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Water In Hose Problem Solved


Ron Bell

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I am chuffed about this, so please excuse my enthusiasm. For YEARS I have been frustrated by water in my airline that came out as drops through the air brush with the resulting mess on the surface being painted. I can't afford to use nitrogen or other gases that don't hold water, so I went the water trap route. I have two, one in line and one of the cup variety, but even in an air conditioned environment, I still got water. No one I asked had a clue as to what to do. But, with the intervention of the internet, I think I may have solved the problem. Now beware, there's some science content here, so you may want to skip to the end if you're brain is in weekend mode.

 

Apparently, water traps are good at trapping water, but not water vapor. The compression of the air heats it and hot air holds much more water vapor than cool air. If your water traps are so close to the compressor that the air has not cooled sufficiently for the water vapor to turn to water, the vapor passes through the trap and condenses further down the line as a droplet that later shoots out your airbrush. The internet had a simple solution. Put about 50 feet of air hose between your compressor and your water trap. The extra air hose serves as a radiator and the air cools and the water condenses out before the water trap and is there-by caught in that trap. The air in the line after the trap is cooler and is moister free, or at lease water drop free. I've tried it and it works.

 

Now 50 feet of air hose may sound like a lot and maybe the internet was talking about bigger uses than my little set up, but the air hose seemed to come in 50 foot lengths and it only cost $12. Be careful of end fittings. You may need male and/or female and the hose may come with the opposite. You can buy them where you get the hose.

 

Maybe I'm slow and you all know this already, but for those of you like me who have had to endure spritzing airbrushes, here's a possible solution.

 

 

 

 

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Or Ron,

You could stop airbrushing in the shower.... :D

 

Seriously - good tip. I know it gets humid up this way during the summer months, but lately I have not had the "problem" of acutally using my airbrush (too much time spent working on the 1/1 house!)

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My Dad worked in a bodyshop, and did some sideline painting of 1:1 cars in his shop at home. Seems like I remember him coiling and submerging about 20 feet of his airhose in a 5 gallon bucket of cold water...then using an inline moisture trap between there and the spraygun. So, I guess he had a fairly good understanding of the science part...cooling the air would cause the moisture vapor to condense...

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Good tip. The only problem I see is if a modeler has a low power compressor and the long line generates too much static pressure for the compressor to overcome. If that happens, you get little or no air pressure coming out of the brush and/or a compressor burning up. I like the idea of cooling the line, Keith.

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Wow! When I read the thread line I was going to recommend an Endocrinologist. :lol: I never had that problem with any air compressor and I've used diaphragm, piston, oil lubed piston, and I now use a commercial compressor used for Flagship Models pressure casting. My dad also owned a body shop and we never had the problem either. We had a water trap attached to the line coming from the compressor (as I have now on my commercial unit), but since we had a 50 gal tank, the air always had adequate time to cool down unless the compressor was under heavy use (which it was at times). As mentioned, I now have a trap on the compressor AND a trap coming from the air line in my office.

 

Interesting problem though. You must have lots of humidity where you live. I was also wondering if you used one of those thin, plastic hoses that comes with some compressors. If so, that may be the problem since the stiff hose is narrower than the rubber braided hoses most guys use on their air brushes. The narrow, stiff hose would not allow for any expansion and the plastic could encourage condensation. The small diameter would only exasperate the problem. A larger diameter rubber braided hose may be the cure, but you seem to have the problem solved. What diameter/type of hose did you have before, and what diameter/type did you add to remedy the problem?

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Guest Chrgr440RT

"We had a water trap attached to the line coming from the compressor (as I have now on my commercial unit), but since we had a 50 gal tank, the air always had adequate time to cool down unless the compressor was under heavy use (which it was at times)."

 

You're spot on. The small hobby compressors move the air straight from the hot cylinder through the regulator, then through the hose, and to the airbrush. If you use a compressor with a tank, the air has time to cool down and moisture condenses in the tank. That is why you have to drain the tank whenever you are done. I have seen a whole bunch of people have to buy new compressors because they don't drain the tank and it rusts out.

 

I use a small 2 gallon compressor I bought a sears. Cost me all of 99 bucks. It only runs when the pressure in the tank drops below a certain level. When I am done with a full airbrushing session my moisture trap only has a drop or two in it but when i drained the tank at least a tablespoon or two comes out the drain. I have never had a drop of water blow through my airbrush.

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