Is this compressor worth anything?

Winston fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@news6.newsguy.com:

It would work fine, if you had the time!

LLoyd

Yeah, but as another grouper posted: "I don't even buy my bananas green any more".

:)

--Winston

...

I made a mini compressor using a dorm-room refrigerator compressor and a

5lb (1 gal) propane tank. I keep it in the shed and use it for inflating garden equipment tires. The 1 gal tank is enough that I don't have to wait for the compressor. Weighs maybe 15 - 20 lbs. I didn't even use a pressure switch - I just turn it off when a 60 psi pop-off valve vents.

Beats the shit out of a hand pump .

Bob

I had an ~ 2 Hp direct-drive IR compressor that was so noisy, even with a wooden box over it it still drove everybody out of the house. I now have a 2 Hp Quincy, and you can hold a conversation right next to it, with no muffler at all. I do usually wear ear protectors if around it when it is running a lot, but it is WAAY quieter than the oilless klunker.

Jon

Curiously, my Quincy got QUIETER when I upped the motor. It came with a continuously-on motor and pneumatic unloader, and a 1 Hp motor. The pulleys were set for something like 450 RPM. I got a 2 Hp motor and changed the motor pulley to get 915 RPM and rigged controller to use both unload and motor start/stop as the demand required. The surprise is the compressor was quiter at 900 RPM than

450. My guess is the intake valves were pulsating at 450 but go full open at 900.

Jon

'Could also be a 'resonance' thing.

--Winston

I do not think that it will work well. At 2 HP, a 10 HP Quincy will be running at about 4x less than the MINIMUM recommended speed. I think that it will not even br properly lubricated.

i

The oilless compressors should be marketed as burglar alarms (with auxiliary air output).

--Winston

It uses a positive displacement pump for lubrication. I found this on your site:

If one accepts say 5 x less CFM than stock, it'd probably work just fine. Seven CFM is plenty for inflating tires, especially with that ~100 gallon receiver. :)

--Winston

I've decided the right answer is to clean it, test it and sell it for huge money. :)

--Winston

I don't know much about that compressor but I can tell you about my budget compressor, it may give you some ideas.

About 30 years ago I went to an auction of an old service station with a lot of junk. They had an old 2 cylinder Freon compressor welded to a frame, motor was gone. I bought it for $7.50, cleaned out layers of paint in the intake (no filter), opened it up, looked OK inside. I purchased a wal-mart air tank for $30 and enough fittings to connect the compressor to the tank. A friend sold me a 3/4 HP single phase motor for around $5 or $10. The budget went over $50 but I was able to build it a little at a time. Bought a pressure switch and regulator. Nice thing is I can pump it up, disconnect it and still use as a portable air tank.

If it were me I'd take a look at the compressor, may serve you fine for years, whatever gives out, compressor, motor, tank rust,... may not take a lot to keep it running for years of service. My old compressor that I got

30 years ago still works fine as of the last time I tried it.

RogerN

First thing I did with my little GD head that I bought for $3 was to dump the contents of the crank case (7 oz. water, 7 oz. sludge and 2 oz. of oily substance) and thoroughly wash it out with gasoline. Then I filled it to the fill plug with compressor oil. I have yet to see any indication of oil loss or water contamination. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

One RCM Attaboy, Gerry!

--Winston

It probably depends on the preferred RPM of the compressor in question, too. I'm sure Jon checked that out before upping it.

P.S: Did you see me wave on Monday when I got to NorCal? I was looking your direction from me Mum's in Vallejo. I had a nice Tanksgivin wit fambly.

-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck

That would depend on how loudly Ig fans all those Benjies, oui?

-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck

May there be an embarrassing number of them.

--Winston

That was you?

SWMBO screamed "Wave back, you moron! That's Brad Pitt!"

--Winston

Nice save/bargain for Gerry, except for the gasoline used as cleaning solvent, which ain't very smart.