No noise, no worries

[vytautas]

My compressor was getting really bad, so it was time to do something. I had two options: buy a new compressor and hear the noise again, worry about moisture and oil in the air, corrosion in the tank, and etc - or use carbon dioxide. Since I had an unused gas cylinder, I decided to use carbon dioxide to power my airbrush.

 

I had to buy a pressure reducer and several connectors, all of which cost me about 30 euros. The main pressure reducer is adopted for welding and is therefore not precise when needed low pressure. I solved this problem by adding a smaller and more precise reducer that I used to airbrush in the past.

 

The system itself, in my opinion, is safe - the pressure in the cylinder is only about 60 bar because carbon dioxide in the cylinder is in a liquid fraction. The cylinder I have has a volume of 13.4 liters and holds 10 kg of carbon dioxide. One kilo of liquid carbon dioxide evaporates, producing 509 liters of gas, so my cylinder holds 5090 liters of gas. It seems to me that this amount of gas will be enough for me for a long time. And no worries about moisture or oil in compressed air. I like it very much.

 

The feeling is very strange - airbrushing in absolute silence, absolutely without noise. Of course, the room must be well ventilated so that the concentration of carbon dioxide does not exceed the permissible parameters. And it isn't expensive - refueling 10kg carbon dioxide costs in Lithuania from 10 to 18  euros. In other countries, I think the price is similar - carbon dioxide is not expensive gas.

 

 

Vytautas

P.S. Of course, using nitrous oxide instead of carbon dioxide would be much more fun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide)... 

Edited August 29, 2021 by vytautas

[damoore46]

While I am not a chemical engineer, CO2 when it comes in contact with water will produce Carbonic Acid.  This is the same thing that goes into soft drinks and other carbonated foods / drinks.  I know that its not a health problem, but I do not know about long term effects on metals such as the airbrush.  I would suppose that in the amounts we are talking about this would not be a problem, but to be on the safe side I would inspect the airbrush from time to time to make sure everything looks good.

 

David

[vytautas]

On 5/28/2022 at 10:33 PM, damoore46 said:

While I am not a chemical engineer, CO2 when it comes in contact with water will produce Carbonic Acid.  This is the same thing that goes into soft drinks and other carbonated foods / drinks.  I know that its not a health problem, but I do not know about long term effects on metals such as the airbrush.  I would suppose that in the amounts we are talking about this would not be a problem, but to be on the safe side I would inspect the airbrush from time to time to make sure everything looks good.

 

David

Hi, @damoore46
Yes, carbon dioxide with water forms a very weak carbonic acid H2CO3. But this acid is very weak and unstable, and cannot affect the airbrush in any way. Atmospheric oxygen is much more dangerous, as it is a strong oxidizing agent. Carbon dioxide is inert and difficult to enter into chemical reactions, so there is nothing to threaten the airbrush.

 

Vytautas