most i would suggest the steel fittings as they wont ware out as fast. i have had them ware out so far that the air hose will blow off of them ans whip around and wack you a few times before you realize what happened and hurt you.

[firefighter404]

i have a question about air compressor cfms i have read and done my reseach about it but i have been told that psi is more important than cfms cfm stand for constant flow per minute right. so if the my compressor has 7 cfms at 43 psi and 5 cfms at 90 psi does the tool i have half to not exceed the cfms if that makes since. cause i found a real nice paint set that said 12 cfms at 43psi but im affraid my compressor wont support it. thanks guys

[R/CMaxximus5.0]

My top 5 air tool suggestions;

1. inflator guage (air chuck and guage in one)
2. Blow gun
3. 90* angle die grinder
4. Cut off tool
5. 1/2" or 3/8" impact gun

I agree Harbor Freight is fine for light use stuff, I would reccomend a quality impact though like IR, CP, etc. You get what you pay for...

[Joat]

Originally Posted by firefighter404

i have a question about air compressor cfms i have read and done my reseach about it but i have been told that psi is more important than cfms cfm stand for constant flow per minute right. so if the my compressor has 7 cfms at 43 psi and 5 cfms at 90 psi does the tool i have half to not exceed the cfms if that makes since. cause i found a real nice paint set that said 12 cfms at 43psi but im affraid my compressor wont support it. thanks guys

cfm I thought stood for cubic feet per minute? cfm is just as important as psi, certain tools require more pressure then flow, like spray guns, even if your "compressor" has the required specs, if the tank is small the pump is gonna kick on alot, and your gonna get wild pressure drops, plus you dont want the pump kicking on all the time, this causes alot of wear and tear, always get the biggest tank you have space for, even if you have to save up for it, I would have gotten a 90 gal, but did not have the room, so 60gal was what I got, piston pumps are quiter, more cfm less psi,nned oil, diaphragm, "oil less" good for painting, higher psi, lower cfm, "buzzy"

[BigSki]

one of the most useful accessories that I purchased for my compressor was one of those small air tanks that you use to inflate a flat tire. I'll fill it with 125psi and run my air brush off of it instead of the big compressor. This way, I can keep the regulator on the small tank set up for the air brush and I can move the whole setup outside for painting.

I do a lot of auto maintainence/repairs myself, so the first air tool I purchased was a good quality impact gun. It's a Huskey brand, made by Ingersol/Rand so it's a good one. I've had it for 8 yrs now and I haven't had to do any repairs to it, I just oil it each time before I use it.

Probably the second thing you will need is enough airhose! You can almost never have enough of it.

[thumper68]

does anyone have one similar to this?

I need to replace my old one and was liking the fact that these a much quieter, but I don't know anyone who has one?

As to tools/acc. I say get a auto hose reel and mount it in the middle of your shop. I have 2 50 footers mounted to the central beam one at the back and one at the front. No hoses laying on the floor is awesome.

Tools in order of use in my shop:

tire chuck ( I have several different sizes and types to fit in different areas)
blow gun
1/2" impact (buy a good one to start with, I have had 5 or 6 HB ones and wish I had gotten a name brand to begin with)
die grinders, both straight and 90*
body saw
hvlp paint guns
3/8" impact
air hammer
air nibbler
punch and flange tool
ratchet 1/4",3/8",1/2"
3/4" impact
random orbit sander
buffer
1/2" drill
mini belt sander
air/hydraulic riveter
grease gun

One thing I will not live without is a 2foot hose with a in-line oiler, I fill the oiler once or twice a month and never have to worry about oiling the tools them selves.

A few things i have tried and would not waste the money on.

shears ( the electric ones work much better)
scissors
calkgun
siphon cleaning wand

[Boids]

The cfm is mor like a constant use tool , if your useing a paint gun that requires 8 cfm at 90 psi (example) and your compressor puts out 6cfm at 90 psi your going to have to take breaks to let the pressure build back up , I never believe the manufacturers numbers so i go by a 150% rule so if i use a spray gun that requires 8 cfm and its my main tool i go for a compressor that makes 12 cfm , it also keeps form constantly running the compressor motor.

[spookyseven]

I guess the only thing i have to add is buy a female coupler and you can use it as a blowgun alone. Many of the blowguns are very very constricted compared to running air out of the hose full blast. Keep in mind this can be extremely dangerous for your hearing and can cause unwanted destruction so use caution. On the other side of things you would be surprised what this method will blow off compared to using a blow gun. I used this method when I was prepping industrial paint and there was a huge difference in how much dust it would take off.

[gyrene]

Originally Posted by BigSki

one of the most useful accessories that I purchased for my compressor was one of those small air tanks that you use to inflate a flat tire. I'll fill it with 125psi and run my air brush off of it instead of the big compressor. This way, I can keep the regulator on the small tank set up for the air brush and I can move the whole setup outside for painting.

It never occured to me to do this.......that'll be a future purchase for sure.

[Joat]

I use to types of blow guns, one is made by vacula,this one I use to clear out holes and such, the other is a Acme typhoon, the typhoon is good for clearing off dust for a area etc, before warned the typhoon allows alot of air out, enough to run a small tank empty quickly

[T3rry]

I use mine for clenaing stuff, in my opinion blow guns are pretty standard and can be adjusted via the regulator ont he compressor depeninding on how fragile the item you're cleaning is.

but my main use is for airbrushing, mostly RC bodies, i really enjoy it, even if it is very frustrating at times.

[Dmon]

Originally Posted by username

just dont be afraid of using oil on your air tools. they will last longer. I have a few HF air tools. no huge problems. 3in cut off wheel is my fav for everything

Be very careful not to get any oil in your air line if you do any airbrushing. And if you use a wet sump (has oil in the compressor pump) compressor instead of an oil-less, be sure to put an oil trap on your line. I use my compressor for everything from a 3/4 impact gun to a Badger air brush to a HVLC paint gun for painting motorcycles. An air compressor is wonderful to have....I would be lost without it!

I would recommend for general handyman stuff: 1/2 impact, die grinder and cutoff tool, air chistle, blow gun, solvent gun, and maybe a 3/8 ratchet. If you want to get fancy, you can get a drill but I always preferred a cordless electric drill to air. And if you want to do painting/airbrushing, be swure to get a decent regulator to cut down the pressure to what you want. As an example, when I airbrush my lexan bodies I use anywhere from 15 to 60psi depending on the recommendations of the paint manufacturer. My compressor is set to have bwtween 80 and 120 psi, so obviously I need a regulator to bring that down to what I want. Sure beats using canned air for the airbrush!