Thread: Compressor Question

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Ok,

I have no Pneumatic props, because of no compressor. If a haunter was going to get into pneumatics how large of a compressor should one get? I know it is all relative to the number of props and size so to make it easy. I am not skilled in it yet. SO to make a long story short harbor fright tools has a 3 gallon pancake on sale for like 40 bucks until the end of the year. 100 psi. Is that enough to start with? Making small props?

Thanks everyone

I have a25 gal.compressor from harbor freight,and run 4 pnuematics from it.the compressor does keep up but it runs abit.your going to have to think sbout hose lenght.I loose about25 psi when I get 50 feet of hose.

Good question. I was thinking the same thing, but was to chicken to ask.

A 3 gallon "pancake" style for $40 is a pretty good compressor for a beginner. They're pretty compact, and you can always upgrade later if you decide to get more involved with pneumatics.

As for pressure, 100psi is more than enough in most cases ... I ran my Crate Beast prop at 40psi this year and it worked great. Anything more than 60psi makes me nervous with my home-built props even though I tend to over-engineer everything.

I recently saw a Harbor Freight coupon for a 2 HP, 8 gallon compressor for under $100. That's a great bargain, and the larger tank means the motor wouldn't have to kick on nearly as often to keep the pressure up. If you really think you need a compressor and you have room in your garage or shop, that one might be a better choice. Plus I've heard that some people use them for non-Halloween things too, like tires and stuff. Just something to think about.

I would say as large a compressor as you can afford and have the space for. When and if you start using air tools the bigger the better for most tools. I have a 5hp 60 gallon vertical compressor and at times find it operates a lot. Even when I do cobwebs with the glue gun!. I just ended up purchasing a second 7hp 60 gallon vertical unit which I am going to use as primary and the original I will use as backup for when I get my new props any cylinders going.

Again you will also need to look at whether you want a portable one as my units are not so much.

When buying one make sure its a piston compressor (that requires oil) rather than an oil less one as they are usually much much louder.

Again I use my compressor for a lot of things.

IB

I ran 5 props off of a 30 gal compressor, and it worked great! I would agree with ibjeepin that you should get the biggest one you can afford now, instead of having to upgrade later on. Once you start building pnuematic props, you won't be able to stop.

skoker,what kind of cylinders are you using? I keep playing with door closers,and have ran them up to all most 90psi just to see if I could break the props i build,cause i dont want any probs out of em.and that is so true soon as ya start building these thing you cant stop.

Originally Posted by Jeffhawk

skoker,what kind of cylinders are you using? I keep playing with door closers,and have ran them up to all most 90psi just to see if I could break the props i build,cause i dont want any probs out of em.and that is so true soon as ya start building these thing you cant stop.

I have two air props right now. One has two 2 inch by 8 inch stroke cylinders and the other has about the same. Size (diameter) of cylinder really depends on how much force you need. Stroke, depends on usage. The larger the diameter the stronger the cylinder (and the more air you will need)

But for safety and longevity you need to move to real cylinders.

I buy all my cylinder on ebay. But you really need to know what size as there are literally thousands. Or you can find lots on ebay that are relatively cheap and stock up!

the door closers have 10" of travel before I tap the sides and install the fitting in them.I looked for a small threaded tube that would fit in the close speed hole,and couldnt find anything.the door closers are 8 bucks ea.and havent had any problems yet.ive built a few using tire pumps also,but you need to weigh them down to get a good return speed.

I use Bimba cylinders that I have picked up on eBay. The largest I have are 1" bore X 10" stroke I think, and those use quite a bit of air. I have several 3/4" bore X 1" stroke and some smaller ones. They're all useful as long as the application is appropriate.

I started out using a screen door closer the first year I used pneumatics, but I've used commercial cylinders ever since and feel much better about the safety and reliability.