Which Air Compressor?

[TROOPER88]

I am going to attemp to spray a complete car shell myself and certain areas will need sand blasting first. I am keen to learn as I go.

I have never used an air compressor and know very little about them. I have done a bit of reading on the forums and it seems that if I dont get the right machine it simply may not be powerful enough to run air tools and the like.

I also understand that they need time to 'recharge' so that I need a machine that can run for long enough to say give the shell one complete coat before the machines needs charging.

I dont want to spend a fortune on one and have had a look at the Clarke catolgue and it seems that for circa £300-£400 you can get one.

Does anyone here have one they use that they can recommend??
Or does anyone know exactly what spec I need to carry out the above??

Thank you in advance

[irish boy]

minimum you would need is 100 litre with a separate motor and pump and 3 hp. We import ingersoll rand which is by far the best quality with cast iron head etc, coming in around £370+. There's also sip/draper/sealey but for £100 saving if you looked in our warranty repair department you wouldn't bother.

[TROOPER88]

irish boy said:

minimum you would need is 100 litre with a separate motor and pump and 3 hp. We import ingersoll rand which is by far the best quality with cast iron head etc, coming in around £370+. There's also sip/draper/sealey but for £100 saving if you looked in our warranty repair department you wouldn't bother.

Hi
Thanks for the advice.
Are you saying that the Clarke/Draper/Sealey etc are not up to much?

[irish boy]

They're not bad don't get me wrong...it's just to my mind an extra £100 and you have a trouble free machine for life not something sourced in china to a price. In saying that not everyone must agree with my thinking as we still sell more budget brands.

[TROOPER88]

irish boy said:

They're not bad don't get me wrong...it's just to my mind an extra £100 and you have a trouble free machine for life not something sourced in china to a price. In saying that not everyone must agree with my thinking as we still sell more budget brands.

Thanks mate.
What exact model in the ingersoll rand range would best suit me?
As stated above it needs to be up to:

Paint srpaying: a bare shell ideally one coat on one tank
Sand blasting
Possible air tool use in the future

Thanks
Paul

[irish boy]

trying to find an exact link but don't see one..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ingersoll-Rand-2-2kW-3Hp-Por...

the machine in the link is a 50 litre which is too small for you....you need to get the bigger tank and for that model I can do it for you for 370+. give me an email and i'll work out shipping when i'm back in the office tomorrow but shouldn't be too bad as we have a good relationship with the freight co.

hope that helps!

[redgriff500]

Without wishing to step on any toes....

It depends how often you use it

I agree to buy a good one if you use it daily but for painting an occasional car etc a cheap one will last many years IME.

I have a £60 Aldi one at home for blowing up tyres/air beds and spraying shed, fences / decking - on its 4th year and all good.

I agree you'll need a bigger one but I'd suggest taking a look on Ebay to find a lightly used one.

[TROOPER88]

redgriff500 said:

Without wishing to step on any toes....

It depends how often you use it

I agree to buy a good one if you use it daily but for painting an occasional car etc a cheap one will last many years IME.

I have a £60 Aldi one at home for blowing up tyres/air beds and spraying shed, fences / decking - on its 4th year and all good.

I agree you'll need a bigger one but I'd suggest taking a look on Ebay to find a lightly used one.

Good points.

And to be honest once I have painted the shell it will see very little use....