The SAAF Forum

What do you guys think of this compressor?

MAC-AFRIC™ 24 Liter Direct Drive Compressor 1.5kW 2HP

A small receiver tank size makes this direct drive compressor extremely portable and ideal for the DIY user.

Tank Size: 24 Liter

Motor/Pump Type: Direct Drive
Motor Size: 2HP, 1.5kW

Clean Air Delivery Rate: 3.88CFM (110 Liter/min)
Input Power : 220V Single-Phase
Maximum Pressure: 116 PSI, 8 Bar

R1 395.00

And this air brush?



MAC-AFRIC™ Professional Air Brush Gravity Feed

Professional air brush with gravity feed.

Model R180
Nozzle size: 0.2mm
Paint capacity: 9cc
Operating pressure: 1.0-3.5bar
Paint distance: 150mm
Paint width: 35mm
Air consumption: 0.15cfm

R395.00

What else do I need?

A longer air pipe?

What other tools and cleaning equipment?.

I have a ton of enamels at home (Humbrol) , so will be spraying with that.

I want to move onto the next level of modelling soon, in two months or so, so need to get the budget planned.

I had one of those compressors, they are nic, I wonder if the 0,2mm needle might be a little small for larger models,I use a 0,3mm.You will need a pressure regulator, the compressor can go to 8 bar, your AB might not ba able to handle that.
The AB I got at adendorfs has a built in regulator and it works well.I still dont put more than about 4 bar through it.

Go to your local pet shop and see what plastic pipes they sell for their tanks, it works well and is not as expensive as "real" air hose.

For cleaning I use normal miniral turps, I also thin my enamels with it. I find when cleaning with thinners it makes the needle stick.
After cleaning I put mu AB in a jar that keeps the pot and working parts wet.

I made myself a nice AB comp with an old fridge compressor and an old LPG gas vestle. It works really nice and the best of all it is silent. Go see if there is an appliance repar shop that can maybe sell you a replacement unit. Last time I found out they were about R350-00 or so.
Just google "home made air brush compressor" Some people use plastic bottles for the pressure vestle, I would be carefull of doing that....

T

come to think of it now, if you dont mind the noise you could use one of those "midas special" 12v tyre compressors that fills a vestle. The idea of the vestle is to take out the pulses that any compressor makes and just evens things out.
This might be even cheaper than a fridge compressor.

Looking at the picture of the compressor, it looks like it does have a pressure regulator on it. Can you suggest a different airbrush then?

Back to the drawing board re the compressor. I saw a couple of reviews on the MAC-AFRIC and they seem to be lemons.

Hi Drifter,

A 24L direct drive compressor should be more than adequate (The pressure regulator is the little red handle).
The gauge on the left will let you know how full the compressor's tank is and the gauge on the right will give you the working pressure.

As a first airbrush, go for a Badger 200 - They retail for around R900.00 and they are very good performers.

You will need, in addition to the compressor and airbrush, an airbrush hose with 1/4 to 1/8 fittings. Badger airbrushes use an M5 thread if I am not mistaken. You can get a 1/8 to M5 converter from most hardware stores. If you're by the coast you may also need a moisture trap.

Regards,
Stratobat

_________________
'If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest you come up with nonsense'

Most of these "cheap" compressors come from China and most likely made in the same factory with different brand names
The AB I got from adendorfs was a "Aircraft" brand , again I am convinced it is Chinese stuff.
It looks almost identical to the one in your pix, but as I said if you intend doing bigger stuff like 1/32 the .2mm might gige a to small spray area, myne has 03 and it can do really fine work (look at my bf 110 mottle) but also go "big"

For what you need I think (and because of a tight budget) look at something home made.
Where are you based so you can come see my setup or send me a wassap so I can send you pix.
Correct the last fitting with the gauge and the red knob ontop is the pressure regulator, however they are not usually sold with the compressor, just make sure.

I agree that badger are really nice AB's, I have a 100lg but when I needed to replace the tip assembly it cost me close to 400-00 just for that , I could have bought a new chines AB for that. I have used my chinese one (milled from solid chromed brass and feels more solid than the badger)with a very fine adjust regulator on the AB for more than 3 years now and it is still 100%

I dont have a large budget for models either and have to make due with what I have

083 742 2928

Aircraft airbrushes are Chinese knockoffs. I've had two and they're OK. As T said, if cash is a problem, first go for a 0.3mm tip/needle. For very fine work you'll ultimately need a 0.2mm tip/needle. Some of the Aircraft airbrushes come in a kit with both. Check you local hardware store. You can get away under R1,000. Also remember you get double action and single action airbrushes. Single action means you set the nozzle opening manually at the rear of the airbrush body and then push the trigger down which regulates how much air comes through - this is useful for simple large surface spray jobs. For more control, a double action is better (but more expensive - I recently bought a Badger 100 for around R2,200. Double action allows you to variably pull the trigger back, setting the spray area, as well as simultaneously pushing it down to vary the amount of air. The Aircraft airbrushes I used were double action.

On the compressor side, try to get a compressor with the following :
- Air receiver / tank. This allows the receiver to be charged to a certain volume/pressure after which the the compressor stops. You then have the air in the receiver to use until it reaches a preset pressure at which the compressor motor kicks in to recharge the receiver. This prevents pulsing through the hose. The receiver should be fitted with a pressure limit switch and relief valve. It should also be fitted with a drain valve for removal of water.
- The compressor should have a pressure regulator which allows you to adjust the pressure delivered to your airbrush from say 1 bar to 3 bar depending on what you're spraying. You don't need more than 3bar.
- optional is to have a moisture trap located between the receiver outlet and the airbrush if you're in a humid area.

Hope this helps.

Also, more on airbrushes :
- You get internal or external mix. Internal is better so that the air / paint mix exits through the nozzle providing more control over fineness of spray pattern
- You get bottom feed, side feed or top feed. Obviously a bottom feed is going to need more air to draw up the paint. I use top feed - gravity helps draw the paint in.

I'm in no rush, so will save up, My philosophy is buy right the 1st time, even if it costs a tad more, Thanks for the advice.

100%. A correct decision, this is.

Hi Guys,

For those who may be interested, Paul Budzik has a number of airbrushing related videos on YouTube that are very interesting.

Don's Airbrush Tips has reviews on various airbrushes and airbrushing related content.



Regards,
Stratobat

_________________
'If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest you come up with nonsense'

Thanks, I have watched Paul's stuff, he is legend.