Is this compressor suitable for airbrushing? (Einhell BT-AC)

[warsmith]

Good afternoon all,

 

A house mate of mine recently revealed that he had a compressor sat in the tool shed that I'd not come across and being as completely oblivious to airbrushing I have no idea if its something I can use.

The compressor in question is an Einhell BT-AC 200/24 OF, and I have found technical documents HERE. It the compressor on the following webpage LINK.

 

Is it suitable and if so, what would I need? I've had a look at it and its intact and seems to work ok, though there are no leads or any additional extra's with it so I'm guessing I'd need hoses, adaptors and an airbrush - can anyone help by telling me hose sizes and adapter sizes?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

Dan

[kizzap88]

Looks good, all you should really need is a couple of hoses, a moisture trap and pressure regulator(generally get this in one unit) and all the relevant fittings that you would need. Without knowing anything about what you would be running that is about the best advice I can give. Just note, that it is generally advisable to run a length of hose from the compressor out to the pressure regulator, as it aids in keeping water coming out of the airbrush.

 

-kizzap

[madscuzzy]

If it is this unit, then it comes with a pressure regulator already. With such a large airtank, a moisture trap may or may not be necessary as fluids do settle at the bottom of the tank as a first line of anti-moisture defence. Try it out first before investing in a water trap.

 

One thing to note is that this is an industrial compressor. Operating at 94db, the motor is very loud. If you have to shout over the compressor, then it may cause problems, espeically with the folks living near you. Most hobby scale compressors are near silent, and even with a motor running, it'll still be no louder than a soft rumble.

 

Another thing is that you need to take note of your airbrush rating. As an industrial compressor, the pressure can go extremely high. Most hobby scale compressors don't go above 80 PSI. This can go up to 240, which is well equiped for heavier applications such as nailguns and stuff, so you need to be careful not to push it to high, else you will damage your airbrush.

[chromedog]

On the bright side, it's a tanked compressor, so will really only need to run in order to 'charge' the tank.

While much of the water that condenses will settle in the tank, NOT ALL of it will be - a secondary moisture trap is often needed especially when spraypainting.

A bone-dry air feed isn't really required when operating pneumatic tools (dries the hoses out anyway) but you do need to get it as dry as possible for painting.

Set the pressure to around 25psi (no higher than 30).

You will probably need an adaptor for an airbrush. Many airbrushes run off a 1/4" coupling. Most industrial compressors use 1/2" (the adaptors are common).

[ShinyRhino]

Honestly, if you're not looking to run a sandblaster, pressure washer, nailgun or impact tool with your compressor in addition to an airbrush...I'd skip the industrial stuff. Nice hobby compressors can be had for far less than that behemoth, and won't require you to work outdoors or in the garage.