Air Compressor

Originally I thought that all steam engines ran on steam and yes they do. What I didn’t realise at the time is that they run equally well on compressed air which came as a huge relief saving me the work and cost of constructing boilers.

Some quick basic research led me to Machine Mart where I bought one of their entry level compressors for around £80.00 and sure enough this was fine for powering all my engines and was also used for air ‘dusting’ removal of swarf, chippings and debris from machine tools. The only downside to me was the noise and whilst I am fortunate in having very tolerant neighbours I was always concious about noise levels. According to the manufacturers spec the sound level is rated at 87dBL. Even running the compressor in a soundproofed cupboard didn’t really solve the problem.

My next step was to buy a small airbrush compressor which turned out to be perfect for use at my recent exhibition where it powered two engines continuously without complaint.  As my engines will run on 10 psi or less the air pressure is rather less important than air volume.

My original Machine Mart compressor produced 130 litres per min at up to 116 psi – 87dBL

My mini AS06 airbrush compressor produces 68 litres per min at up to 40 psi – 55dBL – much quieter !

Compare this with my latest AS09 airbrush compressor 135 litres at up to 50 psi – 62 dBL

If you compare the specs of the AS06 and AS09 compressors you will see that they produce a much higher volume of air than many of their competitors. I will report back further when I have had the opportunity to carry out further tests.

Meanwhile if you require more information on these products take a look at ‘Everything Airbrush’ or contact Tim there if you have any queries and don’t forget to mention this site ! I have no connection other than being a satisfied customer.