Converting a foot pump to something more useful for modeling

".W." wrote, In article :

make a sewing machine style treadle connected to a small tank with a pressure valve that stops at whatever pressure. you could use a small rc gas motor as the compressor.

Its an inventive idea but hardly worth the effort. The volume of the pump would only give you a few seconds of usable pressure at the airbrush. FWIW you'd be better off using such a pump to inflate a tyre inner tube and connect your brush to it. There are connector available to do just that. Lie the tube on the floor beneath the modelling bench with a piece of board on top to rest your feet on. I've done this in the past and you get at least several minutes working time for your airbrush.

I am assuming you intend to use the pump to pump up an air tank.

Do you mean a way to convert the foot pump to use with a motor?

You needn't wait for the hobby shop- you can get dandy little small air compressors at hardware stores for much less than at hobby shops. Some of these little gems, with a one gallon tank go for as low as fifty bucks on sale, and usually include a regulator.

Those RC engines turn hellacious rpms, even at low power settings. You'd have to have a really good bearing set and lots of gear or belt reduction to use them on an air compressor with any decent volume per stroke.

Don Stauffer wrote, In article :

even the really big ones? perhaps a 25cc weed eater motor would work. i saw plans somewhere and thought it was am rc motor.