Cabon Dioxide Tank For Air Brushing?

[CatchemCaro]

Just wondering if some of you out there hooked on making and painting baits have and or are using presureized tanks for air brushing. I have been using one of those pancake air compressers for a while now. I found a used air brush set up at a garage sale and the guy was using a small Carbon Dioxide Tank for his air source. Pro's and Con's?

Rich

[bassguy]

Hey Rich, the only problem with the CO2 tank is you have to have the bottle filled as necessary. Compressor, no filling of bottles, just noise.

Jerry

[BobP]

Pro - you can't ask for much quieter than "hisssssssss". Con - I think the tanks are fairly expensive and of course, you have to pay to get it refilled. I'm assuming any commercial gas supplier would be putting fairly dry gas into the tank, so I doubt moisture would be an issue, but you'd have your pressure regulator on there anyway so could also add a moisture filter.

[jigmeister]

I don't know if there is a such thing as "dry" CO2 gas ?

You can create a small block of dry ice from CO2 flowing thru a hinged container made for the purpose .

[Travis]

I don't know if there is a such thing as "dry" CO2 gas ?

You can create a small block of dry ice from CO2 flowing thru a hinged container made for the purpose .

Not sure I am following the dry ice point........

Long term expense is the downfall. You can rent a cyclinder/regulator for a reasonable price but it will just add up. Buy a good airbrush compressor if noise is an issue.

[Fishsticks]

I've heard of co2 tanks being used. If I were to use a compressed tank I would have it filled with nitrogen. I wouldn't be the one to tell you no it's a bad idea. If it works for you then great, use it. The well known airbrush artist, Steve Nunez, used a car tire for air when he was a kid. Every time it ran out of air he rolled it back to the gas station to have it refilled. Not the best thing of course but that's just what he had access to.

The cons are whatever you fill the tank with it will cost you every time. I think going with some sort of compressor will be cheaper in the long run.

The pros, you don't need electricity to run your airbrush and it will be the quietest thing you can use.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Fishsticks

[CatchemCaro]

Thanks guys, great feed back once again. OK, so now I'm currently using a very cheap Harbor Freight pancake compressor. I am painting a lot of baits in one setting. I know I could place the compressor outside, but I am wondering if one of the Iwata compressors would be better for me. I don't mind investing the money into something that will last, be somewhat quieter then my cheap compressor. For now, the Harbor Freight compressor will work, but if theres a better mouse trap.....

Rich

[Richard Prager]

I use the HF 1/5hp airbrush compressor. It's quiet, cheap and works well. I have had a couple burn out but I just bring them back for a new one. This one I'm using now has worked since July. I use it 2-3 hours a day, every day.

[Brent R]

Go to this website and check out this compressor

► 0:56

► 0:56

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw5pTPjsIsY

..... or Google ....GMC air compressors.........I have the 4610A.....It is real quit and you can talk right beside it when it running.....I have had no problems with it and it works great......And with the tanks it doesn't run all the time.....Good luck

[finlander]

I too bought a large noisy CHEEP tank 'pressor that I now use for the bicyle tires. I went to long hose to run it from the other end of the basement. Then I lost pressure. So Bear Air got my money for a $100 small compressor. Very quiet, Sits at my feet, and I can still hear the music. Runs all the time though, as soon as I depress the AB trigger.

[spoonpluggergino]

Hello Rich

I am a refrigeration mechanical contractor, I deal with nitrogen and co2 quite often. co2 is a gas compressed to liquis so when you start to use the tank it will start to sweat due to the liquis is expanding/boiling and turning in to co2 gas. Nitrogen is what you want to use. By the time you get a high pressure regulator and a deposit on a nitrogen tank you are going to be around 300.00 dollars plus you have to go to an industrial supplier to get a refilled bottle. Another thing is that an high pressure regulator may not control your low pressure let say arount 10 lb. so you may have to install a low pressure regulator downstream of the high pressure regulator. when I started this bait painting I went and purchase an Iawata compressor complete with hose and regulator/filter for 228.00 free shipping and it's very quiete

spoonpluggergino

[crzyjunyer]

one thing i did to quiet down my process is to get a longer hose for mine and run it to a diffrent room or even outside - to keep the pressures up for painting i run the regulator on the compressor at around 70psi and then at the end of the hose run i added another smaller regulator i can adjust right there and also put my good moisture filter there too with a pressure guage at that assembly

i agree with gino though - im in the hvac feild as well and nitrogen is the way to go if you decide to go compressorless - i can see this being benificial if noise was a definite issue for keeping the wife/kids/neighbors happy

[EdL]

I know it may sound crazy but if you use nitrogen make sure you have ventilation and not spray in a confined space. NItrogen buildup can be deadly. See this:http://en.wikipedia....en_asphyxiation. I worked for a chemical company and often Nitrogen was use to purge large equipment to keep the inside inert and dry. There was a guy who lost his life because he put his head inside an opening to just look around and forgot about the time. Next thing he's gone. Not saying this will happen when just using an airbrush while spraying using small volumes. But you have a tank and if you have a pipe or connection leak there is a potential. Like carbon monoxide, nitrogen is colorless and odorless. Use small tank volumes. And for those who think this is crazy thinking there is other benign stuff we use or ingest- how about dihydrogen oxide. Lots of people die every year from this stuff 'cause they got careless or there was an accident. ( Dihydrogen oxide is another way of saying H2O. )

Safety first!

Edited April 18, 2012 by EdL

[mzee]

I use co2 for temporary tattoos. I get a small tank like they use for beer and pop. Use a cheap regulator for beer carbonation. I get it refilled at a fire extinguisher company. Check some of the homebrew sites for the regulators. Check with a beverage distributer for tanks. definitely is quiet.