Help needed w/ selecting a compressor.

quality/control of the paint work?>>

Absolutely improves quality. The tank is not only for storage, but also acts as a buffer to smooth out the airflow. Without it you get wild pulsations in the airflow--imagine what will happen. There are other setups a lot cheaper though..

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pulsations in

Thanks for the advice! Can you point me to a cheaper set up that can be bought of the shelf ready to go?

Definitely yes. A compressor this size pumps just enough air to use an airbrush with a .4mm nozzle, which is the minimum size to spray correctly metallized paints. The tank gives an additional reserve of air and helps smooth the airflown which in turn prevents spitting and irregular spraying with high viscosity mediums.

Again, thanks for the help! I guess there is more to this choice than I realized. Any FAQs out there I should be consutling? Basically, I want the best all around compressor to suit all my modeling needs at as low a cost as possible. All I will use it for is painting models in

You should be able to go to a hardware outlet and get a small compressor with regulator, compressor and tank for less than that. Ensure that it's oilless and check for acceptable noise level. Compressors made exclusively for "airbrushing" are underpowered and overpriced in my opinion. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

If I had it to do over again, I'd buy a setup with an integral tank--it cuts down on the racket, which would be worth a few extra bucks to me.

Mark Schynert

if thats all you need is a couple times a year and for nothing else.heck just buy a(5-10 gall) tank.(around $25).and install a filter and regulator.. take it somewhere where it can be filled fully .(not the 35psi quarter machine) it's real quiet too.. I also agree If you buy a compressor buy one with a tank

A couple of months ago I picked up a compressor with tank for under $50 at a Target store. I didn't even know Target sold such items but they were clearing out the remaining stock when I happened to see a few on the shelves. The regular price on this item was over $80 and the sale price seemed like a good deal so I bought it. I wasn't absolutely sure it would work with my airbrush but it connected just fine. Now I get MUCH better results from my airbrush because I can adjust the pressure.

You might look for a "cheap" "industrial" compressor like this one. I've heard that Wal-Mart also sells similar compressors.

Martin