I initially purchased a $239.00 Sears oil-less,direct drive, 20 gallon,
compresser that was around 3.5-4HP. Two problems with this comprsser is that I
quickly ran out of air when using an air sander or die grinder, but it was fine
for short use of impact tools and such. The other problem is that it was
extremely noisy. While this type of system runs out of air for a regular spray
paint gun, it has adequate air for the HVLP type guns, plus you don't have to
worry about oil getting into your paint.
I have replaced the above with a $369.00, twin cylinder, 6HP, Campbell
Hausfield, 60 gallon belt drive. This compresser delivers enough air for most
jobs,
but still runs low after about 10 minutes continuous usage of air sanders,
grinders etc. Even with these short comings I find it works for me, as after
10
minutes of continuous sanding or grinding I appreciate a 5 minute break. The
other benefit is that it is quieter than the direct drive. I have made it
even quieter by installing it it my basement and piping the air to the garage,
this also allows it to breath "clean" air when spray painting.. However the
noise in the basemant make my wife a little crazy sometimes, especially if I
forget to turn it off and it cycles on at 2 AM under our bedroom floor.
I have a used, Forgemaster, 115 Volt, gas mig welder, that I purchased for
$150.00, 5 years ago. This is probably a private label of some major brand.
It
has worked quite well but is getting a little long in the tooth. At my
former place of employment I developed a welders crash cart for emergency
repairs
to keep production flowing. This cart could be moved with a fork lift and
contained a Propane powered Ranger Gas Mig/Generator, Acetylene torch, and a
115
Volt Miller Gas Mig to get in the hard to reach places. We had a couple of
certified welders that laughed when I purchase the $450.00 115 Volt Miller Mig.
But they were suitably impressed with it after using it a few times, and began
using it on a regular basis. That says a lot. If I were to get another
welder, I would go for a Miller based on this experience.
At some point in time I would like to purchase an acetylene torch. Does
anyone have a recomendation on an economical system that would only be used
occasionally?
Gary Bouffard
59 TR3A (restored)
59 Bugeye (aka garage clutter)
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