Compressor recommendations

[Les Henson]

Time to buy a new compressor and upgrade a bit (as you do ).

My current one is really too small, struggles to get going, and smokes occasionally. The pressure switch sometimes doesn't work, which is a tad worrying as well

I'm thinking 50ltr capacity and about 8-bar. I don't use air tools, but occasionally use spray equipment and was thinking of making a shot blasting cabinet. I believe they run at about 8-bar.

Macinemart have a scary range in stock, and I thought perhaps this one would be ok.

Anyone got/used their compressors and have any advice please.

Got my eye on this one at present -

' alt=''>

Specs -

8.7cfm air displacement.

50 litre air receiver (CE certified).

2hp, 230V, 1ph motor with thermal overload protection.

10 bar (150 psi) maximum working pressure, controlled by a fully automatic pressure switch.

Specification includes wheels & handle, pressure regulator, twin gauges & safety valve

Ideal for DIY and semi-professional use, for spraying, inflating, blowing, air tools etc.

Dimensions (LWH) 1053 x 310 x 660mm

Les.

[FridgeFreezer]

I think it's one of those things like welders - buy the most capacity you can.

As I understand things, CFM and reservoir size is more important for spraying / blasting. That and a good moisture trap.

[yalan]

Blasting certainly requires alot of air. With 8cfm you're going to have to keep stopping to let the tank recharge. The pump on its own won't be able to keep up.

My 200ltr 17cfm machine needs to keep flicking the compressor on every few minutes to keep the pressure up whilst blasting. The machine mart cabinets stipulate a minimum of 10cfm..... You'd get flow but I imagine it to be a very frustrating process with a machine that small.

I bought mine 2nd hand of eBay. If you go the same way you can find awesome machines - but be wary of poorly maintained machines with tanks rusting from the inside out..... Just like landies but more dangerous.

[samd35]

I have an industrial clarke compresor that i got second hand and it has never let me down yet and i use it relativly heavily with air tools, spraying and blasting and even with a relitivly small syphon feed blast gun it only just keeps up even at •23cfm displacement - twin cylinder, 2-stage compressor pump

•200 litre horizontal air receiver (CE certified)

•5.5hp motor, 400v / 3ph motor continously rated with overload protection

•10bar (150psi) maximum working pressure controlled by a fully automatic pressure switch.

and a friend has a clarke compressor of simillar size to the one you are looking at and it has never let him down in the few years he has had it.

[Ally V8]

You dont use air tools ? I thought you run a garage.....

[Briarston]

Time to buy a new compressor and upgrade a bit (as you do ).

My current one is really too small, struggles to get going, and smokes occasionally. The pressure switch sometimes doesn't work, which is a tad worrying as well

I'm thinking 50ltr capacity and about 8-bar. I don't use air tools, but occasionally use spray equipment and was thinking of making a shot blasting cabinet. I believe they run at about 8-bar.

Macinemart have a scary range in stock, and I thought perhaps this one would be ok.

Anyone got/used their compressors and have any advice please.

Got my eye on this one at present -

' alt=''>

Specs -

8.7cfm air displacement.

50 litre air receiver (CE certified).

2hp, 230V, 1ph motor with thermal overload protection.

10 bar (150 psi) maximum working pressure, controlled by a fully automatic pressure switch.

Specification includes wheels & handle, pressure regulator, twin gauges & safety valve

Ideal for DIY and semi-professional use, for spraying, inflating, blowing, air tools etc.

Dimensions (LWH) 1053 x 310 x 660mm

Les.

I upgraded from one similar about 15yrs. ago. I got a "V" twin direct drive 3hp. model

(Airmate I think) 10(?)cfm. This will keep up with a high pressure spray gun running at

60psi.almost continuously (spraying cars),1/2" air wrench, air chisel, and die grinder, but my DA sander tends to beat it after a couple of minutes.

All in all, though, it does pretty well all I need.

[Les Henson]

You dont use air tools ? I thought you run a garage.....

I use other peoples garages

Les.

[FridgeFreezer]

You dont use air tools ? I thought you run a garage.....

Doing everything with a windygun isn't the hallmark of a master mechanic in my experience being a faster and more effective means of f**ing stuff up for the next person than mole grips.

