Compressor advice required please

[Kev L]

As per the title, I am looking to purchase a compressor to use in the workshop. Little bit of tyre inflation, little bit of paint spraying (possibly), little bit of sand blasting in a small cabinet.
What are the criteria I should be trying to meet? Any advice greatfully received, smart arsed comments laughed at and returned!!
Cheers chaps.

[benny hedges]

hang fire til aldi / lidl are doing specials.
i got a crackin 2.2kw (3hp)oil free compressor with 50L tank.

if you are spraying you need oil free ideally.
2.2kw is about as big as you will get without 3phase unless you want to pay daft money.
50L tank is the minimum realistically for diy jobs, though i pipe mine into an old propne bottle for more receiver capacity so i dont lose pressure when painting.

roughly speaking, you'll get 5cfm (cubic feet per min) per kw from a piston compressor.
if you intend doing any spraying you will need a lvlp gun.
thats low volume low pressure, otherwise your compessor wont cope.

the one i got came with a fairly decent air tool kit but the spraygun was naff!

im in the compressed air game but most of the stuff i do is 30 - 500kw lol, some as big as your garage!

[Kev L]

Cheers mate, I have been looking at 2nd hand ones off the Bay but have been a little blinded by all the figures. Will something the size you mention handle doing a bit of blasting? Small cabinet from Clarkes/Sealey just small bike bits.

[Murv]

Don't buy a Blue one if you want to fill the air reservoir this side of Christmas!


Actually, I've heard only praise for the Lidl/Aldi ones when they're in. From what I've seen, nothing else seems to come close for the price.
If budget isn't a limiting factor though, I'm sure there' better out there but I've only been after a cheapie to inflate tubeless mountain bike tyres.

[benny hedges]

Cheers mate, I have been looking at 2nd hand ones off the Bay but have been a little blinded by all the figures. Will something the size you mention handle doing a bit of blasting? Small cabinet from Clarkes/Sealey just small bike bits.

blasting uses a lot of air so a small compressor will work its bollox off.
i got a little sandblast gun with mine and its crap lol, just fils the garage wih sand!
youd get away with small jobs if you use a bigger receiver - just let the compressor pump to 10 bar and regulate down to 4 bar for blasting.
my spray gear works at 20 - 30 psi and is plenty to do a whole coat in one run

[Kev L]

So going on that would I be better looking for a 100l tank model?

[MacV2]

My neighbour has an Aldi/Lidi one & it seems to be all right for the money. IIRC they had them in there recently as in the last couple of months.

I think that it was Aldi but if you hang around they will come round again, all their stuff does ! However it may be worth going into your local one & asking if they have any tucked away in the warehouse or if they can locate one from another store.

Failing that then Machine Mart is your best bet as they do a range of them. As an added bonus if you sign up with them they do VAT free promotions two three times a year. Sign up as in, buy something & give them your details & get a card through the post now & then.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/

Mac

[Martyjuk]

Recommend the Compressors section of the Mig-Welding forum...

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/foru ... y.php?f=40

[Xenocide]

Just a note, if the compressor's going to be in the same room as you, get one which uses oil. The oil free ones are bloody noisy.

[Murv]

Kev, quick thought but we did have a little Junair silent compressor kicking about at work.
It didn't hold pressure properly, so would need repair and I doubt if it's worth it by the time it's couriered up to you but it's yours if you want it.
Let me know if it's of interest and I'll see if it's still out back and send you some details if so.

[agentpineapple]

i bought a cheapish compressor a few years back, very noisey and only up for smallish jobs, personally i'd go for one thats big enough to run air tools, then you can do almost anything, but i'm not sure what size you'd need for that, and it might be to big and loud for your garage, you wouldn't want to move your sex chair and gimp equipment just to accomodate a compressor.....

[Kev L]

Murv I will PM you later when I get out of work mate, thanks very much for the offer

Marty I am intending to connect the compressor up to the chair to turn it into a giant vibrator, with the addition of a device to tighten around the gonads, just as you requested for Carl at our last meeting!

[VTRDark]

Oi don't bring me into your wet dreams. I dread to think what you would get up to with an air nibbler

(:-})

[lloydie]

when you get one dont fart near it when its on
as you will smell it every time you use it
i used to be a industrial paint sprayer every monday morning the nice guys i worked with let rip on the compressor .
then when i was in the paint booth with my air fed mask on it would come through and shortly after came

[Kev L]

You are a mine of useful information Lloydie. So when I get a bout of flatulence don't unload into my compressor! What would I do without you???