"Geoffrey Inett" wrote in message
...

snip

Thanks for all your replies: very helpful. This Sealey one looks the
business but I'll have to get a small compressor as well. Any
recommendations, or is that pushing my luck too far?

How long is this bit of string I'm holding?....

Tell us what air tools you want, need or dream of using and I'm sure
someone could suggest suitable compressors/tanks.

Try asking the Window etching boys what they use in their spot blasters,
nothing too harsh there!!
":Jerry:" wrote in message
reenews.net...

"Geoffrey Inett" wrote in message
...

snip

Thanks for all your replies: very helpful. This Sealey one looks the
business but I'll have to get a small compressor as well. Any
recommendations, or is that pushing my luck too far?

How long is this bit of string I'm holding?....

Tell us what air tools you want, need or dream of using and I'm sure
someone could suggest suitable compressors/tanks.

On Mon, 6 Aug 2007 22:44:57 +0100, ":Jerry:"
wrote:


"Geoffrey Inett" wrote in message
...

snip

Thanks for all your replies: very helpful. This Sealey one looks the
business but I'll have to get a small compressor as well. Any
recommendations, or is that pushing my luck too far?

How long is this bit of string I'm holding?....

Tell us what air tools you want, need or dream of using and I'm sure
someone could suggest suitable compressors/tanks.


Could it, just possibly, be a small handheld DIY bead blaster, do you
think?

--

Ian D

"Ian Dalziel" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Aug 2007 22:44:57 +0100, ":Jerry:"

wrote:


"Geoffrey Inett" wrote in message
.. .

snip

Thanks for all your replies: very helpful. This Sealey one looks
the
business but I'll have to get a small compressor as well. Any
recommendations, or is that pushing my luck too far?

How long is this bit of string I'm holding?....

Tell us what air tools you want, need or dream of using and I'm sure
someone could suggest suitable compressors/tanks.


Could it, just possibly, be a small handheld DIY bead blaster, do
you
think?


Yes, but what else, I doubt anyone would buy a compressor/tank for
just one air tool (other than air brushing spray guns), why would
anyone struggle when they could have access to air hacksaws, air
powered air ratchets etc.

On Mon, 6 Aug 2007 22:44:57 +0100, ":Jerry:"
wrote:


"Geoffrey Inett" wrote in message
...

snip

Thanks for all your replies: very helpful. This Sealey one looks the
business but I'll have to get a small compressor as well. Any
recommendations, or is that pushing my luck too far?

How long is this bit of string I'm holding?....

Tell us what air tools you want, need or dream of using and I'm sure
someone could suggest suitable compressors/tanks.

Air tools... like Jerry says, you're opening up a whole new can of
worms!

I initially bought a Clarke Tiger 25 from Machine Mart, intending to use
it for paint spraying. That got nicked, so with the insurance money I
bought a Tiger 35. Now neither compressor has quite enough ooomph for
spraying, but it will manage. A colleague gave me a second Tiger 35,
which I connected in parallel with the first to effectively double the
tank capacity. It works, well enough that I still run them like that.

Next I bought an air tool kit (SIP) and discovered how useful they can
be. I also discovered how much air it takes to feed some of them! Things
like die grinders and orbital sanders _really_ use a high feed rate. As
I now sensibly use an air-fed mask for spraying too, I bought the
biggest compressor I could use at home, which is a 200 litre Sealey
SA1020/3 with a 3HP motor. This does the spraying and the "thirsty"
tools, while the pair of Tigers are housed outside the garage and supply
my air-fed mask and any secondary tools.

Basically there are 4 figures to rate a compressor with. There is the
maximum pressure, which is of little real use. There is the tank
capacity - this is important because you can run your tools longer
before the motor has to kick in. Buy the biggest you can afford &
accomodate. Then there is the amount of air it can supply per minute -
the most important for many tools. Here you will find two figures, the
free air displacement, which is the amount of air it actually shifts,
and the free air delilvery, which is the amount it can actually deliver
continuously. My Sealey shifts 14 cubic feet/minute, but can only
actually deliver 10.6 cfm (well on spec at least, it's fitted with a
non-original compressor unit). The Tigers are rated at about half that.
You'll be lucky to get much over 15 cfm on single phase anyway.


I haven't used one of these, so I can't directly recommend it, but on
paper Machine Mart's Clarke Hunter 60 looks very good value - 12.5 cfm
displacement, 50 litre tank, at just under £212 (compared with a rrp of
around £700 for my Sealey!)
--
Regards, Chris (Please take out my car to reply by plain text email)
---1967 Riley Elf---1978 Mini 1000---1971 Mini Clubman---
----1972 Mini Clubman estate----------1979 Ford Capri----
-----1966 Triumph Herald Estate------1957 Standard 8-----