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Alternate Air Source


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In many posts regarding air sources, compressors, dedicated airbrush compressors, I bring up the alternative of using a Co2 system.

In doing so I started pricing regulators and bottles, and I stumbled upon an adapter that will allow you to connect a Paintball pin-valve tank to a co2 regulator, since allot of us might have the paintball cylinders laying around why not put them to use.

This is the set up I built, in this photo it is just mocked up so there are no hose clamps, nor Teflon tape on the assembly.

Anyone care to guess what this set up cost??? including the Air Brush...

I plan to hand this set up off to a fellow modeler in our Club to see how long the 20oz bottle will last, he builds at least 2 models a month. mostly armor,so he'll be a good candidate, we'll see how far this little tank will go, I'm trying to get him go give up the use of canned air, I don't see how he can use that stuff.

Once I find a good price on a 20lb bottle, I will upgrade to the larger size, but still have the option of using the smaller bottle if needed for travel or club events.

Curt

Parts list

1 20oz paintball co2 bottle

1 Pin Valve adapter

1 Harbor Freight regulator (with crappy gauges)

1 salvaged hose line off a tire gauge (free)

1 Air Chuck

1 H/F Airbrush hose

1 Sotar 20/20

035_zpsb35a3217.jpg

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Very MacGyver of you. :cheers:/>/>/> (not MacGruber)

Hope 20oz is worth the effort. I recall using old 16oz cans of air years ago and they didn't go far. Condensation due to losing a lot of air/volume quickly was a problem. Setting the bottle in a warm water bath will help that some.

Edited by toadwbg
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Don't forget your water trap. All air under pressure creates condensation!

CO2 is not air, and it doesn't have any (or at most, negligible) moisture in it. That's one of the beauties of spraying with CO2 - no moisture trap required and no airbrush spitting EVER! I doubt the little paint ball cylinder will last for a complete model, but if you shop around you can get a 20# tank (with fill) for under $200 that will last ages and ages.

J

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CO2 is not air, and it doesn't have any (or at most, negligible) moisture in it. That's one of the beauties of spraying with CO2 - no moisture trap required and no airbrush spitting EVER! I doubt the little paint ball cylinder will last for a complete model, but if you shop around you can get a 20# tank (with fill) for under $200 that will last ages and ages.

J

Huh! I learned something new today. Pretty cool setup!!!

Tim

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CO2 is not air, and it doesn't have any (or at most, negligible) moisture in it.

your right, forgot about that. Jennings with all you've been thru, you really are still at the top of your game sir :cheers:

Just to play the devil's advocate: Air is composed of about 0.039% carbon dioxide :coolio: And according to many theorists, we are adding much more every year.

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I'm sure the 20 oz tank won't go far, but I figured allot of people might already have one, the Member in our Club that is going to be the Guinea Pig uses the canned air, and builds on average 2 armor kits a month, we'll see how far it goes and if he might be swayed to get away from those cans, it might be a cheaper alternative.

I have a welding supply shop a block away, I spoke to them about refills and bottles, they actually send out their bottles for refill, they do not do it on the premises, so they just do a bottle exchange, $26.00, he said he would even accept a bottle that has an expired hydro test on it, so I'm on the lookout for a cheap 20lb bottle.

I really don't need this set up but was curious and wanted to try it, I use a Craftsman 20gal belt driven compressor for my painting, but with this setup I now have a portable rig that I can take to our Club Meetings, and do some demo's with.

This whole set-up cost $140.00 including the airbrush, the cost of the bottle and adapter was $20 Bottle (filled) $17 adapter, so you could put that $37.00 towards a bigger tank and still stay under $200.00.

Curt

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You could use a domestic gas bottle,the ones you use for caravans/trailers. I got a bottle that was just about empty then I lay it on its side and eventually the bottle equalised and I purged the rest of any gas left out. Worked a treat. Set up is the same only you'll get a lot more use but unless your able to get hold of an easy source of CO2. I'm not sure how soon it will be before you get fed up with the empty tank and fill nausea.

