bolarbag Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Can anyone recommend a good air compressor, after looking at this thread I thought I might just not bother.... http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=396095 The orbital sander. This will be your best friend during the prep work, if you don't have one, get one, rent it, borrow it, just get one. It is air powered and needs a good size compressor as it uses alot of air. The compressor I have is 5.5hp with a 25 gallon tank and I would often have to stop and let it catch up, so if you have access to a big one it will save you time. WTF, their like £2.5G, I see this is a good investment in comparison to buying an electrical random orbital sander and other electric tools, as the cost my work out about the same after I buy the compressor and hopefully it should last with proper maintenance I had originally budgeted 250quid am I wasting my time? It will be used for general air tools, working on the car e.t.c. preping and detailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 The thing with an air compressor is check its CFM (Cubic Feet per minute)... The orbital sander I used required quite a high CFM (around 9 CFM's I seem to remember). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolarbag Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 The thing with an air compressor is check its CFM (Cubic Feet per minute)... The orbital sander I used required quite a high CFM (around 9 CFM's I seem to remember). Yeah I gather you use an industrial size compressor bud? 9CFM Air Compressors are 1g plus, I think I best stick with the electric Random Orbital Sander, I'd barely use it, I'd use it sparesly too, so couldnt justify buying the tool and hiring out a heavy duty compressor all the time either Cheers for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukeyboy2k Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Blimey - that thread was hard work to read! (Long paragraphs). It depends what you want it for really. If you need loads of air tools then a medium to high spec compressor is recommended. If you are just planning to detail/prep/paint your own car then a simple 2.5HP, 50 litre, 9cfm compressor with appropriate tools and electric tools is fine IMO. The first time I sprayed a car last year I sanded the whole thing down by hand, and yes it was really, really hard work. I This time I've used an electric sander with good results (so far). I actually used a 2.5HP, 25 litre, 9cfm compressor and it never needed to catch up whilst doing the spraying. No offence to the guy on SF but I think it was overkill using an air powered sander for his own car (i.e. not doing it professionally as a business) and some of the other tools. Also, do not take it back to bare metal unless you really have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merckx Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Ebay is worth a try, narrow them down by clicking on nearest first. The sellers nearly always want the buyer to pick it up so you'll obviously have less competion when bidding if any at all. I paid £100 for a really nice secondhand one which costs around £320 new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 I still have this (although yet A N Other is supposed to be coming to see it tomorrow, I'll believe it when they show... ) http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=132340&highlight=compressor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxv8 Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 i have one i was going to sell for 50.00,i dont use that often but i have painted bumpers and bonnets with it,its pretty quit aswell as was used in a dentists a while back originally... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 I'd pick your tools, especially the random orbit, and then get a compressor based on the spec they require. Quite a bit of info over on Detailing World after a bit of a time where people bought Mirka air sanders - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk Example: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=49643 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Machine mart have a ange of compressors, i saw one with 12.5 cfm for £300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 12cfm 2.5 hp 250£ machine mart hunter air compressor. I've got one in my garage and its great for small stuff.Spraying is a doddle but needs to catch up on some air tools. My workshop compressor is a bit bigger though..LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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