Bike Frames/ Thick Paints

[ziplague]

I'm planning a multi-purpose spraying booth large enough to spray a bicycle frame.
After some research, i decided to go with the Aiwata Eclipse BCS 0.5mm, the main reason is it's ability to spray thicker paints (rustoleum, lacquer, enamel, etc...) and large spray pattern (high paint volume).

Now, i'm kinda stuck on compressors. I'm not going for the airbrush specific ones, too expensive, low PSI for my needs, small or no tanks, don't last as long as others. I'm not saying they are all bad, or not worth it, but as far as i can see they are over-priced and the only advantage is low noise (imo anyway, don't quote me on that )

I'm going for a compressor with the following tolerances:

Operational PSI: 100+ (the more the better) (8 bar+ equivalent)
Max Noise (dB): 50-60 (below 70 is acceptable, i will have a ventilated isolation box)
CFM: 1.2+ (the more the better)
Tank size (L): 10+ (the more the better, tanks can be added later if needed)
Max Price (Euros): 300 (shipping not included)
Availability: Sweden

I have found a couple (i will post the links in the end), I would be really happy if you guys could recommend/review them based on my needs, remember i will be working with thick paints and large volumes, just keep that in mind. Any suggestions, remarks, corrections are greatly appreciated. If you think i can go for less PSI and still manage, then please, explain in detail or refer me to examples, but please don't give any info unless you're absolutely sure of it, my investment will hugely influenced by your suggestions
Once i buy the equipment, there will be no turning back, so it's better for me to go more and have a surplus of power instead of coming short and having to deal with low pressure etc... you get the picture

Anyway, enough rambling, here are the compressors i found: (ordered by preference from top to bottom)

1. Pela 8 bar "Working", 40 dB, 2.37 CFM, 24 Liters Tank, 400 Euros out of my budget but might be possible if necessary (Se Kompressor tystgående hos Verktygsboden.)
2. Drift-Air, 8 bar "MAX", 52 dB, 3.7 CFM, 15 Liters Tank, 200 Euros, (Spnsug kompressor svetsar hgtryckstvtt elverk metallbandsg - DUAB-Huset)
3. Mini Twin Airbrush Compressor With Tank AS196 from ebay, 120 Euros, i don't think this one will manage, but it's a last resort, or a backup for small jobs/extra airbrush for extreme fine detail jobs.

Alright guys, i've done my research, now it's your turn fire away.


PS: The links are in Swedish, sorry for that, no other option, i need to have a warranty close to me in case any serious problems occur.

 

[ziplague]

BTW, forgot to mention, i live in a 1 room student apartment, so, as much as i would love to teach my noisy neighbors a lesson , noise is an issue

 

[AndreZA]

I would stay far away from the last one. Not enough power even for an airbrush. The second one has the same motor as the one I have and should be fine for apartment painting and small spray jobs. The first one looks like a fridge motor and will be very quiet.

 

[ziplague]

I would stay far away from the last one. Not enough power even for an airbrush. The second one has the same motor as the one I have and should be fine for apartment painting and small spray jobs. The first one looks like a fridge motor and will be very quiet.

I'm pretty sure i will go with the second one, it suits my needs and is future proof in case i decide to get a spray gun.
By the way, where can i read info or tutorial on adding air tanks to existing compressors? I know google is my friend but maybe some of you know of a reputable tutorial or web page.

 

[Jedi Weasel]

You can always do your compressor. I made mine with overall cost of 250-300euros. With two fridge compressor ( same power - 1/3HP, 25l tank, security valve, non return valve, tubes, pressure switch, air filters ). It's super quiet and it has enough flow to feed a 1.3 nozzle spray gun to clear coat ( a little more thicker than paint ). here the photo of mine :

 

[ziplague]

But should i take into consideration when adding an extra tank to an already existing compressor that has a tank?

 

[Jedi Weasel]

You want to join two tanks ? Why you don't use only one with more capacity? You'll go to do things a little more complicated with that solution. I had one with 6l capacity, but for spray guns didn't had enough flow, so I had this tank (25l ) from other noisy compressor and only had to buy the compressors.. Never put on the table the idea of add another tank..

 

[ziplague]

You want to join two tanks ? Why you don't use only one with more capacity? You'll go to do things a little more complicated with that solution. I had one with 6l capacity, but for spray guns didn't had enough flow, so I had this tank (25l ) from other noisy compressor and only had to buy the compressors.. Never put on the table the idea of add another tank..

I only have one choice for a compressor that fits my specs, it's 15 liters and 3.7 cfm (which is enough for a gun), the only reason i'm thinking about an extra tank is for night work. Even though it is silent, i think it would cost me less to simply get a 50L+ tank later on and fill it during the day for later use. I've seen a guy on youtube that did just that. He has a noisy compressor, so he fills up 3 huge tanks (i think 100L) during the day, and then spray paints for a whole week without noise.

 

[Jedi Weasel]

You can do it, but will give you a lot of work to connect the two tanks.. But even with 50l capacity plus 15l depending on what work you will do, I don't think It would handle all the night painting without the need of a compressor start. If it is details or anything small, ok, it might handle, otherwise you'll have a compr. restart and some noise associated.

 

[ziplague]

You can do it, but will give you a lot of work to connect the two tanks.. But even with 50l capacity plus 15l depending on what work you will do, I don't think It would handle all the night painting without the need of a compressor start. If it is details or anything small, ok, it might handle, otherwise you'll have a compr. restart and some noise associated.

Anyway, i'm not going to do this anytime soon, just thought of it while planning the spray booth and posted it here, i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.
BTW, is there a thread for sharing spray booth setups and designs? Cus in a couple of days i will finish modelling the setup in 3D with all the tools included etc... and would like to share it, get suggestions, recommendations, and fix it in the design stage before i start shipping supplies and building it.

PS:I will timelapse the build later on just for fun and personal documentation, so stay tuned

 

[ziplague]

You can do it, but will give you a lot of work to connect the two tanks.. But even with 50l capacity plus 15l depending on what work you will do, I don't think It would handle all the night painting without the need of a compressor start. If it is details or anything small, ok, it might handle, otherwise you'll have a compr. restart and some noise associated.

I isolated the compressor in a wooden box and added a fan. Decibel levels dropped from 85 to 54-62, so that's solved, can work 24/7 now.
A question though: Will adding a fan increase the compressors' duty cycle? The fan is very strong, so i'm hoping to keep it cool as much as possible in case it has to start up frequently.