daniel_jolicoeur Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I don't have compressor, and I am tired of spending $10-$12 on a small can of photo quality air, (the stuff for cleaning computers and electrical is cheaper, but deposits condensation residue) I was thinking of making a high pressure vessle to refill from the air supply where I work. Another thought was to build a device using c02 cartridges that are used on pellet guns. I use alot of air for cleaning out my enlarger to lenses, and once in a while keeping my cat off the counter top. Anybody have any ideas beside buying a compressor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob haight Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Buy a compressor. The small ones are real cheap. Most larger photosupplies carry them. They pay for themselves, over and over and over...again. Stop trashing the enviroment with needless throw away items the compressor eliminates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene m Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 My mother in law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_white2 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 You can either pay someone else to compress air or you can compress it yourself. Home Depot has compressors cheap. Nobody sells compressed air cheap. PJW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j king Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Try an auto parts store for an air storage tank & fill it up at work, since you can get a supply there. It shouldn't cost more than a can or two of the air you are using now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_driscoll2 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 you can buy a small "hobby" air compressor for under $100. These are used by car and train model builders for airbrushing. Any hobby shop in town should have them...Badger makes them if I remember correctly. If not...there are refill cans available and you can fill them at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimvanson Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Welding supply shops will sell all sorts of compressed gasses in various sized refillable containers. You'll need a regulator valve and hose & a blowdown gun. Scale from inside the tank may be an issue.<p>Medical supply shops also deal in compressed gasses. Again you'll require a reg, hoses and gun. The gasses should be pure/scale free.<P>Art supply shops (or the internet) are good sources for oil less compressor's used for air brushing artists. A filter & regulator may be needed as will hoses & blow down gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_cook1 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 The down-side of compressors is that the air is usually filled with condensed moisture and oil fumes. They also tend to make a racket and come on automatically when you least expect it. You need to have nerves of steel. My solution was to purchase a small (8"x24") tank of compressed nitrogen from a local supplier. Same people who supply tall tanks to commercial color labs and hospitals. The whole rig: tank, regulator, hose, etc. was just under $100. When empty, I return the tank and swap it for a full one, paying only for the new gas. Works like a dream. Dry as a bone. Quiet as a morgue. How long does it last? I dunno - that was 1995 and I'm still on my first tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel_jolicoeur Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Thanks for all of your Ideas, and to those who have emailed me. I agree the compressor is to noisey for me. The cheapest way out will be to buy a tank from Harbor freight and fill at at work. I feel so stupid for not thinking of this myself. I like the compressed gas tank idea also. I used to have a Co2 tank for my keg setup back in my drinking days, I can't believe I didn't think of that either. The gas does last forever!!! Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvp Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 The CO<SUB>2</SUB> idea is already in the camera stores; I picked one up a while back. I don't remember the brand but will dig it out if you like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince_pulvirenti Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 If you live near a Costco, they sell dustoff XL 12 oz. cans with nozzel for about $11.00 for a four pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Don't use CO2 intended for pellet guns - the cartridges contain oil designed to keep the internals lubricated and the seals from drying out. OTOH, speaking of airguns, precharged pneumatic airguns have become a big deal. Folks are having their personal tanks charged with breathing quality air by SCUBA shops and, sometimes, by airgun supply shops. Either may do the trick for you. Me, I use the biggest squeeze bulb I could find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wharridge Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 "I use alot of air for cleaning out my enlarger to lenses, and once in a while keeping my cat off the counter top" What pressure & volume do you need to blow the cat off the counter top ? I have a problem with my cat jumping onto my desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Most commerical air compressors are oil type and will have trace amounts of oil in the air they produce unless they are designed for Breathing Air. The Campbell-Hausfeld compressors at the big orange box loose 5% to 10% of their rated airflow after 100 or so hours of operation. Most Craftsman air compressors are DeVilbiss in disguise and the oil free ones deliver their rated airflow after 1000 hours of use. Model #15235 would be good for home use. Be sure to break-in any oil free compressor as teflon rings and bearings must be seated for the compressor to work properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I bought a small can at the photo store for $5 and then noticed that Walmart sells a much larger can, also for $5- they had it by the 1-hour photo department. Makes one wonder if they aren't their own best customer for the stuff. Normal air compressors like at Harbor Freight Tool are designed mainly for tires and pneumatic tools. They are oil lubricated. When you compress air and then recool it, you can get some water condensation. In either case, the air you get from a regular compressor may not be what you want to blow lenses out with. (Note for example that normal air compressor air is not considered breathable). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave schlick Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 your asking for a lot of trouble here.. i thought i could blow off gems with compressed air to view with microscope. have a compressor and used it to blow them fater steaming them so water would not form on bottom etc.. the darn hose has talcom powder in it or some such to make it store longer or whatever. very ugley under 10x... some hoses have oil in them from oilers on compressors to lube tools.. if you use the wrong thing you could do some real damage.. i now use compressed photo air from wall mart and it works good and its fairly cheap.... i had old old hoses on myh shop compressor and they must have blowed clean or some such, worked great on my bellows on 4x5 to get dust out. but would not do it again with new hose.. good luck.. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave schlick Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 also compressed air with a peice of grit in the tube, hose or what ever is a sand blaster, and will take a tiney chunk of coating right of a good lense. been there done that.. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Regarding my suggestion to check with SCUBA and airgun supply shops, let them deal with the hassles of maintaining oil-free, contaminant free compressors. Just buy an approved tank designed for oil-free use (such as for pre-charged pneumatic airguns) and let the shop refill your tank as needed. Beeman's Precision Airguns and various distributors throughout the world and on the web can help with this. They'll be glad to discuss safe handling, refill procedures, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel_jolicoeur Posted October 22, 2003 Author Share Posted October 22, 2003 I used to use the dust off xl on my 35mm stuff. It ruined a few negatives and left condensation streaks on the lens. It is a freon based product. As far as Wal-mart I never new they had the photo quality compressed air $5 bucks a can is still alot compared to the nitrogen. I wasn't going to buy a compressor Just the tank,and fill it with air that has been thru a water trap, but yes there still may be crapp in the tank, & condensation. I will have to check out the air gun supply, and the co2 tank at a Photo shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.w. Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Ditto to the Costco 4-pack canned air. There's no better deal anywhere that I've found. And no danger of oil contamination as from air compressors, either. The cost of the annual Costco membership more than pays for itself if cleanliness of film and equipment is of concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_tucher Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 SCUBA places won't fill a tank for you unless you're a certified diver. A lot of photographers I know brew their own beer. I have CO2 that I use double-duty for both purposes. I also have an old nitrogen burst system that I don't use anymore but could use the tank. They're cheap and probably come with enough gas left to last you forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_esbensen Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I bought a clever refillable thing at Office Depot. It looks just like a disposable can of compressed air, but it has a standard bike valve that you just use to pump it up to 100 psi with a bike pump. The air blasts aren't as powerful as the regular cans of compressed air, but I don't consider that a problem since it still works fine for getting rid of dust. It's called "ReAir". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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