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I want to invest in a compressor and would like some help to purchase the correct. one.
It will be only used for painting rc planes, and most of that for airbrushing decals, etc. However, I will want it to be able to spay the occasional plane of perhaps 1/5 scale.
I was looking at the AB-AS196 Twin Cylinder Mini Piston type. Will it spay one side of the wing before running out of air, if using a touch up/mini gun or similar?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2611381823...84.m1423.l2649

As you have probably realized I have no experience with compressors or spray guns

To correctly size your compressor, you have to know how much air you largest paint gun willl use. Everything is rated at XXX CFM (cubic feet per minute) at XXX PSI ( pound per square inch)

Example: You spray gun will consume 4 CFM at 40 PSI. This means the compressor must produce 4CFM @ 40 PSI. If it doesn't you will run out of air.

With the above said you can cheat a bit as the compressor will build pressure above the 40 PSI so you have a little cushion. Also the compressor will run after the pressure lowers a bit and add air as you are spraying. EDIT: A larger reservoir will also help with not running out of air. You could purchase one of those tanks you use to fill a flat tire. Hooked up to your existing tank it will give more capacity.

I have a 2 HP compressor capable of 150 PSI. I have painted cars with it, but that is a bit of a stretch even for that compressor. For your application I would look for something that will pump about 3 CFM @ 90 PSI. Something like this http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...8650_200578650

That will run a spray gun something like this ( for bigger stuff) and smaller guns/air brushes of course. http://www.build.com/campbell-hausfe...Fe5FMgodGTIAQQ

I know I've left out some details but this will do just about any model painting you want to do and you won't outgrow it next week.

I'm sure others will jump in with recommendations. Ask questions as that is how you learn!

Ken

Originally Posted by nellsey

.
I want to invest in a compressor and would like some help to purchase the correct. one.
It will be only used for painting rc planes, and most of that for airbrushing decals, etc. However, I will want it to be able to spay the occasional plane of perhaps 1/5 scale.
I was looking at the AB-AS196 Twin Cylinder Mini Piston type. Will it spay one side of the wing before running out of air, if using a touch up/mini gun or similar?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2611381823...84.m1423.l2649

As you have probably realized I have no experience with compressors or spray guns

This compressor is likely to be fairly hopeless for anything other than a small airbrush. 1cfm = ±27 litres/minute, so this compressor is basically a 1cfm model (and the specs on these things are usually optimistic, so it is probably less ).

I initially tried a small 2HP (with 24 litre / 6 gallon tank) that was rated for 3½ cfm at 110psi and it worked OK for my Iwata airbrush although the compressor kicked in a bit. I then tried it on a small touch-up spraygun (a Graco AirPro conventional gun rated for 12.2cfm at 43psi), and even with the gun throttled right back on every setting, the compressor ran continually and the pressure still dropped in the tank. I could only use it for a few minutes at a time. Bear in mind that most of these cheap compressors don't have a decent duty cycle, so they are not designed to run continuously.

I now have a 2.75HP V-twin 7.5cfm (with 36 litre / 9 gallon) compressor and it runs my touch-up gun OK when it is throttled down a fair bit. Most touch-up guns are rated for around 8-14 cfm.

Colin

You probably will want to use a touch-up gun for the 1/5 and larger models. Touch up guns vary wildly in the amount of cfm they use. Better guns let the paint out better, and use less product (paint) to cover. More paint means more weight. It also can mean much more expense if you are using some of the more expensive paint. For example my Iwata touch-up gun only uses about 2 cfm. I use it with a fairly small Rolland compressor, which is quiet for a compressor and can run almost continuous. I am not sure if Rolland has a UK version or even sell there, I know Iwata sells well in England. I spend a lot on paint so using less in the long run will save me money. Also since my skill level is low so a better gun helps me some.

If you have the room and are not worried about space or portability bigger is better when it comes to compressors. You generally get more bang for your buck with stationary compressors with large tanks. In my case quiet (I would wake people up other wise) and portability were a must.

Went through the same dilemma - ended up with two compressors and several air brushes..

For the applications you mentioned you will need at least two types of air brushes but would need a larger compressor - as has been suggested. A quiet compressor costs a lot more. You will also find that a larger one will come in handy for many other uses.

Thanks guys for your responses. It has cleared things up for me.
My model room is in the house so I think an Iwata touch up gun sounds ideal for me. It will be easier finding a portable, reasonably quiet compressor for that gun.