Suitable compressor

Can anyone suggest a suitable compressor to power stationary engines.

It must have a foot print small enough for it to stand on the workbench.

If you use on old fridge compressor make sure you fit a good pressure operated switch as they can reach a pressure of 500 psi.

Russell.

Although the old fridge based ones are very quiet they don't really deliver enough volume for anything more than as small oscillator. There was quite a long thread about compressors a month or two back, possibly one of Allan's.

J

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B&Q have these in stores ATM on offer for £85 (Warrington branch had dozens) I snaffeled one.

**LINK**

Maybe not what you are looking for as a tad to big for a bench top and certainly none to quiet.

Edit :- In the same branch they were selling identical in every way (apart from different wheels) yellow ones badged as JCB for £149

Nick

Edited By Nick_G on 23/06/2014 14:01:33

If you have a choice lower speed compressors often belt driven can be quieter. I have a small 1hp direct drive that is a lot noisier than my 2.5hp belt driven machine.

Anyway it is worth asking the store to turn the machine on so you can hear it.

Regards
John

Have a look at this -AB-AS06 Mini Diaphragm Air Compressor for Airbrushing

It will run my lads and dads horizontal mill engine at 5psi with most of the air being bled off, at less than 100rpm. Reduce the bleed off and it nearly takes off. the air volume available from the compressor would easily run 2 to 4 ( may be more!) of this size engine. If your engines are MUCH larger then you would be better off with the bigger compressors but the quiet ones are quite expensive.

Yours might be. The one in my kitchen sure isn't. As I recall, when I bought it the blurb said it was "green" (energy reduced) which might make it "slightly" noisier than earlier models.

I bought a twin cylinder airbrush compressor with a reservoir tank to replace the small and efficient but infernally noisy type of Machine Mart compressor. Works well, small footprint, up to 6 Bar and a massive reduction in noise. Runs a Gauge 1 twin cylinder loco with loads to spare. I paid £89.

Mick

I obtained a De Vilbiss medical compressor, it's a small diaphragm type it works at 30psi at 9 L per minute, it will work on my little wobblers, I'v yet to try it on the Stuart Turner S9, I have my doubts, the 12V portable tire compressor didn't have enough volume of air.

I don't think it should be too hard to design a small diaphragm compressor, I was thinking of a 100 mm diameter diaphragm, with a stroke of some were like 5 mm to 10 mm, and a 4 pole/ 1450 rpm motor of about 1/4 hp, maybe a little less. Ian S C

I made an air compressor using an old twin cylinder piston fridge compressor belt driven.

Buying an Aldi compressor to replace it but found the Aldi was so noisy compared to the homemade one.

As I did not want to annoy the neighbours the Aldi is not used except in emergency.

Paul

My main compressor is made by Curtis (USA I think), it was a fridge or freezer compressor of the old type, not the modern sealed type, the tank is a war surplus low pressure oxygen cylinder, probably ex RNZAF, the set up is moderately noisy, not too bad, this one is fixed in position, I have another similar one, but it needs a new pressure switch. These two machines are single cylinder, and run at about 800 rpm. I was at one of the local petrol stations today, Husqvana agents, they had a nice three cylinder belt drive unit, I didn't even look at the price!!!

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 25/06/2014 13:24:59

For demonstration you rarely need more than 20psi and throttle it to only a couple of hundred rpm. So all commercial ones are way overkill. Why would you want it on the bench? If you want it on display it would be worth making one that meets the actual needs and looks interesting.

Have you looked at the BAMBI range of super quiet compressors? I've got a twin cylinder one which makes no more noise than fridge, the downside is that they only produce about 1.75 cfm per cylinder and they aint cheap.

Bazyle, there are two reasons why I want to put it on the bench.

1) I'm in a wheelchair and it needs to be accessible.

2) It's the only place in my workshop (shed) were I have room for it.

Edited By Eric Cox on 26/06/2014 09:29:32

Eric, what you really need is a little compressor that resembles a boiler, perhaps looking as if it is powering a generator, that can be the motor that drives it, and the "steam engine" is the compressor, and the boiler the air receiver. Ian S C

Tried the little De Vilbiss compressor on the Stuart Turner S9 today, no go, not enough capacity, it would probably do for the smaller ST engines. I had tried the engine with a 12V battery tire inflator pump, that didn't work either.

Ian S C

My airbrush compressor will run a 10V very fast, but not enough to work a load.

Neil

Hydravane base dentists compressor, a well known ME supplier had 2 last time I was there.

I have a heavy duty 12v tyre pump which will inflate a 16" tyre in 4 min, it is nicely made aluminium construction and cost me about £30. I had a quick look on ebay and there is a similar model but twin cylinder and claim 50 ltrs per min but it is £60. Clive