lol! no not quite! before i started carpentry i did my time as a painter/decorator. my boss at the time 27 years back taught me how to spray. I went on to start a lil company specializing in that.. although that was a while back and if i can ever upload this vid you will see my skills are a lil rusty and may be a bit like the before cats you mentioned!
you have plenty space in your..garage looks a bit wee. compressors arnt expensive. get something that WILL power a nail gun,grinder. cutter and impact gun.
the type of spraying i do/did is airless and hvlp (proper not hvlp conventional) but have dabbled with conventional and from memory you want a compressor with about 14 cfm (cubic feet per min) out put...
bit more like it. tho double it would be better if your ever considering air tools. and if your really serious ditch the wee air lines. they wont deliver enough air
Don't rush into a purchase, make sure its a machine you will enjoy using for 5-10years. Think semi-professional as it'll last & work. Plus using air-tools is a bonus if its powerful enough. Machine mart do a good range & you can talk about maintenance & servicing requirements.
It's not just the size of tank, it's the size of compressor feeding the tank, start by looking at a decent spray gun and what it's requirements are. Steve
Ah, but what's a decent gun...... Went to see these guys today and had a good chat with the owner even though they were closed. They had a good write-up in practical SB last month. They recon 50L with some guns, lines, etc, for about £250. Colour Match Centre
A 50 litre tank is a minimum if you want to produce a decent spray job, however you need a decent compressor that will give sufficient airflow and deliver it in the correct manner. Buy the best you can, even if it's more than you can afford as it will pay dividends in the end and you won't have to consider replacing it at some point for a better one. The maximum size that you can normally run from a 240 volt mains supply is 3 horsepower but not all 3 horsepower compressors are created equal. I have a 3 horsepower twin cylinder two stage compressor which is about as big as you can run off the mains. This draws 15 amps on a cold day on start up and it has been necessary to improve on the mains 13 amp plug it was supplied with. Look at Machine Mart and their top end ranges, they will have something suitable. Also look at maximum pressure and free air delivery (cubic feet per minute) as part of the specs.
I'd buy a 200LTR tank and I'd look at putting a 32amp supply. Some compressors are inferior by design as red says. If you get a reasonable one, you will be able to buy parts for it more easily. look at some basic filtration. A filter regulator and some kind of foam element filter... Weigh up oil lubricated and oil free... both have strengths and weaknesses. I went oil lubricated (with better filter on the out let of the tank) it's worth draining the tank from the bottom regular for water. You will need to consider noise, if you have sensitive neighbors. Perhaps worth looking into paint that you plan to use before you do this. I am not a painter not even close so I don't know if the modern process is, water based with some kind of 2-pac clear coat? 2-pac paint is dangerous, if not used properly. I had extraction and a mask and had to go to hospital with breathing difficulties because I got complacent with it. I have used all branded products UPOL etc and it's not cheap, you'd have to do a bit a make it worth the investment but with a bit of practice you'll be able to do a good job and make money from it if you wanted too. Small things are quite easy to paint, it's rewarding when you get a good finish. Repairs are harder. I've also painted bikes with rattle cans and even did some race car body work which looked good, but it's not as durable. I would not do it again. I have most of the kit to spray still but I'd probably pay for my paint work now.
Would this cut it? 50L Air Compressor & Tool Kit - 9.6 CFM, 2.5 HP, 1.5 KW, 230V, 50L, 115 PSI - Air Compressors I'm not worried about tools, just spraying bikes.
This may help... Air Compressors Buying Guide | Helping you choose the right compressor | Air Supplies™ UK I should be able to tell you everything you need to know about this subject (not painting) but home use is a little bit different to commercial. Part of my job as an engineer was working out and designing compressed air requirements (solutions) on an industrial scale.
