Compressor/Airbrush combo suggestions

I recently upgraded my compressor and airbrush equipment but didn’t elaborate on the choices I made. There are others who are considering a new AB and or compressor but are perhaps overwhelmed by the number of available models. Like anyone making a big ticket purchase I did my research and studied the different reveiws on the web learning what I could about the differnt brands and their models features and admitedly it was a little daunting making a decision. I settled on a “Master Airbrush” compressor model MAS TC-40T, it is a tank under motor type ( recommended) and very quiet, the fittings/air line plumbing are threaded and not expoxied, this is of prime impotance for the longevity of the compressor. The airbrush itself is an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS gravity feed, now I pause here to say that it’s a fine little AB and with the compressor I was in a total price range I could live with at about 4 bills when I added the extras like a sprayout pot, quick disconnect and cleaning brushes. With that said I would urge the prospective shopper to consider an airbrush with two important features, 1: a brush with a limiting nut on the tail end of the handle that can be preset by the operator to limit the trigger’s pullback and maintain a cosistant spray diameter, 2: a brush with interchange-able cup sizes is beneficial for the obvious reason of being more user friendly depending on the painting task. I hope this topic will invite others to share their expertise and reccomendations for anyone looking to purchase.

Best of luck
Cajun

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Great choice on the Master airbrush compressor. Ive had mine for close to 3 years and it still works perfect! Ive had my eye on a Eclipse for a while and I was wondering, do you need a new hose or does the included one work?

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Actually the Iwata hose compressor fitting is too big for the comp. but the hose that came with the compressor fits the AB perfect, I’ve ordered a set of fittings and quick disconnect to also use the Paasche VL, I don’t want to squirt enamels through the Iwata just yet so I’m shut down as far as painting any WIP’s and I’m having to build up my color selection of AK REAL COLOR paint.

Cajun :vulcan_salute:

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Thanks! I was responding to what popped up in my e-mail feed from Kit Maker without thinking about the general topic. I really appreciate the info.

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I cannot stress the importance of a quiet compressor enough lol. I have a cheaper shop type compressor as I just got into AB and didn’t want to shell out too dollar in a compressor if I didn’t like it. First thing I’ll upgrade is my compressor lol, I have to put in earplugs everytime I turn it on

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I have the same compressor but rebranded and I am very happy,don’t miss a beat and very quiet.

My set up it’s “tropics proof” :palm_tree: ,compressor with water trap press control under the table then coiled hose to the second water trap and pressure control on the table,summer in Far North Queensland is like living in a sauna,I changed the dial of the second trap from 120psi max to 60psi for more precise control

AB because I prefer something more customisable I have a Grex Tritium Tg 3,pistol grip,3 cup,0.3-0.5 needle and fan spray cap 0.3…very happy great tool

Sound pollution: Expensive quiet compressor versus cheaper workshop type machine gun nest.

When noise is an issue such as living in an apartment with bad sound insulation between the apartments then the quiet type is almost mandatory.
The other extreme is when the painting, or at least the compressor, can be done in ones own standalone building (garage et.c).
Living in a single person household versus sharing with others (many constellations possible) will also affect the possible choices.
Each compressor buyer needs to consider their own circumstances. Is noise control the most important factor? A cheaper shop type compressor with a large tank could be run for 5 - 10 minutes (feels like an eternity) in the afternoon and then be turned off. The air in that big tank will last a long time with the relatively low air pressure needs of an airbrush. Make a lot of noise when nobody cares (neighbours not home yet et.c). Maybe the large machine is ruled out due to space issues, nowhere to put the big compressor so a smaller and silent compressor with a smaller tank is the only option. Compressor in the basement and run an air hose to the paint booth?
Connect the compressor to electricity via a timer so that it can start at 3 PM and be done at 3:15 when nobody is at home. Shut off completely when you get home and paint in almost complete silence (pssh psssssh + possible foul language) at 10 PM?
There are many options. I bought a silent compressor for apartment use but we have a large(ish) shop type at the summer house.
The only aspect I consider really important is the tank, the put-put-put-put airflow from a noisy tankless compressor makes painting difficult.

I used to think the same until I tried myself… Have been using one of these compressors for the last two years and they work fine. Directly from the output you can feel the blows, however the hose and water trap act like a micro tank and stabilise the flow.

Take a look here, this is one like mine:

Yes, a long and/or thick hose can compensate by acting as a tank.
I gave up when painting at lower pressure resulted in a line of dots instead of a solid line but maybe my piston compressor delivered more powerful pulses than yours do

About the noise:

You can put the compressor in a small cabinet on a piece of rubber and cover the walls/door of the cabinet with egg “boxes” like these

Of course, you need a big enough hole somewhere so that the compressor can get incoming air easily.
Don’t take “cabinet” to literally, depending on the size of the compressor, a solid cardboard box can do miracles.

At the end of the hose coming from the compressor you can put a small tank such as:

This tank will help reducing the pressure drop when spraying

and noise will be much reduced