Best compressed air filters & parts according to redditors

Yeah its on there super tight. I suppose I could try that. The regulator in question is
https://www.amazon.com/Technologies-0781-9410-G250-60-510LP-Regulator-Connection/dp/B00BZEZ7RQ/ref=pd_sim_328_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00BZEZ7RQ&pd_rd_r=BDF06WP827M2T0XJ21R7&pd_rd_w=0FQIy&pd_rd_wg=bhj6U&psc=1&refRID=BDF06WP827M2T0XJ21R7

Alright, The wood, nuts, bolts, screw, L brackets, plastic, plexi-glass, wire, air compressor, duct work reducer (to create funnel), and pail can all be bought at a hardware store outlet. (I had most of those all on hand)

Everything else

Pneumatic cylinder -crusher 25$

loading cylinder 30$

Solenoids 20$

6mm quick connect fittings 15$ you may need to order a converter or adapter to fit the crushing cylinder. I think its 1/4" fittings, so you could order those too but be sure to check

6mm Pneumatic hose 12$

6mm T splitter 6$

Air Pressure Regulator 10$ use to regulate the air to the loading piston as it runs at a lower psi/ can be slowed down some as well.

Shut off valve 6$

Quick connect to airline 6$ What you need may be different. Depending on your set up.

Arduino Uno 15$

12V Power supply 7$

12V to 9V 6$

158$ + construction materials that shouldn't cost more than 50$

Note: Some of this may be found else where for cheaper, but at least you know what you are looking for. Also I rounded everything up.

Let me know if this helps at all.

Edit: Its also helpful to have someone who can weld, so that cost has to be factored in as well. I traded work for work.

Grab one of these and never have to worry about moisture.

I'll go in order from the CO2 tank down the line:

• 10lb Aluminum tank, bought at local welding/gas supply
  
  
• This 2-stage CO2 Regulator
  
  
• Replaced the output fitting with one of these
  
  
• Then I have a smaller regulator reduce the line pressure down to a stable 15 psi - I find that the more regs, the better for stable pressure.
  
  
• That leads to two solenoids, one for each tank. You can buy the cheapish milwakee one, or anything that uses 1/4" npt fittings if you can find a better deal.
  
  
• After each solenoid I have a T-junction to a gas pressure sensor reading back to my controller, and the other outlet to the final regulator. You can use the one above, or one of these
  
  
• No need for a needle valve at this point. Go to your bubble counter and then up to your tank.
  
  
• On my big tank I am using a reactor instead of the normal ceramic diffuser I have on the small one.

Is shop air available? As far as I know, there's very little water in shop air. I'd try putting a small regulator like this on the outside of the box, with a small bulkhead (Say 4mm or 5mm) going through the wall. Regulate the downstream pressure to provide air flow, and a check bulkhead/check-valve on the box elsewhere to provide means of escape but prevent anything from coming in?

Just spitballing here.

I'd also add that you should get an inline gauge that can set the PSI, that way you KNOW that the PSI is consistent at that part of the hose.

This is the one I plan on buying, sounds like it might fix your issue, i'd also get another 5 feet of hose to go from that to your gun.

Good luck!

Would this work? http://www.amazon.com/ARKSEN%C2%A9-Compressor-Filter-Regulator-Water/dp/B00CWKTAV6 . I would also get a radiator or two for the heat dissipation.

like this one?

You need a pressure regulator. https://www.amazon.com/Bostitch-BTFP72326-Regulator-4-Inch-Thread/dp/B00HXD2V36/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=pressure+regulator&qid=1572565174&sr=8-7

Pressure is related to flow. So what happens to the gas in the tube is what will determine the actual pressure.

DUDE, If your going to use a compressor, you MUST have an inline water filter like this

The most important things are a tank and the ability to fill the tank to a PSI above a minimum of 80 or so. A tank makes it so the compressor doesn't have to run constantly, and creates a buffer so the air pulses of the compressor aren't transmitted to the brush where they can cause dotted rather than smooth lines. You want the compressor to be able to put out a higher PSI because you want the tank to hold enough so you can spray for longer at pressures of 60 PSI or below for longer intervals before the compressor has to refill the tank.

For model painting, most of your spraying will be best done at 20-30 PSI. Higher PSIs like 60 tend to be either for cleaning, or stuff like textile paints (i.e. T-shirt artists). The little "fishtank" compressors like the Ninja Jet can only deliver a max PSI of around 15 or so, which is on the very bottom edge of what most brushes can work with. PSIs of 15 and below are mainly used for tiny close-in detail work with highly thinned paint, and going that low works better with brushes that are designed specifically for detail, rather than "jack of all trades" workhorses.

Different brushes require different CFM (cubic feet per minute- a measurement of air volume rather than pressure), and little "fishtank" compressors are bare minimum here as well, so there will be many brushes where they'll make the brush spray poorly because they physically can't provide enough air to keep up at any pressure. A good target CFM rating for a tankless compressor is 1.5.

A tanked compressor can technically get away with less CFM, since it's not supplying the brush directly, but unless you want to have to stop painting whenever the compressor has to top up the tank, you want the compressor to have enough CFM to supply the brush WHILE also filling the tank, which means check your brush manual/documentation for its CFM, and look for a compressor that is specced over that by at least 1/2. The higher the CFM, the faster the tank will fill. Unfortunately I could not find specs for the Patriot that list CFM, but 1.5 is probably still a good start for a tanked compressor.

