I've been looking on the site and through the forums, but I can't find many specs on compressors. What specs would you reccomend? I can get one that delivers 5.4CFM, will that do? I figure 7 feet of hose x 2.5in radius works out to ~11.5 cubic feet. This seems like it would not work but I don't know much about air compressors.
Thanks for any help
Air Compressors for Pneumatic Press
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Air Compressors for Pneumatic Press
Go to Heaven, ski like Hell
Pretty much any compressor will do. Mine is a quite old and tired compressor that works just fine. I think it has a 1/2 horse motor, but I could be wrong. I got it for $40 on craigslist if that explains anything. My feeling is that because my air bladder leaks a bit, and the compressor has to run for extended periods of time that it is nice to have a compressor that wasn't a huge investment.
Hi guys,
Basically, you've got it correct regarding the compressor and bladder. I'll try to help out a bit more. Most compressors have built-in pressure settings that control when the compressor will shut off when it is full of air, and when it will turn on again if some of the air in the reservoir tank is drained off. As an example, my compressor shuts off when it is full at 110 lbs. If I use enough air to drain the tank back down to 80 lbs, the compressor will come back on and pump back up to 110. Most compressors also have a built-in supply line pressure regulator. If you set it at 50 lbs, the compressor will theoretically maintain that discharge pressure as long as you don't exceed your compressor's CFM (cubic feet per minite) limit. So, regarding the bladder, if you want to press at 50 lbs, just set your discharge regulator at 50 lbs and leave your compressor turned on. After your bladder is full at 50 lbs, your compressor would theoretically shut off and only come again if you have a leak in your bladder or supply lines (which most of us do... at least a little one or two) that causes the pressure in your reservoir tank to drop below it's pre-set limit. Just make sure that your compressor's pre-set lower limit is higher than your pressing pressure. If it isn't, your bladder pressure will fluctuate which could cause your ski to actually delaminate while still in the press... you really want to maintain a constant pressure in the bladder. On my bladder set-up, I even installed a second high quality pressure regulator at the pressure hose/bladder junction. I set it at my desired pressing pressure and set the compressor output regulator about 10 lbs higher. Even though I have a very small leak or two, my bladder maintains a very constant pressure, and once in awhile, my compressor will come on and pump the reservoir tank back up to 110 lbs. I have a heated press, so I only have the system on for an hour or so. But, if you are curing at room temp, you'll certainly want to leave your compressor turned on just in case you have a small leak, or in case you develope a leak during the time that you are pressing.
Hope that helps.
G-man
Basically, you've got it correct regarding the compressor and bladder. I'll try to help out a bit more. Most compressors have built-in pressure settings that control when the compressor will shut off when it is full of air, and when it will turn on again if some of the air in the reservoir tank is drained off. As an example, my compressor shuts off when it is full at 110 lbs. If I use enough air to drain the tank back down to 80 lbs, the compressor will come back on and pump back up to 110. Most compressors also have a built-in supply line pressure regulator. If you set it at 50 lbs, the compressor will theoretically maintain that discharge pressure as long as you don't exceed your compressor's CFM (cubic feet per minite) limit. So, regarding the bladder, if you want to press at 50 lbs, just set your discharge regulator at 50 lbs and leave your compressor turned on. After your bladder is full at 50 lbs, your compressor would theoretically shut off and only come again if you have a leak in your bladder or supply lines (which most of us do... at least a little one or two) that causes the pressure in your reservoir tank to drop below it's pre-set limit. Just make sure that your compressor's pre-set lower limit is higher than your pressing pressure. If it isn't, your bladder pressure will fluctuate which could cause your ski to actually delaminate while still in the press... you really want to maintain a constant pressure in the bladder. On my bladder set-up, I even installed a second high quality pressure regulator at the pressure hose/bladder junction. I set it at my desired pressing pressure and set the compressor output regulator about 10 lbs higher. Even though I have a very small leak or two, my bladder maintains a very constant pressure, and once in awhile, my compressor will come on and pump the reservoir tank back up to 110 lbs. I have a heated press, so I only have the system on for an hour or so. But, if you are curing at room temp, you'll certainly want to leave your compressor turned on just in case you have a small leak, or in case you develope a leak during the time that you are pressing.
Hope that helps.
G-man
Yup, G-Man got it spot on. In my case, my "heated" press is not all that warm, about 105 to 115 F, so I press for a long time. Additionally, since my bladder has been used for several pairs of skis, it has developed many leaks. My compressor has a really small tank as well, so it cycles every 5 minutes or so. As you can imagine, running it like this is not very good for the compressor as it gets pretty warm, so that is why I didn't spend a whole lot of money on the compressor. In my next press, I am going to do things a little different, but for now, this system works.