[Warthog]

Have a 150Ltr 14CFM Ingersoll Rand Air compressor (second, maybe third hand??)

5.5hp motor 13bar max, usually have it run up to 8 bar and kick back in at 6bar

Shot blasting takes a lot of air With my set-up, stripping old paint off a steel rim became very time consuming. An axle casing has taken a couple of hours

Spray painting works o.k,

Depending on atmosphric temperature and length of use. Moisture build up became a concern, in both applications.

Use of an inline "Coalescing Filter" helped with this problem. Air drying unit would be ideal.

Air tools, only use an impact for beasting the odd bolt, Works well.

Air tools such as Disc and Die Grinders, and other rotary abrasive tools make the compressor work hard. You need to take the approach of "Do a bit, wait. Then do a bit more"

IMHO the air compressor i have is adequate.

Hope that helps?

[Ally V8]

Doing everything with a windygun isn't the hallmark of a master mechanic in my experience being a faster and more effective means of f**ing stuff up for the next person than mole grips.

That wasnt what I meant,you wont find any butchered fasteners on anything I've worked on.One of my favourite air tools is a 1/4" drive rachet which is great for undoing TD5 camcover bolts and v8 sump bolts.Years of riding off road bikes and using chainsaws mean my fingers and wrists are not as strong as they were.I also have a small right angle air drill which is more controllable than any electric drill with instant reversing - much more useful around vehicles for fitting extras than a cordless which is always flat when you want to use it.

[cackshifter]

Les, Do you have access to a supply > 13A or 3-phase? Do you need to cart this thing round with you? Either of these things might affect a reply.

Regards

Nigel

[Biffo]

The compressor that you're looking at it too small, you'd be better going for a second-hand larger one, there are a few on Flea-bay at moment for £150 'ish.

see this one for example; compressor

[mahon257]

Two years ago, I bought the Clarke Boxer 55, which significantly, I think is still is the largest one they do that will run on a 13 amp plug!

I carelessly dropped a heavy box on it last year - snapping of the plastic air filters. Phoned up the Machine Mart helpine, think it was £10 for replacements, got them within a day or 2. Very good after sales service!

I've used my Boxer 55 extensively (probably 5-10 days every month) for 2 years now, for various repairs on the Disco. Used it for spraying, cutting (shearing), Scrobbling (rust removal), blowing (cleaning), Air for the Plasma Torch, rachets guns, and so on. When spraying I also acquired the the Clark inline "drier" too - approx £30.

As a hobbyist - I can't rate mine highly enough - awesome bit of kit.

Here's link to it

(and no, I don't work for 'em either!)

[Les Henson]

Les, Do you have access to a supply > 13A or 3-phase? Do you need to cart this thing round with you? Either of these things might affect a reply.

My inventing shed is ring-mained to 21-amps. I have a 3-phase pillar drill that runs on an inverter. I would rather just use single phase though. Don't want 2nd hand/huge great thing taking up a lot of room, which is why I was looking at 50ltr tank, which will fit under one of the benches. The compressor can be bolted to the concrete base or free standing, where it will stay forever

Les.

[cackshifter]

Compressors as we can see are a very personal thing, and as ever it's unusual to find a small one that performs as well as a large one. But accomodating a large one can cause problems.

If you are going to spray or blast, I say go for at least (a true) 10cfm - that means a 2.2kw(3HP) motor, and a pump with oil in the sump with iron cylinder liners. Thats the sort of standard of engineering you'd recognise. The direct drive ones tend to be less robust than the belt drive, because the pump ideally goes at about 1000rpm; the motor at 2880. There are ones about that will run on a 13A plug - eg Fiac or Abac I think, and I think Sealey used to do one. I saw an Abac one new on ebay recently. The motors have to be really efficient and need some sort of soft starting, but otherwise a 3hp takes about 15A. A larger pump will partly compensate for a relatively small receiver, say 50-100l. Even with this size blasting is a bit of a struggle, but I have done most of a RR chassis with an Ingersoll Rand 3Hp and an Ace blaster so I know it can be done. It's a good size for painting too, as you don't really want to run out of air mid paint, otherwise the paint is going off and you are waiting for pressure to build - you can get by with a huge additional receiver and a long pumping session before painting, but it's not really satisfactory.

