I Need a Good Airbrush Compressor

[Kisatchie]

I'm looking at airbrush compressors with a storage tank, and the Paasche D3000R Compressor, Badger TC910 ASPIRE PRO, and the Iwata IS 900 Power Jet are three I'm interested in.

I'm not too encouraged by some of the reviews on the Paasche and Badger compressors, and I can't find any reviews for the Iwata online.

Anyone know anything about these compressors?


Hmm... go into debt, buy
the Iwata...

[Bendtracker1]

Hey Kiz,
I picked up one of these a few years ago.  Works like a champ, more than enough power and pressure but a little noisey.

http://www.cpoworkshop.com/factory-reconditioned-porter-cable-pcfp02003r-135-psi-3-5-gallon-oil-free-pancake-compressor/pcbrpcfp02003r,default,pd.html?start=2&cgid=porter-cable-reconditioned-compressors&prefn1=condition&prefv1=recon

Free shipping on your first order.

[Chris333]

I bought a compressor at Home Depot so I can airbrush and fill up my tires. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-2-Gal-Pancake-Air-Compressor-0210284C/205467817

It was on special for $25 and I wish I had bought 2 to keep one in the garage.

[wazzou]

I'm with Chris. 
I spent about $100 at Costco about 10 years ago for a nice, small, Contractor compressor that I can use with air nailers, air tools, inflating tires and running my airbrushes.

But, you cannot go wrong with Iwata.

[djconway]

I've been running a Sears 2 gallon compressor for over 8 years with no problems.  I've seen them as low as$79.99 on sale.

[robert3985]

I first started using an airbrush when I was a teenager, using a spare tire as an air source. I've been airbrushing professionally since I became a Graphics/Technical Illustrator at Battelle Northwest Laboratories back in 1971.  That was a long time ago, but airbrushes haven't changed much in over a century, except they're proportionally a lot cheaper nowadays and more precise because of CAD/CNC processes than they were in 1971, when the vast majority were hand-made by Paasche and Badger.

Over the years, I've used a lot of spare tires, cans of air, CO2 and different styles of compressors...and if you're going to use a compressor, I've found getting a quality one wth the biggest tank you can afford is more important than just about anything else.  I've used piston compressors now for the past 30 years or so and they have in-line water/oil filters on them already.  I keep them in the garage, and run an airline to my spray booth in my workshop, where there's another pressure regulator/filter, fit with quick-detach fittings.  To this, I plug in my airbrush hoses, each of which have Paasche in-line moisture filters on them...and using that conditioned air, I get excellent results, and I can barely hear my compressor in the garage when it comes on to fill up the tank.

I also make sure I drain my compressor tank four times a year, but I live in Utah, so you'll need to do it more often if you live in a more humid location...THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Additionally, since I have a big compressor, or three...I can run my impact wrench, fill my car's tires, blow off my table saw, and fill an auxilliary tank with 150psi air for taking to a location to fill up my mt. bike's tires quickly at 24psi...and everybody else's bikes too!

I also have a smaller compressor which also works well for taking to various locations when I'm working on my friends' layouts...I bought it at The Home Depot and it runs my finish nailer and my torque wrench when doing other things than airbrushing.

I'd see what type of commercial compressor you can get for the same price as the Paasche compressor...which should be a pretty quality one with a good warranty.

Whatever you decide on, for the best airbrush results, you need to have air that is clean (no oil), dry, consistent (no pulsing), and quiet.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[C855B]

I originally tried the home-improvement store type of compressor and quickly abandoned it as too noisy. Insanely noisy. It's simply a characteristic of diaphragm-type compressors. Yes, they work, but at the expense of peace in the household. Don't overlook that the super-cheap nail gun compressors frequently don't come with a regulator or moisture trap, so you will need to add those to the real cost.

I am currently using one very similar to the Paasche D3000R you mention. I like it a lot. Very quiet and keeps up nicely with the brush. I don't understand the bad reviews; it works well for me, at least. The Iwata is too much money for a modeler's intermittent use - that's pro equipment.

[Spades]

Kiz-

 For the compressors you mentioned try Blick's some are  30% off list. http://www.dickblick.com/categories/compressors/  I have a 25yr old SilentAire T-30 purchased when they were cheap.  If you want a silent airbrush compressor. Try http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-TC-20T.html#.Vz6QH5ErK70 a little noisy and their product support is good. Also try http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dental+compressor

The storage tank , moisture trap all a must.

