Compact Compressor suggestions

[iana]

I have been thinking about buying a small compressor for waxoil, shultz and tyres etc, can anyone suggest a small compact compressor or would I be better buying a foot pump / tyre compressor and using aerosol spray cans - I wount be using air tools or spraying.

[JohnD]

Ian,

Few give that detail, but I find one product description that quotes the air flow requirement for their sprayer at 11 cubic feet per minute (cpm).    That's the criterion that you should look for in a compressor, an an absolute minimum, else you will run down the reservoir quickly, and have to wait for the pressure to build up again before yiu can do any more spraying.   VERY frustrating!   A compressor that will do this will be £250-300.      You might do better to get your Waxoyl in one of their cylindrical cans, and buy the hand pump that goes with it.   That pressurises the canister, and you can spray the Waxoyl until you need to pump again.    Hard work, but a lot cheaper, if you don't plan to use any other air tools!     

John

[Clive]

I would buy a decent tyre inflator. Then use cans of Dinotrol (and forget waxoil). The Dinitrol hard wax is rather better than shultz in so many ways (been on my spit for 5 years in the arches and doing well. That car is used hard, 2x10CR, 2xCLM and 2xSpa, that is just in europe and adds up to over 7K. In addition it gets a lot of use in the UK too, all weathers including throughout the winter. So well tested.  Use the MIL dinitrol stuff for box sections etc as it creeps into gaps and doesn't harden or let moisture get under it. Problems that I have had with waxoil in the past (and never again)

[iana]

Thanks John and Clive, I used waxoil in the past but not dintrol. Clive can you recommend a supplier / stockist or is it better to buy direct.

 

[Clive]

I had a browse around the web and bought it from the most cost effective supplier. Seems to go a long way, maybe 2 cans of each will be more than enough (1 of each may do it?)

It is available via ebay, direct and a few other places. More expensive that waxoil.... 

Bilt Hamber is also supposed to be very good, worth a thought. Just to confuse you further.

[poppyman]

Bilt Hamber is superb stuff, got mine from Opie oils on fleabay 4 cans did my Dolomite and they empty completly. The spray nozzle is great for box sections as well.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilt-Hamber-Dynax-S-50-Extreme-Anti-Corrosion-Wax-4-x-750ml-Aerosol-3L/162353165391?hash=item25cd00b44f:g:Jr0AAOSwEzxYdgtu:rk:10:pf:0

Tony.

[Paul H]

Another vote for Bilthamber

Paul 

[iana]

Tony, thanks, theres an opie oils near where I live so I will nip in and see what they stock.

[Pete Lewis]

Depends what you want as a compressor  having gone from enormouse to carry easy I now have a Imax 200 12ltr oil less 

Ideal as carry it to where you want , wont run impact drivers or tools  well,  but for a tyre inflator an odd squirt with wax gun etc its good

But noisy  simple   very compact  ideal,for  daily odd jobs 

Sorry cant load picture from web or home as laptop is sick   and its not overly available , 

hook or by crook heres   a pic 

 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

19 hours ago, clive said:

 Then use cans of Dinotrol (and forget waxoil). 

I have never tried Dinitrol (probably due to the price), but use Waxoyl every year; I just recoat the vulnerable areas of the car when it's due to hit the road again. It needs warmed, usually by standing in hot water for five minutes or so, but certain foolhardy people that aren't a million miles away used to heat it over a gas burner till it ran like tea, then apply that with a spraygun.

I wouldn't advise it unless you're in a well-ventilated area and have good Insurance.

[iana]

 

 

If I go the compressor route, Im thinking of either the stanley (screwfix) or the small SGS.

 

[JohnD]

If you look carefully, and delve right down to the 'Owners instruction manual' that is linked to on the Screfix page, you will find that that Stanley comoressior has a capacity of less than 7 cfm.  I refer to to my previous answer.     

Buy that and you'll spend more time praying than spraying.

John

[Colin Lindsay]

Amen.

[iana]

John

daft question, does a shultz gun require a high cfm?

Ian

[Clive]

Not really. If you were covering massive areas and in a hurry, yes. But with a shulz gun it tends to be small areas, and even a smallish compressor with small tank will do a half a floorpan before having to wait for the tank to refill. And a job that is done so rarely it is OK to wait.

But my concern is buying a compressor to use once every few years plus blowing up the odd tyre seems a bit of a waste. 