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You could use a domestic gas bottle,the ones you use for caravans/trailers. I got a bottle that was just about empty then I lay it on its side and eventually the bottle equalised and I purged the rest of any gas left out. Worked a treat. Set up is the same only you'll get a lot more use but unless your able to get hold of an easy source of CO2. I'm not sure how soon it will be before you get fed up with the empty tank and fill nausea.

Please don't even try doing this with CO2, CO2 tank pressures are about 3 times the operating pressure of a propane tank.

I know that modelers are a cheap bunch but I get worried when I see people trying to go cheap when dealing with pressurized gases.

Ken

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Please don't even try doing this with CO2, CO2 tank pressures are about 3 times the operating pressure of a propane tank.

I know that modelers are a cheap bunch but I get worried when I see people trying to go cheap when dealing with pressurized gases.

Ken

What are you talking about? I didn't say go over the safe working pressure. You can read off the Max pressure that's stamped round the neck of the bottle. You can set the Incoming pressure on the supply kit. An aircraft 4 bottle set of CO2 bottles have regulators, and can be set to the PSI required. Any system should have a way of regulating, if not I wouldn't use it. You can use a 3 way adapter (if you can find one) I used pressurised gasses all the time and I can guarantee you I treat any pressurised fluid with respect. In a nut shell... You have to regulate the incoming PSI to the max safe pressure for the receiver bottle. So as you can see,a cheap trick by a modeller with 43 years experience on Aircraft. I don't assume, I check, Its rule Number one in our world. It worries me even more when someone jumps in with inaccurate info.

Edited by bzn20
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If were are talking Liquid gas, I had no idea about paint ball bottles and wouldn't have guessed liquid at all. I wouldn't do anything I said. I wouldn't want it anywhere near my house either. I don't think he's talking about liquid gas anyway.

Edited by bzn20
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The pressure in the bottle is the vapor pressure of CO2 and can not be regulated. This changes with temperature, but in normal living conditions, the change is negligible.

However, if you're putting liquid CO2 in the bottle your pressure is constant and equal to the vapor pressure of liquid CO2.

Your thermodynamics-foo is weak, Padawan.

636px-Carbon_dioxide_pressure-temperature_phase_diagram.svg.png

Of course, dealing purely with logistics, no place will fill a container not designed for liquid CO2 with liquid CO2, so you wouldn't be able to fill this either.

No place will fill a container over the vessel's pressure rating, no matter the phase state (liquid or gas).

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Never EVER under ANY circumstances attempt to put CO2 into a tank designed for LP gas (propane) such as you'd find on a travel camper/caravan. For one thing, the fittings are different, for another nobody with the ability to fill a CO2 cylinder will do it, and for another you're asking for the bottle to blow up in your face. CO2 should only be put into a CO2 cylinder and nothing else EVER. Well, except for a glass of beer :)

J

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Don't panic Jennings.........I was talking about gaseous not liquid! Its the pressure not the gas. 200psi air,co2,Nitrogeon 200psi is the same pressure not the gas.(forget the previous gas in the bottle its been very well purged) Or what ever the max pressure for the receiver bottle. And you can get adapters step ups and step downs, tapered and/or straight. Some people are making a meal on this thread about filling a bottle. Take a four bottle trolley got 1000's of psi and VC10 C.MK1 main with 62 psi all I want is 5psi to take a VC10 main to the 65+10 - 0 as stated in the book (AP 101B-0201-1). I got 4 bottles. and I regulate the dam thing to do the job and you are saying it is dangerous. So now tell me why its dangerous. From experience, not running with a crowd. I've done it, it works, it aint a big thing. 150psi Co2 in an empty ex imflammable gas bottle max 250psi-300psi, what are the chances? That's a rhetorical question. I know the answer.

Somebody asked a question and so far its gas then liquid then can't anyway,because of fittings and then dangerous because (?)and cant be done. Its nonsense.

BTW Jennings good to see you posting here. You've been on my mind all week, hope things are looking better than a few days ago.

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