Air brush canned air

[Davidfd85]

Ok so I've been working on all the buildings for my first HO layout. So far I've done them all with water based paints and brushes. The latest ones I am doing are both Walther's buildings, a firehouse and MR II. I didn't like the way the firehouse was turning out using the brush so I broke out my airbrush. My choices for air supply was to fire up my 220V 8HP 60 gal compressor and run the hose, regulators, and filters or run to LHS and pick up a few cans of air. I picked the latter. Then ran into a problem, when spraying for a kind of long period of time the pressure would rapidly drop but the can is still half full, shake the can, warm up between hands and pressure returns. Now the question, can I set the can in a bowl of warm water to keep the pressure at a constant level for a longer period of time? Will this work?

Thanks
David

 

[waltr]

Warm (not hot) water will bring the pressure in the canned air back but the pressure will again drop as you use the can. Keeping the can in a pan of warm water may help maintain the pressure. Try it to see how well it works. Best to have two cans of air and switch out the cold one for a warm one when the pressure drops. Of course the water will get cold and loose its effectiveness to warm the can.

 

[Graff]

Some care is required though, I've actually seen the results of a can of airbrush propellant that was heated; it burst and flew up in the roof! It lodged itself so hard that it took some real effort to remove it!
Be careful with heating any pressurized cans, they can bite!

 

[CoolRuehle]

David,

Canned air is a HUGE waste of your money. For the cost of 5 to 7 cans of that compressed air, you can buy a portable 110V pancake compressor with a regulator, water trap, and auto shut off valve at WalMart/Harbor Freight etc that will run for YEARS.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rockford-1-Gallon-Air-Compressor/17480890
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rockford-3-Gallon-Air-Compressor/17480891?findingMethod=rr
http://www.walmart.com/ip/All-Power-America-1-3-HP-3-Gallon-Air-Compressor/13115721?findingMethod=rr
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Alton-1-Gallon-Pancake-Air-Compressor/15648856?findingMethod=rr
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-3-hp-3-gallon-100-psi-oilless-air-compressor-97080.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-gallon-100-psi-oilless-pancake-air-compressor-95275.html

I have a 220V, 60 gallon, two-stage compressor in the garage. I piped the air into the second-floor model room in the house, complete with triple water traps (Houston is VERY HUMID), filtration, and regulator and never looked back. Best thing I ever did.

If you have the big compressor, use it, that's what it's for. Plus you can run all sorts of cool air tools for the car (air ratchets rock), nail guns, etc.

At the very least, do yourself a favor and get a 5 to 10 gallon portable tank and fill it up with your big compressor for use with you airbrush.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?keyword=air+tank

(You'll need a regulator for the portable tank, you DONT want to put 110+ PSI on an airbrush.


But do yourself a HUGE favor and stop wasting money and torturing yourself with those damn cans of air!!

 

[Pete V]

A ten gallon portable tank from Graingers is pretty cheap and can be awfully handy if you get flat tires as well. It is what I use when shooting in the basement and out in the big shop, I just hook up to the Ingersoll Rand which is piped through the ceilings throughout the building. Canned air is difficult and expensive.

 

[mike in BC]

Before i got a compresser I had a propane tank (new) with a regulater and a water trap that i filled at the gas station.
It was a bit of a pain sometimes but buying cans of air was such a rip off.
I only ever bought one can of air and that was one to many.
Happy air brushing.
Mike