Yeah, started going down the minifridge compressor rabbit hole… then started thinking about adding an intercooled second stage to really pump up the pressure for more storage capacity. There isn’t any noise when a compessor isn’t running right.
Thanks for entertaining the idea @luc.onthego
Yeap, just get an air tank the size of a weather balloon, fill it during the day when everyone is awake, then run your machine at night. The compressor will be dead silent!
Dan
I just looked it up, fridge compressor are the opposite of an aquarium pump with high pressure (up to 500PSI) and low volume (<1GPM) the question is if the volume (<60GPH) at high pressure is enough for the job at hand.
Personally ide like to have a tiny nozzle (actually multiple nozzles) with a little pressure behind it that can be directed very accurately than a large hose that barely puts out any air.
Amazon.fr as air brush compressor rated at 4bars, 57psi output and only 47 decibels. Under 90 euros. Best bargain yet.
Do you have a link to it?
Yeah buddy
Now take two, machine water jackets and run them inline with your spindle water line. Modify the extrusions to seal and hold air for tank.
I bought this air-brush compressor.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M33C8MV/
It doesn’t give me the CFM that the pancake compressor gave me BUT it is quiet. Can’t hear it with the router on, much less if it’s cutting. Just measured and got 57 db at 1’ above the compressor.
If I were to do it again I would probably get this
https://smile.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA/
Now - while it doesn’t have the air blast it still does fine clearing aluminum chips. I add a mist of alcohol and it cools just fine. (and way cleaner than any oil)
My biggest problem right now is that the coolant value on my mister is messed up and I’m probably gonna have to buy another one. I can’t turn it down so it’s always spraying more coolant than I want. (Yeah maybe I could take apart the valve and fix it but it’s also < $20 and it’s probably smashed by someone over tightening the screw.)
@DanO and @Liferj, thank you for the pointers. A few youtube videos of underwhelming aquarium pump based systems later, I am now leaning towards buying that kind of air brush compressor model (4 bar/57psi, 23l/min / 365GPH, and a super quiet 47dB), figure out a nozzle geometry that will grant a decent air flow, and rely on a separate mechanism for coolant mist (or maybe a simple drip tube). At less than 100$, it’s not a huge commitment anyway, and if it fails I can still learn airbrush painting 
I’ll report back here once I get it and test it.
I reread the initial post. At what point do 50¢ earplugs make sense. I just wear hearing protection and don’t worry about the air compressor. Or is this a problem with neighbors?
Yup, our house has a common wall with our neighbor’s, also the door between my garage and the house is not soundproof, so compressor noise at 10pm is not welcome
I’ve been dealing with the exact same problem. My 16gal Dewalt compressor works great for sandblasting, painting and air tools but is way waaaaay too loud for me to be using it continuously. I’ve been using an airbrush compressor to clear aluminium chips for a while with varying degree of success.
First, I picked up this mister but it was an absolute disaster. https://www.amazon.com/Coolant-Lubrication-Spray-System-Milling/dp/B01C74DL98/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=cnc+mister&qid=1570450669&sr=8-6
Adjustable arm is so flimsy that the nozzle would almost never stay in the desired position and I could never properly adjust the air stream. What a waste of money.
Secondly I picked up this mister, and it was a huge step up in quality, despite still being a cheap unit. https://www.amazon.com/Deal】OriGlam-Coolant-Lubrication-Cutting-Engraving/dp/B071DXGGP4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=cnc+mister&qid=1570450669&sr=8-2 Arm is much more sturdy and the nozzle works so much better. Fantastic with regular air compressor and was giving nice gentle air stream (lol cant really call it a blast) when paired with the airbrush compressor. Not what I was hoping for but sufficient to blow the chips off.
Finally this is the setup I settled on and I’m very happy with the quality and price.
Using this compressor -> https://www.amazon.com/PointZero-Airbrush-Dual-Action-Guns/dp/B010TQCOEE/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=airbrush&qid=1570451163&sr=8-12
Had to cap the coolant hose with an m3 bolt to prevent the air pressure from escaping the system. It’s just a temporary solution.
Gray mister from a second link was connected to the air gun that came with the compressor using 1/8 coupler available at HomeDepot.
Had to tape the gun trigger to keep the air flowing continuously…
Already tested that setup and it’s doing a great job. Plenty air, quiet, not very expensive . All I have left is to extend the coolant hose. It’s a 4mm OD tube. Once I’ll be able to afford my own shop and won’t have to worry about noise I can remove the paint gun from the mister and hook up a regular compressor but for now this is a great setup for me.
Hope it helps.
Thanks a lot for the detailed report, and for making me feel good about my purchase since I essentially bought the same air brush compressor.
The only thing is that the compressor gets extremely hot after running for awhile. Don’t know if I should be concerned with that or not. Also, when I was still using Carbide3D controller, I was getting disconnects every time compressor was turning on and off.
The airbrush compressor I have gets to hot to touch after a few hours of running. I am not fond of that fact but for the time being I’m going to just keep running it until it dies. So far it has been doing ok.
I get occasional disconnects when I power off my router. The compressor hasn’t caused me problems. I have been able to minimize the disconnects by making sure the power cable for it is physically well separated from the USB and stepper cables. I also put some ferrite chokes on a few of the cables. Not sure that helped but I figure it can’t hurt. Running it off a separate surge-protected power strip would also probably help.
Is the compressor on the same circuit as your controller or PC? That could be the cause of your issues if there is a sudden voltage drop when it starts.
I’ve only had this problem when using C3D board. It’s just another version of the infamous EMI/disconnect issue.
Be careful with compressors. The compressing of air causes heat. Not only does the compressor get hot so does the air itself. Continuous use of a small compressor like an airbrush type can cause you to start a fire with dust and/or combustible materials too close to your compressor. An airbursh compressor when used for an airbrush usually does not stay on continiously. You brush a little and the tank gets full and the compressor shuts off. With an open valve cooling and/or blowing your chips the compressor will get quite hot. They are oilless and have nothing to carry the heat generated away but air.
So make sure nothing can fall or get knocked on to the compressor during use. Although you are trying to get the unit quiet the use a a small fan directly on the compressor would help dissipate heat.
@gdon_2003 Thats a good info to have. Thank you. I have two cnc machines standing one next to another and they both need misting setups. I don’t really cut any wood so not that worried about debris catching on fire. Airbrush compressor is doing good job but is not enough to run two machines simultaneously, so I’m actually in the market for another compressor. Originally was thinking about picking up another airbrush compressor but after your comment I started thinking about getting one of these guys -> California Air Compressor
I’m thinking of hooking up two lines to it and control each of them with a solenoid valve so they turn on automatically when the machine starts the program. My question is, with this CAT compressor having a Oil-Free pump am I in the same boat as with the airbrush compressor?
