Suggestions for a Quiet Compressor

[Denver Road Doug]

To make a long story short, I am currently an apartment dweller and I want to get an airbrush compressor to start doing some modelling/painting/weathering in earnest.    So, obviously I need one that is relatively quiet. 

I have an Aztec A470 and an older Paasche airbrush that I used with a larger compressor that is currently at my dad's and unsuitable for the apartment.   Following the lead from Tom Mann regarding the Badger 180-10 in his arsenal, the newest version of that is the 180-15.  They also have the 80-8N Zephyr which hints at being quieter.   They also have some bigger dollar compressors that would likely be better and quieter.  But I'm ONLY gonna use it for n-scale model railroad painting and weathering.  So I guess I'm just looking for options for something that meets that requirement, and is as quiet as possible.

This isn't a "money is no object" kind of purchase, but I don't mind paying for a little extra power or stealthiness.

[wazzou]

Check Iwata.  I recall seeing a demo of their compressors at a train show in Portland, OR and was very impressed.

[sirenwerks]

The Taiwainese Sparmax TC5000 is pretty quiet (52 db).

[Spades]

Doug


Have you looked at Bear Air?  Here are some silent compressor with an air tank, you want an air tank.

http://www.bearair.com/Polar-Bear-2100-Twin-Piston-Compressor-w_-Tank/productinfo/120320/
 http://www.bearair.com/Scorpion-II-TT-Compressor/productinfo/120145/

They have others.

What I have but got an exceptional deal on.  http://www.bearair.com/Super-Silent-Sil-Air-30-TC-Compressor/productinfo/120000/  Great for apartment modelling

Greg

[central.vermont]

Doug,

Can't help you out with a quiet compressor but was wondering if you could put it outside
and build an enclosure that has sound deadening materials inside. Then all you would need
is to run an electrical cord out and an airline back in.

Just a thought.

Jon

[davefoxx]

Can you charge the tank away from the apartment where you don't have to be so quiet and then avoid the use of the compressor in the apartment?  Seems to me that you could charge the tank significantly above what you need to run the airbrush, so that you wouldn't have to worry about losing air pressure during the typical model spray painting session.

DFF

[sirenwerks]

http://www.bearair.com/Super-Silent-Sil-Air-30-TC-Compressor/productinfo/120000/  Great for apartment modelling

The SilentAire is a nice unit. I have a 15 year old 50-TC that still purs like a very quiet kitten. I lucked out and scored one from an organization I worked for when the director started getting compulsive about storage. Dumpster discount, basically.

[ednadolski]

http://www.bearair.com/Super-Silent-Sil-Air-30-TC-Compressor/productinfo/120000/  Great for apartment modelling

That looks pretty nice!    I bet tho that my spray booth fan is way louder than that 40 dB   

Ed

[Hyperion]

If you're gonna go with Silentaire (which are very expensive, but very quiet), the model 30 is way overkill.  The model 20 is more than enough, runs about $150 cheaper, and is even quieter (not that you need it) at just 30db, which is about as quiet as your average refrigerator.  They pop up on Craiglist quite regularly and can be found rather reasonably there.

[flight2000]

I just recently bought one of the Grex air compressors (mine's the 220v version) and I like it. 

Automatic shut off when not needed and it's quiet enough to not distrub my neighbors in the townhomes next door or my wife upstairs...so I can paint at night...   

http://www.grexusa.com/grexairbrush/products.php5?id=AC1810-A    Most etailers carry it in the $200 neighborhood.

Sure beats my old Paasche D500 compressor.

Brian

[Denver Road Doug]

Wow, thanks for all the replies...this thread came back to life all of a sudden!

I now have lots of good ideas and recommendations from actual owners which is what I sought out.  There are a few compressors that I think might be ideal for me, but I think I'm also going to evaluate the "no-compressor-purchase" scenarios, too.

Going to check on the scuba/CO₂ tank option as well as the standard air tank.   I might look into borrowing an air tank to see how well it works, and in the mean time I will watch Craigslist for compressors and garage sales for an air tank of my own.   I'm still not real clear on how well the air tank works...I have a huge honkin big compressor (that sounds like a prop plane trying to taking off while dragging an entire herd of baying cattle) and it has a large tank on it but I cannot go very long it seems before the air pressure is insufficient.  So I would leave it on and when it kicked in I would about have a heart attack it was so loud and jolting.  I'll admit that air compressors aren't one of my strong areas of knowledge so maybe I'm just not operating it correctly.

With an air tank, I assume you still need a regulator and a moisture trap?   The other potential problem is...no place to easily refill.  I'm told gas stations are regulated too low, and I don't know anyone nearby with a compressor.   My dad is 1.5 hours away....$25 in gasoline and 3 hours will buy me a top of the line compressor before too many trips!     I'm sure a tire place or mechanic would fill it for a fee I guess.

Anyway, thanks again for the feedback....I will buy a compressor sooner than later.  My dad uses my old one, and like I said I'm not very fond of it anyway.

[pedro]

I'll cast a vote for going the CO2 route. I've been using it for about 15 years now, and would never consider going back to a compressor.

Any beverage distributor has everything you need - a filled 20lb tank and dual gauge regulator. I had to get an adaptor at the hardware store to mate to my air hose, but it was easy and cheap. My setup cost me all of $20 at a local Pepsi distributor. I just walked in the garage entrance and told him what I needed and why. Whatever you do, do not waste money on buying a new tank! Any beverage distributor has literally hundreds of filled tanks of various sizes sitting around waiting to go out to restaurants and bars. When you bring in an empty they trade it out or refill yours for a nominal fee. ($7 and change the last time I had one filled).

Another advantage of CO2, aside from being absolutely silent, is that it is anhydrous - no moisture trap needed. A 20lb. tank will last you a very long time (as in 4 or 5 years or more) if you're just painting an occasional N scale model. The tank gets charged to nearly 800psi, and the pressure and flow needed for airbrushing is maintained until the tank is almost completely empty.

Here's some pics of my setup. The brass piece that the hose is connected to is the only thing I had to source separately. The slotted screw in the middle of the regulator adjusts pressure going to the airbrush. The gauge on the left reads the tank pressure (when the main valve is opened) and the one on the right reads the airbrush pressure.





Pete