air compressor

[bauercrew]

hey guys I just ordered a California air 5510 ,does anyone have any experience with these for us model builders ,I use a paashe h,and an iwata revolution, I have an emglo compressor with the two stacked tank ,and man is that thing ear splitting ,hd has them on sale delivered to home for 127.00 bucks, so I ordered one ,they typically go for up to 200.00,just wandering if it would be able to handle my air hungry paashe h  it seems to have gotten some decent reviews.just cant find any from model building community

Edited November 25, 2016 by bauercrew

[Snake45]

That should work fine for you. Fill that tank to 90 psi (I just looked at the specs) and you can probably get through an entire painting session--or two--without the thing kicking on again.

I have a Walmart Campbell-Hausfield that's not quite as big as that one and it's worked FINE for me since 2002. In fact, I've often said that the day I started using that thing was the single happiest day of my adult modeling life. Happy airbrushing!

[Ace-Garageguy]

If you do a little research and look at the numbers (which is much more meaningful than opinions, in my opinion ) it would appear your new unit will be more than sufficient for your needs.

Both the California Air 5510A and 5510SE are rated at 1.0 HP, capable of delivering a stated 3.1 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air at 40 PSI (pounds per square inch).

All the compressors Paasche sells for airbrush use are fractional HP units, with the largest one being 3/4. Most of them are in the 1/8 to 1/6 HP range.

Though everybody stretches the truth about the HP and air delivery capabilities of compressors these days (marketing doesn't have to have any relation to reality, apparently) this is almost a guarantee that the compressor you just bought will be more than adequate.

 

[bauercrew]

ok thanks guys ,thought it would just wanted more experience opinions,the old emglo works fine ,just loud ,expecially when you have to share one room for multiple functions,aka basement,when I get it and start using it I will post on here my opinions if anyone interested

[Ace-Garageguy]

...when I get it and start using it I will post on here my opinions if anyone interested

Definitely. It's ALWAYS good to know the actual experience someone has with actually using an actual product.  

[BigTallDad]

You might also want to get another regulator/filter from MicroMark. That will let you dial down the 90 psi that Snake 45 suggested to a lower number as well as provide a water-vapor filter.

[Snake45]

You might also want to get another regulator/filter from MicroMark. That will let you dial down the 90 psi that Snake 45 suggested to a lower number as well as provide a water-vapor filter.

Oh yes, I didn't mean to imply that you shoot at 90 PSI. That would be the pressure in the tank. I normally shoot at 20-25 psi, and crank it up to 30-40 psi to blow lacquer thinner through to clean between colors. I think my little Walmart compressor fills its tank to 125 PSI, but it's only a 2-gallon tank. If I read the specs correctly, your tank is 5 gallons. Five gallons at 90 PSI should last you at least as long as my 2 gallons at 125.

[Kit Basher]

I recently got a California 2010. I think it is the same compressor as yours, just a different size tank. I haven't painted with it yet, but it is pretty quiet, pumps up fast, and ran both a brad nailer and a finish nailer with no problems. I did get a water trap and a second regulator that works on low pressure for it.

I hope they paint beautifully for both you and me!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yeah, and DON'T hang your water trap / regulator close to the tank. Getting it as close to the gun / airbrush as possible is vastly preferable for two reasons.

1) Air gets heated as it's compressed. Hot air holds more moisture than cool air. As the air runs down the hose to your spraying apparatus, it gets cooler and water condenses in the line. Placing the water trap as far as you can from the compressor makes sure to catch the maximum amount of water.

2) You also get what's called "pressure drop" in the line from the compressor to the spray apparatus. Putting your regulator as close to your airbrush as you can gets you more reliable and repeatable pressure control AT THE AIRBRUSH, which is where you need it.