Thread: Silent compressors

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Sorry but I just keep coming up with more stuff to build or try.
This is for all of pneumatic freaks out there.
In the airbrush world people are always wanting a quiet compressor
of course they are for sale online but for those of you who are financially challenged here ya go. First go to youtube and look up DIY silent compressors
there you'll find info. on how to build a compressor from an old refrigerator compressor. Obviously you have to discharge the freon in it but afterwards you have a silent compressor and all you have to do is add the hardware from another compressor. These little things can pump up to about 120psi if memory serves correctly. And they are quiet as a church mouse. great if you have an indoor haunt and don't want that noise form your compressor spoiling the effect.
Also some of you artists out there can use this for airbrushing your props and other things. Hope this helps some of you in your projects. I'm sure I'll have more tutorials on some things I've used for other industries. Hope you don't mind

JeT,

You're right, refrigeration compressors ARE nearly silent, mostly just a quiet sort of metallic buzzing. However, part of the way that they are lubricated is through oil resident in the freon in the closed-loop system. If you don't find some way or another to introduce a little oil into the intake line of the compressor during operation, they will eventually lock up due to the friction resulting from lack of lubrication.

I used one for years to power a compressed air water pumping system that my Dad designed, and it worked well enough. I added a little oil with a catsup squirt bottle at the beginning of each pumping session, and it lasted for years,

Good luck!

Ron

P.S.: They are slow, and the recovery rate takes a while, so for high SCFM needs, you may have to look elsewhere...