Can anyone tell me about using the regulator on the AS-186 air compressor?
I see there is the locking ring, and lifting the knob allows you to adjust the valve... but how do I know to what pressure I am setting it, and which way (CW / CCW) does what (increase / decrease pressure)?
Thanks!
As I see on photos, it has an pressure gauge. CW should open, and CCW close the valve.
Hook up your airbrush, open the valve slightly and start the compressor, then turn the knob watching the dial.
On the other hand, I almost never look at the pressure gauge - I thin the paint, load the airbrush and play with the valve until I achieve the spray pattern I want on my test surface (plastic sheet, old kit etc).
Remember, the needed air pressure depends on the consistency of your paint and your airbrush.
Experiment.
I generally start with a pressure of 15 psi for gloss paints, 20 psi for flats. I may have to adjust this for thinness ratio, but generally add thinner if the paint is too thick, rather than adjust pressure. I only address pressure if too thin.
Thanks for all the replies. I finally figured out how to do it thanks to El Viejo Dragon. The confusion for me lay in a couple of areas. Firstly the pressure gauge - to me - seemed to be telling me the pressure inside the tank, as it would start the pump at 43 PSI and stop at about 57 PSI. Secondly, I couldn't really feel any difference in inflow through the airbrush nozzle when adjusting the regulator. I didn't appreciate that you could get delivery pressure showing on the gauge. In case there are other people out there as stupid as I am, here is a summary:
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