"Master" and other such Chinese import brand compressors are popular because people think they're cheap, but for very little extra a brand like California Air Tools will get you better QC, support, reliability, and specs. Chinese airbrushes are comparatively cheap, but the compressors aren't really, so there's not much reason to get the Chinese ones IMO.

Avoid regular hardware-style compressors unless you're painting in a very noise-tolerant environment, as even the "quiet" ones are LOUD AF. Seriously: when the descriptions/reviews say "super quiet" they mean by construction site standards, not household appliance standards.

As to fittings: if you live in a particularly dry climate (like Arizona, say), you can get away with not using a moisture trap, but even there it's good practice to have one just in case. If your climate is any more variable or humid than that, you will want a moisture trap. You can just get one from the local hardware store though: it doesn't have to be a special type. Always place the trap last in the air supply/fitting chain before the airbrush hose, so: compressor-> tank-> regulator-> moisture trap-> airbrush hose-> airbrush. Or if using a bench block as described below: compressor-> tank-> regulator-> connecting hose-> bench block regulator-> moisture trap-> airbrush hose-> airbrush.

In the US, compressors usually have 1/4 NPT fittings. In Metric countries, 1/4 BSP. These fittings are cross-compatible enough that you can use them together with teflon tape.

For hobby and fine art airbrushing, I HIGHLY recommend a lightweight hose like this over braided hoses. Braided hoses are for industrial-type settings like auto painting shops, where hoses need to be extra hard wearing.

BTW, when painting, loop the hose once around your forearm so if you accidentally drop the brush, the hose acts as a lanyard preventing the brush from hitting the floor. I feel like I'm constantly hearing horror stories about people damaging their brush by dropping it when preventing this is so easy.

A tanked compressor with come with a regulator. These are perfectly usable, but imprecise. It's not strictly necessary, but I do highly recommend using the built-in regulator as a step-down regulator, and getting a 0-30 or 0-60 PSI regulator to chain after it. I use one of these on my setup, and it makes adjusting airflow much better.

If you plan on locating your compressor directly on or under your "workbench" surface, that's all you need. If the compressor is going to be outside immediate/easy reach, it can be good to mount your regulator and moisture trap on a separate "bench block" so you can put it on/under your bench within easy reach. This is what I had to do with my setup (I mounted the regulator and moisture trap on a scavenged heavy steel bookend). In that case, you'll want/need a hose like this to go between the compressor and the regulator/filter block.

There are "extras" you can get like a quick-connectors and MAC valves, but I don't personally recommend them. If you're only using the compressor for your airbrush, you don't need quick connectors on the compressor side of the hose, and IMO quick connectors on the brush side don't actually save you time/energy as it only takes 2 seconds to unscrew a brush from the hose. If your regulator is in easy reach, a MAC valve similarly does not save you any time/effort. Both of these also add lots of bulk to the brush stem, which is undesirable if your instinct is to hold/use the brush like a pen instead of a gun. There are mini-filters that go between the hose and the brush, but I generally don't recommend them for the same reason: too much added bulk on the brush stem: it's better to to add to your main filters if you need better filter performance.

I don't have a Badger Patriot, but my understanding is that it's a good brush. I have two Badger SOTAR models, and if they're any indicator, I'd expect spray performance to be comparable to IWATA, but fit & finish to be more raw and "industrial" outside of the nozzle and needle, so a little fussier to keep clean. It should be much better and more reliable than a 20$ "Master" or "Point Zero" or whatnot.

The threads in the head assembly can be a little "gritty" on Badger brushes OOB. If that's the case, I recommend lapping them with something like Flitz to ensure a good seal. Basically just put a tiny dab of compound on the male threads, then screw them in and out about 20 times to polish off the burrs that are causing the gritty/sticky feeling. Make sure to clean the residue off thoroughly before spraying again.

For maintenance, get a roll of lint-free shop paper towels, a couple packs of interdental brushes from the local dollar store, a box of q-tips, and a box of round wood toothpicks. Use paper towels and q-tips wetted with solvent/thinner to clean the cup and needle, the interdental brushes to clean the passageways/tubes in the body, and use a wood toothpick whittled to a needle taper and soaked in thinner to clean the inside of the nozzle (don't use metal tools to clean the nozzle, as they might scratch it or flare the tip). Occasionally you'll need to inspect the needle tip or nozzle for gunk or damage, so you'll want a high-X pocket magnifier similar to this. Also a stick of wax-based lip balm to help the threads in the head assembly maintain a good air seal (apply a tiny amount to the male threads before reassembly after cleaning).

Get or make a spray-out pot. They're easy to DIY out of a margarine tub or soda/juice bottle, so although nice, it's not strictly necessary to buy one.

Get or make an airbrush stand/holder. This is not for storing the brush, but rather for having a way to set the brush down while in-in use without spilling the paint cup. Again: these are easy to DIY, so you don't have to splash cash on one unless you really feel like it.

Hope that helps!

Is this one ok pressure gauge i saw cheaper but i don’t know what is the good one so i pick this