Well, I got an aztek a270 airbrush for christmans, and since its a beginer set, it came with a 6oz testors propellant can to power it. I used it all up, and found out that a new 6oz can costs about 12 dollars, so I figured I might as well buy a compressor, since over time those cans will ad dup anyways, plus they get too cold to use after about a minute and arent very consistant. So, Im looking for a really really cheap compresor. It doesnt need to have anything fancy, doesnt have tobe perfectly consistent or anything, just something easy, preferably a bit quiet, and small. Any suggestions? Im willing to all ideas as long as it doesnt cost much. Als, I love ebay so if anyone has specific items to point out on that site feel free. Thanks, Ian.
There are ones that are cheaper, but they’re likely going to be crap.
This is the cheapest I’ll recommend:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92403
Another idea is to use a tank you can refill at a gas station, should be enough for one model between refills:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41712
Don’t Ebay, so you’ll have to search that by yourself! [;)]
thanks, I saw that same one on ebay for about 70 after shipping. I was hoping to go a bit lower, but if thats the cost I guess thats still pretty good. Any other suggestions?
Just found the same one AGAIN in a tool catalog my dad gets for around $50. Thanks for the help.
Check out PEP Boys—they recently had a compressor with tank, auto on and off, (on at 40 psi, off at 100 psi), with usable but not great regulator for ~$60.
I have one very similar to this one which I’ve had for the past 2 & 1/2 yrs or so now. i believe this one has the adjustable air regulator already installed. Not very loud & runs my Badger 175 quite well. You’ll find them on sale often in the store several times a year.
Eddie
I bought a Campbell-Hausfeld in WalMart for $69. It has a built-in pressure regulator, and has a low pressure cut-in of 75 psi, and high pressure cutout of 100 psi. It is oil-less and is mounted on a 2 gallon storage tank. The compressor is noisy (but not intolerable, by my standards). It’s been working fine for my airbrush usage. The only accessory I added was a moisture trap.
“Absolute cheapest compressor recomendations?”
Step one: Attach hose to airbrush
Step two: Insert other end of hose in mouth
Step three: Blow vigourously until the model is painted or you pass out
[;)] LOL
Campbell-Hausfield “garage” compressor: $69
Paasche D500: $107
Silentaire DR500: $629
Image of Jon passed out after spit painting a B-29: Priceless!
[#ditto][#wstupid][(-D][(-D]
If you wanna get excrement for your moneym buy the Mighty Mini. It’s so mighty, that it makes my airbrush spit paint at mid position (Aztek dbl action, mid air, mid paint, did make sure that paint was thinned properly).
for 50 bucks, you get a lot. an A270 (I understand that you have that already though), some paint and the Mighty Mini, not to mention a pair of blown out ears.that thing sounds like it can grind coffee, possibly rocks. Oh yeah, it does work with badger brushes, with or w/o the adapter/regulator fitting. w/o, then you will experience unimaginable shock in the middle of your painting session because when the compressor heats up, the mount for the hose will expand causing the hose to come shooting out.
in other words, I’d go with something else [:D]
hey, does anyone know if the 5gallon tank mentioned above can fit aztek brushes? it’s silent, and where I am going this summer for the next four years, silence is golden.
Jin,
The tank comes with a 1/2" NPT fitting, you should be able to get an adapter to fit any airbrush.
The Campbell Hausfield is about the cheapest you can get and still get a quality air compressor. It does work well with just about any DA or SA airbrush. Here in Okieville our Wal Marts sell them for around $50.00.
Air Master
I would recommend putting a fan near them to keep them cool as they have a tendency to die young when worked very hard.
Wow, everyone is worried about noise lol. I believe I use a industrial 4 gal. 2hp compressor lol, it is loud for a min. but then with the regulator, it can do a whole model without recharging.
Guess what! I can do car tires and airguns with it too!
Noise they say…
Sacriledge I say!![|(]
Before I semi-retired in 1991, I had a Badger airbrush and tried using the cans of propellant. They gave poor results and cost a lot, so I decided to do what someone (forget who) recommended - I hooked my airbrush up to an old spare tire that didn’t have enough tread any more. I never got a chance to use it, so I don’t have any idea how well it would have worked. But it sure was cheaper than buying a compressor - and at the time the cheapest I could find was around $120.
is that airtank above regulatable?
Haha, I dont think Im quite cheap enough to resort to using flat tires, and Im DEFINATELY not blowing on the end of it! But thanks for all the suggestions, theyve been very helpful. Im going to do a bit of looking locally since shipping cost could be high. Thanks guys!
I did use the spare tire to use my badger airbrush as well back in the days (well, I was only 13 at that time) and it worked pretty well. Only problem was that I never had enough air to finish a model before the refill. I read an article in one of the modeling magazines in Korea that some people build their own air compressors by using old refridgerators’ compressors. Again, this was a common practice in some parts of the world due to pricing/availability of modeling tools.