Air Compressors - Help?

I was doing some searches tonight and on at least one of the other prop forums I am a member of, the Harbor Freight airbrush and compressor combo seems to be fairly popular for the $

Airbrush Compressor with Complete Airbrush Kit

I have heard it is really good for laying down basic color, not so much for highly detailed work, but I am cool with that for now. Anyone here own this, use it and like it? Will this be an OK unit for an apartment? I don't want to get **** from the neighbors for noise (not like THEY are ever considerate, but I am!) Also, is there a way to regulate the pressure on this? It says working PSI is 58, but I assume you can go 20-30 for general airbrushing? Any help is greatly appreciated since this will be my first setup!
 
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They are a bit light on specs, but the bush looks like a double action which is a minimum requirement for me.

The compressor has no tank which is the thing I wouldn't be happy about. If you run straight off a compressor like that the airflow isn't very regular. The compressor will also be running constantly. 2 hours of painting = 2 hours of noise, and 2 hours of heat.

When I was 17 or so I had a compressor like that. It lasted me about a year. Since then I've used bigger compressors with holding tanks. My current setup has a 5 gallon tank and can go as high as 120 psi.

The product manual shows a regulator in the exploded view, so it seems like it has one.

Overall for $80 it seems reasonable enough. I paid about 2x that for one of my brushes alone!
 
Is there a compressor by itself that you recommend that I could use in an apartment? I would love to have a tank compressor, but I hear most of them are very noisy.
 
they are very noisy. mine is not quiet at all...

i can't recommend a big, tanked compressor that isn't workshop loud. i'm in house with just me and my wife so i have the luxury of making however much noise i want.
 
It depends on how much use and what you intend to do ,
An air tank is advised , though if you dont intent to paint to much then you can use one like so ,
the tank is there to creat a continuous pressure , if there isnt a tank the air can run in beats ad you dont want this if you are doing fine work,
you can find compressor sets just like that one with a small tank that should only cost another $40 or so dollars well worth the extra cost
 
I was watching some Youtube vids last night on how to adjust the pressure on those little ones. One video shows how the pressure will drop slightly after it is first sprayed. but if you doa couple test shots and then start your spraying, if you have adjusted accordingly you will get your desired pressure.
 
For sure the are generally ok but the can pulse not major but if you were doing fin line detail it will be a problem but for painting some thing like a helmet were you are just spraying layers its fine , but if you can aford paying a few more $ it is advisable to get one with a tank and a moister filter
 
I was at the Days Of The Dead convention this past weekend and one of the artists there was using the Harbor Freight 1/8 hp compressor for painting. I talked to her about it and she mentioned she loved how well it worked. I am trying to decide which compressor to get out of these two. The 1/8 HP seems to have better reviews overall. The nice thing is it has a pressure gauge on it which the 1/5 hp one doesn't. But the 1/8 HP one only sprays up to 40 psi, and I am not sure if that is enough for spraying acrylics, or latex colors for doing props or masks. If anyone can give me any final advice on these two I would appreciate it. I don't necessarily need the airbrush that comes with the 1/5 hp kit since I have a Paasche VL, but if it is a better compressor then I will go with it. I am just wondering if you can put a regulator on the 1/5 hp or not.


http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-hp...ssor-93657.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-5-hp-58-psi...-kit-95630.html
 
This is what I used to have...probably will buy it again in the future. MAYBE, I can weild a spray can REALLY well after 15 years of practice.
Amazon.com: PAASCHE H AIRBRUSH SET w/Quiet AIR BRUSH COMPRESSOR: Arts, Crafts & Sewing
That 1/5 looks the same as the one I had. It also looks like it has a gauge...and operates at 60 PSI. Neither have a tank though....something like the 3 gallon one would be nice to have. Amazon.com: Campbell Hausfeld FP209499 3-Gallon Air Compressor: Home Improvement or 3 Gallon Air Compressor - 1/3 HP, 100 PSI, Oilless they would be better I think.
 
Holy cow, you're right! Sorry stormtrooperguy, I was looking for one that was on top of the moisture trap like the one on the 1/8 HP model. That one appears to be a tiny nut underneath the moisture trap!

The only thing that I don't like about their 1/8 hp model is that it says it cuts off at 40 psi. Is there a way to make it go any higher if need be?
 
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