The other thing to try to do is to get the air as dry as possible, and a small receiver isn't a help here as it doesn't give the air a chance to cool and deposit water. Professional stuff has refigerant or dessicant dryers, as water can spoil your day when painting and be darned nuisance when blasting. I'd look for an aftercooler on the pump if possible, a trap on exit from the receiver, and maybe another trap near your spraying/blasting.

There used to some compressors about where the tank stood on end with the pump on top - might be a nice corner ornament, and doesn't take much floor space, but things will get warm if you're blasting.

Nigel

[yalan]

There are ones about that will run on a 13A plug - eg Fiac or Abac I think,

Yup agreed. Mine is a 3.5hp running off a single phase. Almost as big as you can get on 1ph.... though it is on its own 32A circuit.

It is also badged up as a Snap-On but is actually a British made FIAC machine. Very well built bit of kit.

[reb78]

What about these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-50-Litre-Compressor-8-3CFM-206-Litres-Minute-/190341454119?pt=UK_Air_Tools_and_Compressors&hash=item2c513c1927

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/50LTR-2HP-ELECTRIC-AIR-COMPRESSOR-NEW-BOXED-/370363374251?pt=UK_Air_Tools_and_Compressors&hash=item563b609aab

They match the original specs Les gave above and i found they were cheaper than the clarke ones

[cackshifter]

What about these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-50-Litre-Compressor-8-3CFM-206-Litres-Minute-/190341454119?pt=UK_Air_Tools_and_Compressors&hash=item2c513c1927

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/50LTR-2HP-ELECTRIC-AIR-COMPRESSOR-NEW-BOXED-/370363374251?pt=UK_Air_Tools_and_Compressors&hash=item563b609aab

They match the original specs Les gave above and i found they were cheaper than the clarke ones

They are cheaper - true, and both seem very similar. 70psi cut in pressure seems a bit low, but can probably be adjusted anyway. If you want to blast see

Blastitclean to get an idea of capabilites needed for that. I used a 3mm nozzle and it works quite well, but I think I will go to a 2.5 as they wear larger anyway, and the compressor which is 3hp is working continuously to keep up. Worth noting that not all machines are supposed to work continuously. I'd say something like linky would be about the minimum for spray and blast unless it's just airbrushing, and would let you run tools like a die grinder or rattle gun as well. But then again it's twice the price. You get what you pay for I suppose.

Nigel

[reb78]

I went for one of the ones i linked to above. I just want it to run a plasma cutter and for the odd bit of spraying waxoyl around, so didnt really want to spend a fortune.

[pete3000]

Les, I bought a Sealey SA22503 from e-bay as a refurbished unit. I picked it out as it has a high output, 12cfm for the size of 50L. It will run off a 13A plug and is fairly quiet.... ish. It will keep up with most air tool tasks. It outperforms my cheapo second hand draper 8cfm hands down.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a 50l but with a higher cfm as the air buffer is adequate for small tasks. I couldn't accomadate a larger tank either, the direct drive pump does get warm with extended use. If you can afford it though or need it for higher duty cycle go for a belt drive.

I run, air die grinder, air needle scaler, air saw, impact wrenches, inflator, blow off guns, chisels.

[zardos]

I've just been using my recently acquired Hydrovane 502, I highly recommend it.

8CFM FAD (Free Air Deliver which is about equivalent it seems to about a 12CFM Air Displacement piston compressor)

Ultra quiet, but won't really run off a 13Amp supply as the startup load peaks at 16Amps (Runs at 10Amp)

[Mr Waker]

On 10/6/2010 at 12:07 AM, mahon257 said:

 

As a hobbyist - I can't rate mine highly enough - awesome bit of kit.

Here's link to it

(and no, I don't work for 'em either!)

1

I can't see any product throw your link. I see here "This product doesn't exist. Please call our Mail Order department on 0115 956 5555 to complete your order."

[Gazzar]

Perhaps the passage of nearly a decade has something to do with it?

 

Try machine mart website for the same model.