If you want to try one, how about having a look on ebay for a used one. There are loads sitting idle in garages, and even the little cheap ones from lidl/aldi will be OK as an introduction and suitable for your needs. And very cheap...

[mark powell]

I'll second that. There's a lot of used ones out there. I sold my 25l SIP for about £25 when I upgraded to a 100l jobbie.   The old SIP one used to do most everything.

[Colin Lindsay]

3 hours ago, clive said:

There are loads sitting idle in garages, and even the little cheap ones from lidl/aldi will be OK as an introduction and suitable for your needs. And very cheap...

But be sure of the reason why they're being sold, or have been sitting idle. Some of them are rusted through, and may have failed safety inspections. The last thing you want is for air to start coming out, and not from where it's meant to.

[Clive]

Indeed. You want to see it run, fill, stop. Let some air out (eg blow gun or whatever) and see it restart and stop again. 

But certainly DIY tyoe compressors are often bought, then used a couple of times and then just abandoned.

[JohnD]

No argument with the buy second hand to try idea, or with Clives last point, which raises the Q, why did they abandon it?       I'll also give you my mistake - buying a 'direct drive' compressor, no belt, as they are a bit  cheaper.  They are also MUCH LOUDER!    Eventually I had to enclose mine in a box, which then needed a fan to keep it cool, and to be directly wired, to stop it blowing the fuse.

And also, for the purposes that these small compressors are advertised, tyre inflation etc, a tiny very cheap compressor is adequate, but necessary?     A foot pump does the job more reliably.    Won't spray your chassis without making up some connector to a Waxoyl canister, but for that purpose, as I say, the hand pump works well - it doesn't spray as a semi-vapourised mixture with the airblast, just uses the pressure to drive the column of oilystuff.    Pump it once to get the pressure up to the mark, as indicated on the device by a little pop-up, and you're good for a lot of spraying.

Ah!   This is what I meant: https://www.gumtree.com/p/car-tuning-styling/waxoyl-starter-kit-2.5-litres-with-hand-pump-and-probe/1193181120  BUT it looks as if Waxoyl have moved on as most sites that show that device and the canister, say "no longer available".  They have gone for a 'gun' that you fill from an ordinary can and then pump up: http://www.bettamotoring.co.uk/maintenance/waxoyl/waxoyl-high-pressure-sprayer.html

Either way, a LOT less than a compressor that may not be adequate for the job and which you may use occasionally afterwards, at three times the cost.   But of couse, its up to you!

John

[Clive]

Most small compressors are bought as people have ideas they will use them to spray the car they have just bought to restore, or sandblast, or use airtools etc. Good idea but poorly executed and they soon find it won't do what the expected so it sits in the corner. 

When a new compressor can be bought for around £100 with some tools, it all looks a great idea. Realisation soon sets in.

My first was a little one, and exactly what happened to me. But the chap who bought it wanted it for a nail gun for furniture restoration, to replace his dead one. Same as what I was selling so must have worked for that.

[Pete Lewis]

as for tools , all air drills wrench impact drivers blasters need a high volume supply witha decent bore hose, running an impact wrench from a 10mm id   hose is strangling it to say the least,

all my impact drivers are battery and are superb so mobile and handy , i have a box of unused must have air tools i just dont use anymore .    must sort out new homes for them  and list them out  sprayguns ,wrenches ,nibbler, cut off , nut runner, and much more 

Pete

 

[llessur]

I bought a compressor about five years ago thinking it would be a great investment and get lots of use (I think at the time I had a naughty crank bolt that needed removing so I picked up a mid-sized compressor - about 6cfm - and a windy gun too). The reality is that after removing that one bolt it's been used maybe once or twice a year since then and just takes up space in the shed. Saying that, I was glad I had it a couple of weeks back when I used it to inflate a fairly large paddling pool for our daughter which saved me a lot of huffing and puffing and/or pumping.

As per Pete's post, battery versions of most tools can be bought fairly cheaply and are much more convenient (and quieter) than wheeling out a compressor and air lines when you want to do a small job.

If you've got plenty of space to store it for the long periods in between uses then go for it - you'll be glad of it on the few occasions you need it. Otherwise, unless you're going to be spraying it might not be worth it - although I can see the value of one of the smaller benchtop sized compressors coupled with a retractable air line that's always connected up and ready to go (most of the use mine gets is to give something a quick blast with an air gun)...