DIY Silent Air Compressor

This article is posted on behalf of Adam and details how he built his silent aircompressor.

After getting tired of not being able to airbrush at night due to a very noisy compressor I set off on a task to build a nearly silent one. I built this compressor about two years ago.

Here is a list of the major parts I used in building my compressor.

Refrigerator compressor (I salvaged mine from a mini fridge that wouldn’t stay cold) (left)

A pressure regulator (110Psi was more than enough for hobby painting) (left)

Pressure cut off switch  (left)

Air Tank (left)

If you are salvaging a compressor from a refrigerator, It is extremely important to properly evacuate all refrigerant from your donor refrigerator's system. Many shops will do this for free.

Cut the two copper tubes coming from the sealed compressor, Make sure to leave as much of the tube as possible. Once cut, avoid turning the unit upside down. Or the oil will spill out.

Follow the power cord into the wiring harness tracing the wires to their separate terminals on the capacitor. Mark both wires and terminals with masking tape or a marking pen to keep their proper configuration. Make note of wires at this location that will go to another set of terminals on 110v sealed compressor module (or "pump"), tape and mark these wires and terminals as well.

Remove the wiring to everything else except the capacitor and pump. Remove the compressor for the donor refrigerator. Save the rubber feet, they will help reduce noise and vibration when you mount the compressor to its new frame. Connect corresponding power cord wires to the capacitor and green ground wire to base of pump.

Gently bend both copper lines on the pump to point vertically. This will help keep the oil from spitting out or making its way down your feed line into your pressure vessel once it’s attached. Make sure the compressor is secured to prevent "lurching" or pulling wires loose from vibrations.

Plug it in and listen for motor sound: If the unit does not run, unplug it at once and check power cord wires. Note, one copper tube may spit oil at first. This is normal mark this tube as the supply line.

If no oil blows out as the unit is running, put a finger tip on the end of one of the copper lines and feel for the side blowing air. The line blowing air is the supply line and should be marked as such. 8

Following the diagram below and using the appropriate brass fittings and air hose connect the compressor supply line to a 3 way tee. On one end of the tee you will have your air tank with safety pressure release valve. On the other end connect air hose to a second tee with the Pressure Switch and pressure regulator. Finally, attach a quick disconnect to the pressure regulator.

Follow the wiring diagram for your pressure switch and connect the wires from the compressor as well as a grounded power cord.

For The air compressor intake you should install an air filter.

Or if you’re in a bind a wiffle ball at the end of the copper intake pipe with a coffee filter wrapped around it. This worked for me for the first few weeks.

Using the original rubber mounts and making it as level as possible, bolt the pump to a sturdy frame or base plate. I decided to make a nice wood box that sits over the 10 gallon air tank.

This compressor won't win any awards for its looks, but it's silent, cheap and fun to build. I plan to use what I have learned from this project on my next DIY, a silent vacuum chamber for investing.

Complete: Castle Gate

I had an itch that I just had to scratch so I went and finished the castle gate. I dry brushed on a couple coats of lighter gray did some flocking and added some trees and voala it is done! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The camera is definately good at showing those tiny spots I missed... Must be the flash lol. Might do some touch ups but I think this is pretty good for the first model with hirst arts bricks!

WIP: Ruined Castle Gate Update 6

So I borrowed an air compressor so I could get some air brushing done. I did 2 coats one of the base black and one of the first color I would normally dry brush on. I cranked the air pressure down a bit and reduced the flow out of the pot so that it would stay mostly on the higher parts.

Here are some pictures!

Project Status 1

I am going to do a weekly readers digest version of the status of my projects! This will not have any pictures and is just an idea of when stuff will get done.

Ruined Castle Gate:

The air compressor has stalled my progress here however the piece is done other then painting and final detail work. I am borrowing an air compressor and hope to have the piece done in the next couple days.

Gardens of Morr:

I have 2 of the buildings finished painting and almost complete with the main gate, just a couple details to add there. Once the air brush is working again I plan to do the first 2 coats of paint with the air brush for the remaining pieces which should save me time overall. Hopefully I will be done with the piece middle of next week.

Minas Tirith:

Working on designing the Citadel. I hope to have some sketches up soon of this and begin construction.

Gazebos:

I am still working on the dome pieces and have not made any progress here. Been focusing on casting blocks and working out kinks in that process.

Workspace:

I have more poly bins to mount to finish sorting. Also this weekend I will be installing a sink basin and running water to the shop. This will make things a lot easier. Also need to mount some peg board by my new bench.

Tools:

I made a couple table tops for casting on which are working well. I have the foam to use as a dampener for the vibration table but have yet to fix that. Might get to that this weekend but probably won't happen till next week.

Lots of stuff going on time to complete some of it!

Air compressor kaput...

Crap right in the middle of some air brushing the compressor stops working...

Gardens of morr: statue

Finished painting the statue from the garden set last night. Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure.

Gardens of morr: tomb

I finished painting one of the tombs from the gardens of morr set. Below are some pictures of the work. Pretty pleased with the piece.

Pine sol paint removing

If I hadn't decided to try it for myself I would think you were crazy. There is no way that pine sol can strip the paint off a minature. Had the pieces I needed to strip not been plastic, I would have used paint thinner. However paint thinner would likely have dissolved the plastic as well. Pine sol worked like a charm though.

The process is fairly straight forward. Just get a pyrex or plastic container large enough to fit the pieces you want to strip. Add pine sol so that the pieces are completly submerged. Let sit overnight. At the sink run some slightly warm water. Use an old or cheap tooth brush and gently scrub the paint off while the water runs over the piece.

I don't suggest doing this in a porcelain sink as the paint may dye the porcelain. Also you should let the pieces sit in the pine sol in the garage or some place extremely well ventilated. If you don't the house will smell like pine sol.

Marble Technique

http://www.hot-lead.org/advance/texturing_marble.htm

That article demonstrates how to do marbling for a terrain piece. It looks to be a fairly simply technique that produces some very dramatic effects. Once I get further along in some projects I will have to try it out.

Citadel Paints Review

I foudn this review of the new Citadel Paints on youtube. It is very informative and provides a good analysis of the new paints and comparisons with the old paints.