08-26-2009, 08:00 PM
You could buy a CO2 bottle and regulator, this way you will always have dry "air" to run your airbrush.......just remember to chain the bottle to the leg of your workbench so that it doesn't tip over, knock the valve off and turn into a land torpedo. The cost to recharge the bottle is relatively low and will last you for many, many hours of painting. I used a setup like this for years when I was an apartment dweller and never had to worry about the neighbors complaining about the noise from a compressor at 2AM. The compressed air tank mentioned is a cheap way to get started but you'll find that running out of air in the middle of a session can be a real pain in the rear and the air you get at some service stations can have oil in it if they also run their air tools off it in the shop. I've found that a lot of gas stations charge you anywhere from 25 to 50 cents a minute for air so filling the tank to 100 psi could be an added cost.
I now have an air compressor with a 25 gallon tank that sits in the far corner of my garage with steel pipe running from the garage to my shop in the basement to supply air. I also have water traps and an air separater/filter in the line and at the spray booth I have a regulator and an inline heater to warm the air before it goes through the air brush. Just depends on how much painting you do as to how much you're willing to spend for your air source. BTW, I also use my air compressor to run tools when I work on cars or my house so the air line to the basement was a minor addition to the cost.
I now have an air compressor with a 25 gallon tank that sits in the far corner of my garage with steel pipe running from the garage to my shop in the basement to supply air. I also have water traps and an air separater/filter in the line and at the spray booth I have a regulator and an inline heater to warm the air before it goes through the air brush. Just depends on how much painting you do as to how much you're willing to spend for your air source. BTW, I also use my air compressor to run tools when I work on cars or my house so the air line to the basement was a minor addition to the cost.