# air compressor for SMART / bumper respray



## pdrpaul (Aug 6, 2013)

hi going to get air compressor as I have loads I need to paint and also want to have a bash at learning SMART repair I have done panel work at college and want to respray my front and rear bumper as the back needs a new one (complete colour change from blue to silver) and front only has corner damage perfect for SMART. an older car too so whatever results it will be better.. anyway looking at Clarke compressor around 14.5 cfm 50 litre and 3hp id imagine this will be enough for SMART but then I see others 
mentions oil or no oil I know u need water trap etc but does this prevent oil contamination too.. also anyone used the similar speced Wolfe belt driven one on ebay. think its around 240 mark.. let me know what you have and how it stands up to spray guns and mini DA sanders rollok tools etc. also any recommendations for machine mart gravity spray guns. I aint spending 4 to 600 on some guns to just start getting a feel for it lol thanks in advance


----------



## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

Hi, no replies so far so I will chip in with the advice I have read on the mig welding forum - buy the biggest compressor you can afford. If you look at the spray guns you want to use they will usually have a minimum cfm. I think the smart repair guys use 50 litre and above, but they need portable ones. If you don't need it to be portable, I would go bigger if you can afford it. Obviously, more cfm means you can use other air tools like sanders or polishers as well.

The fast mover guns seem quite well liked both on here and on the mig forum and would be a cheap gun to start with.

If you register with Machine Mart for emails they frequently send you codes for 10% or 20% off Clarke gear. Well worth registering.

Have a look on the mig forum - they have a section on air compressors. If I recall correctly, the Wolf compressors are considered OK and good value. If you are skint, Aldi do a 50 litre one which is usually discounted down to under a hundred pounds, if you can wait til they come back in.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/


----------



## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

As above - bigger is better.
A comp of 90 or 100 ltrs will last about 4 times longer than an over used 50ltr.
Don't forget the cost of moisture traps.
The Aldi one comes with couplings that don't come as standard on most air tool fittings - which is another added expense to change your comp (or air line) to accept standard fittings.


----------



## pdrpaul (Aug 6, 2013)

thanks lads. really thinking of biting the bullet and getting the wolf Dakota 90 litre it states its 14.5cfm 90 litre tank and 397litres a minute. but the thing putting me off is iv read the couplings don't accept the majority of Clarke spray guns etc.. are these easy and cheap enough to change around?? or il just buy a Clarke one at the Glasgow branch cause iv heard of a few wolf compressors getting broken in transit.


----------



## Graeme1 (Dec 9, 2006)

Couplings are easy enough to change. For spraying you want the hvlp couplings.


----------

