Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,018 Threads: 53
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Location: The delightful town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
Bought mine from Machine Mart over 30 years ago, still doing the business. Single cylinder belt drive off a 2HP motor, 1.5 kw and a 60 litre tank. It has wheels at one end and a handle at the other. And it plugs into any 13 amp socket.
It's good for paint spraying and adequate for small blasting jobs. Try to do bigger blasting jobs and it's forever running out of air, and it starts to get HOT. Even after 30 years you know it's hot because of the smell of hot paint from the cylinder cooling fins! But it only smells with a lot of grit blasting.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 2,748 Threads: 31
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Location: Auckland, NZ
Quite apart from spray painting, compressors are very useful. Now very affordable. Apart from the air consumption the mess precludes sand blasting for many. The ability to clean things by blowing is very convenient although the dirt goes somewhere. I found it made a huge difference working on lawnmower engines. Can also get needle scale removers which wil run briefly on a medium compressor.
Esp for buildings with old rubber wiring care necessary not to load heavily. For sustained use can sometimes run a heavy lead from an electric stove outlet or other well provided outlet.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 52 Threads: 10
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I use a compressor with 32cfm for blasting in a blasting cabinet. It's well able to keep up
Joined: May 2018 Posts: 331 Threads: 51
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Location: East Sussex Coast
B........er. Turns out to be 3 phase!!!!!!
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 74 Threads: 10
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Depending on the rating/hp it may be an option to re-motor with a single phase. Certainly worth it if the compressor is in good order and a reputable make.
Joined: May 2018 Posts: 331 Threads: 51
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Location: East Sussex Coast
Thanks for that. I am told it's big and heavy. What am I looking for in that regard?
Peter.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 74 Threads: 10
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Perhaps you can find the rating plate on the 3 phase motor? If the compressor is anything over 14cfm then it will be too large for a single phase motor.
Joined: May 2018 Posts: 331 Threads: 51
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Location: East Sussex Coast
Thank you. A previous reply here said that FAD was two thirds of cfm and that anything less than 12 cfm fad would be no good for sandblasting. So am I right in thinking that if I want to sandblast then I will need a 3 phase motor??? Confused?
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 620 Threads: 7
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Location: queensland
I run a twin cylinder 3 hp single phase compressor, with a large 150 L tank.
In a sandblasting cabinet using a suction gun the performance is pathetic, and the compressor can't keep up.
I am in the process of plumbing in a SECOND compressor running in tandem to a Y fitting at the blasting cabinet. I will make sure it plugs in to an electric outlet that is on another circuit. cheers (will be appropriate if it works) Russell