[ednadolski]

I bought a compressor at Home Depot so I can airbrush and fill up my tires. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-2-Gal-Pancake-Air-Compressor-0210284C/205467817

It was on special for $25 and I wish I had bought 2 to keep one in the garage.

I got a 6-gal version a while back and it is enough to paint several N scale models and clean out the airbrush before it needs to be recharged.   Which is nice because I can leave the room while the compressor is running.

BTW if you are painting indoors then you will need a spray booth of sufficient capacity to draw away solvent fumes and paint particles.  Be sure that it is properly vented to the outside.  Get a good one that will serve you well for a long time, it is a worthwhile investment.

Ed

[Cajonpassfan]

Mine's a bit loud, but the tank it mates with is large enough to do plenty of work without it running. I highly recommend a storage tank. Another idea a friend of mine used was a compressor/tank combo in the shop/garage, and a line running to the layout/workshop room. He had the pressure set high and the thing would kick on and off automatically as needed. An adjustable valve at the business end would give him the control he needed.
Otto K.

[C855B]

... Try http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-TC-20T.html#.Vz6QH5ErK70 a little noisy and their product support is good. ...

Yes! That is the exact one I use! Thanks for the memory jog. I agree on the product support - the pressure gauge needle was knocked off during shipping, and they sent a new regulator/gauge assembly immediately. I don't consider it noisy... the soft pucketa-pucketa-pucketa reminds you it's a real piston doing the work. The 2-gallon nailing compressor I have wakes the dead... still use it for carpentry, though.

I also tried the storage tank idea since I have a 12-gallon compressor I use in the garage. The 10-gallon tank wasn't as inexpensive as I had hoped (from Lowes), and the Schrader valve fill method was cumbersome and slow. I must have spent an additional $20 in modifying the tank to make it usable, or at least less of a hassle.

Thinking of the garage compressor, I also had a cheaper 10-gallon with a diaphragm pump. It was also insanely noisy. It eventually gave up the ghost, and was replaced with the 12-gallon with a piston pump.

... Another idea a friend of mine used was a compressor/tank combo in the shop/garage, and a line running to the layout/workshop room. He had the pressure set high and the thing would kick on and off automatically as needed. An adjustable valve at the business end would give him the control he needed.

Yep... a buddy did the same thing - this is what the pros do, anyway. It was a cool system. The only caution is there should be a moisture/oil trap at every outlet.

[Philip H]

Kiz-

  If you want a silent airbrush compressor. Try http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-TC-20T.html#.Vz6QH5ErK70 a little noisy and their product support is good.
The storage tank , moisture trap all a must.

I have this exact one as well.  Its almost quiet enough that once I start airbrushing that makes more noise then the compressor.

[Spades]

I also tried the storage tank idea since I have a 12-gallon compressor I use in the garage. The 10-gallon tank wasn't as inexpensive as I had hoped (from Lowes), and the Schrader valve fill method was cumbersome and slow. I must have spent an additional $20 in modifying the tank to make it usable, or at least less of a hassle.

What I was implying for Kiz, which ever compressor is purchased make sure the compressor comes with a tank.

[Kisatchie]

What I was implying for Kiz, which ever compressor is purchased make sure the compressor comes with a tank.

Yeah, the tank is the first thing I look for, that and the moisture trap and regulator. I'm probably going to get the Iwata, although it is very expensive. But it would definitely be less of a hassle than using a 20 pound CO2 tank and regulator. I'm in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest welding supply shop I could easily find where I could get the tanks filled is 200+ miles away in the New Orleans area. I don't want to travel that distance with charged and pressurized CO2 tanks in the car trunk.


Hmm... yeah, a leak
could kill you...

[wcfn100]

Here's my painting rig.



As you can see there's no tank.  I'm not about to tell you not to get a tank, but it is not a requirement as long as you're not painting over the low 20's psi.  The key element being the smaller diameter hose.  Between that and the moisture trap/regulator, there's enough buffer and back pressure that the pulsing is not detectable and does not effect painting.  If you use a 1/4" braided as shown in the back, then yes, there's pulsing.

Again, I not pushing this, but it is a setup that works, regardless of what anyone might want to say about it.  The compressor is super quite it's very easily carried around and stored.

Jason