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I'm in the process of getting my first airbrush but held up on the gas supply. I originally planned to get a small compressor with tank from home depot or similar but all reviews say they are loud. I'll be using this mostly in my apartment so that I need to avoid noise. So now I'm looking at just a tank of CO2 to use. But there is not a lot of information here.

My question is about how long would say a 20lb tank last? ie hours per tank.

Also what about using other gases like a CO2/argon mix?

I often get stuff for work at a welding store so it's very convenient for me.
Thank you for all your advice

I think that CO2 will freeze paint droplets almost instantly.

I've never tried that though.

I have one of these. I use it in my apartment and it is no louder than a loud whisper. Definitely quieter than normal conversation volume. There is no tank, so the main drawback is that once the compressor heats up you start to get serious moisture, even with a moisture trap. But it works well for what I need.

http://www.harborfreight.com/16-horsepower-58-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-60329-10428.html

obmas wrote:
I originally planned to get a small compressor with tank from home depot or similar but all reviews say they are loud. I'll be using this mostly in my apartment so that I need to avoid noise.

How loud is "loud?" I have a compressor with tank I bought through Dick Blick awhile back, and it is no louder than the TV.

Just buy a compressor. The problem with tanks is you still need to buy a regulator, and once they drop below working pressure they do you no good at all. A cheap compressor is better value for you.

Shop/hardware store compressors are loud, but dedicated airbrush compressors generally aren't. Considering the cost for a basic model (I also use the cheap HF airbrush compressor linked above), I'd say it's a no-brainer. When compared to the cost of buying a regulator, buying/renting a tank, and paying for fills, even a fancier airbrush compressor with a tank is still cheaper, in the long run.

Even if you already owned the necessary gear, you're still using a consumable pressure source that you have to pay to refill, which has all the issues of commercial airbrush propellant cans, only on a larger scale (temperature regulation, pressure drop, etc.).

I have heard of people successfully using alternative air sources, though, from compressed CO2 tanks (for kegs, generally, not for welding) to scuba tanks to "air pigs" - large tire inner-tubes or portable work site air tanks filled up at a local gas station (ideally one that provides free air, for inflating tires). All potentially viable, but I wouldn't consider any of them worth the trouble over an airbrush compressor.

Compressed gas is pretty common - and it isn't a bad source for airbrushes...but canned air sucks.

If you are looking at a decent sized tank of compressed gas (Nitrogen or CO2 are the most common - no need to look at exotics like Argon) it will supply clean, dry air for a very long time for airbrushing. You will need the regulator setup to actually step down to airbrush pressures though. We used to use 20 lb tanks of nitrogen at the body paint booths (not enough reliable power...) and they would last a good 8-10 hour shift with a bit left over still at the end of the day.

Never bothered to actually time it - but I would guess you should be able to get 12 hours of continual painting...probably much more than that to be honest though. Body paints are much thicker and needed higher pressures than what you will be working with. I know a couple of guys who use CO2 for modeling and they say they normally fill up once or twice a year.

You will also not be able to use paintball tanks. As noted CO2 is not suitable. Its too hard to regulate, tends to freeze up, draw liquid, etc. Compressed air is a second type of paintball propellant but the output pressure of all tanks is much too high (appx 850 psi) and you would need a secondary regulator to drop it down to appx 20-40psi. Most secondary paintball regulators will not offer consistent flow as they are designed to drop that low in pressure.

My compressor is a generic TC-20T from TCP Global. Its about as loud as a fan at full speed but has gotten louder over time. Go with an airbrush compressor, They are not as loud as you think they might be.

Your looking at 60-80 bucks for a small quite 20-40 psi compressor ..far cheaper than any tank system you need to get regulators etc for and no need to refill them ..and look for noise levels below 60 decibles...

I posted before about something similar, the CO2 due to cooling will probably mess about with pressure... you will be constantly changing the reg to keep pressure the same, then you might get the freezing too but not sure as you would not be using a lot of gas so you might be ok. What WILL work tho is a divers tank filled with breathable O2, refilled from a dive/scuba shop, last time I got one filled it cost £5 to put it to 300 bar <--- not a typo, they hold STUPID pressure and at 10-20 psi with an airbrush would probably last till the 41st millenium, i dont use one myself but know a few guys who do use them with zero issues except needing a few adapters etc to get the connectors right and a proper scuba reg to drop the pressure down then an automotive/spray type regulator after to control the pressure once the main one drops it to a normal level otherwise the tank would blow the dung out of the standard one as soon as you open the tank. water traps etc arnt needed with these setups as they are 100% clean breathable air.
very compact silent solution, its no bigger than a fire extinguisher.

Get yourself as large a tank as you can fit into your area, Ive got a 24L mobile reciever from SIP in the UK.

You can fill this up, as many times as you like.
You cna use the tyre inflation thing at the local garrage, or a larger compressor out in the shed or something like that.

I've been filling my 24L tank to 7 bars with a 1.5hp compressor out in my shed during the day, and using it at night inside the house, I get approx 60-90minutes of solid air at about 15psi.

There is no cooling issues with CO2. The tanks are not filled with cryogenic liquids - it is a gas.

Regulating is easy, provided you have a good regulator. If you couldn't regulate compressed gases like CO2 or nitrogen, all the bars and welding shops throughout the world would shut down.

Cheap systems (like those used in paint ball guns) are NOT what he is talking about. A 20 lb tank is about the size of a scuba tank and used for small welding rigs and beer kegs/soda. They come with primary and secondary regulators as pretty much standard equipment - though he will need to ensure that the secondary is able to go down to 10 PSI as many of the other uses for compressed gases do not need that level of control.

The issue with freezing that people seem to be stuck on has nothing to do with CO2, Nitrogen, Helium or any other gas. It is a function of the gas law. When pressurized gas becomes unpressurized there is a rapid drop in temperature (PV = T). With cheap systems - like paintball guns, which are not well cared for you have leaks in the system that allow wet air to be sucked into the pressurized stream through the venturi effect. You also have a rapid release of gas at the breach when the trigger is pulled (as opposed to a comparatively very gentle release from the nozzle of an airbrush).

Because the volume is so much larger with a 20lb cylinder, you do not have the same freezing issues of canned air. That goes to the V of the PV=T equation. The drop in pressure while using the tank is fractional. Ambient air temperature is more than enough to offset it.

Using pure O2 for painting is a very bad idea. Many pigments are metals which can oxidize in a very energetic fashion. Normal air isn't high enough concentration - but pure O2 might be enough to pop it off (not nearly as much fun as LOx I am sure...but at the very least, you would have issues with crosslinking and the acrylic polymers).

CO2, nitrogen or just regular air like Hairy does is all you need. CO2 and Nitrogen are cheap and inert. Whole air is cheaper - and that is about as old a trick as there is for quiet air supplies (a lot of old guys used to use tires as opposed to dedicated air tanks).

Thanks for the advIce. I have a regulator I would just need to ensure I have the right connections. As for cost it's about 12$ a fill for a 20lb tank. If I can find a used one than it would make this method a lot cheaper short term and with little investment. I'll start asking around for one near me. I'm sure someone I know has one they would give me.