Category Archives: Tools

Air & C02 Rifles and Pistols, Tools

Sluggish Marauder Mag Fix: Try #2 – Dry Film Lubricants – Not a Good Fix – But Avoid 3-In-1 Dry Lube Because It Isn’t Dry!

1 Comment

Please note that there are three posts in this series.  The method in the third post would fix just about any magazine while the other two helped some of the magazines:

  1. Sluggish Marauder Mag Fix:  Try #1 – Loosen the Center Screw
  2. Sluggish Marauder Mag Fix:  Try #2 – Dry Film Lubricants – Not a Good Fix – But Avoid 3-In-1 Dry Lube Because It Isn’t Dry!
  3. Sluggish Marauder Mag Fix:  Try #3 – Change the Internal Spring Position – This is the best fix!

Now on to the post:

I am less than impressed with Marauder airgun magazines to be honest.  Their spring tension seems to be inconsistent.  The springs are in the same hole and in some cases, simply backing off the center screw was enough.  In other cases, I am finding that it helps to use a dry film lubricant in the magazine.  Why a dry lube?  If you use oil, it will attract dust and grit that will build up and cause problems down the road.  Dry films do not have a liquid that captures contaminants.

I experimented with two types of lubricants – 3-In-1 and also Dupont’s Non-Stick Dry Film Lubricant, which is an aerosol Teflon.  In 3 magazines, the 3-in-1 helped.  In the fourth magazine, tension improved with the use of the Dupont product.   In spraying some test pieces of black Kydex, you can see the Dupont product leaves a thick coat of Teflon behind.  The 3-in-1 leaves a greasy residue.  I am betting contaminants will stick to it. Reviewers of it are not mincing words – despite what the label says, it is not a true dry lube.  The first photo shows the Dupont Teflon powder on the left and the greasy/oily feeling residue of the 3-in-1 on the right.  The second photo is a close up of the 3-in-1 residue.

After doing more reading and testing, I have changed all four magazines over to the Dupont product to avoid problems down the road.  To make a long story short, the magazines all turn much more freely and I would tell you do NOT to buy the supposed 3-in-1 dry lube because its greasy surface will likely be a problem down the road.  The next photo shows a magazine with the Teflon residue visible.

The magazines are better but do not feel as snappy as I think they should.  I’d say it helped some but my worst magazine, PA4, still feels way to light.   In my next post, I will adjust the spring position internally.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

USE A DIGITAL PROTRACTOR TO SIMPLY FINDING AND SETTING ANGLES – THE FOWLER MINI-MAG ROCKS!

If you need to quickly and accurate find and set the angles of sin tables, jigs and so forth, a digital protractor is worth its weight in gold and then some.  I’ve had this Fowler Mini-Mag Eelectronic Protractor (PN# 54-422-450-1)  since about 2008 and use it every day for setting the angle of drilling jigs for grips.  It’s small, a breeze to use and the plain 9 volt battery lasts a very long time.  I may change it once every year or two — it’s sure not often.  Fowler says you should get about 250 hours of use from one battery and given how short of a time it runs when I do a set up, it’s no wonder it lasts a long time.

Basically, you zero the protractor, set it one your work piece or jig and record the angle.  The grey circles on the sides of the protractor are magnets that I rarely use.  The photo of it stuck to the side of my drill press’ column is just to show that the magnets can hold it in place.  By the way, I true my table to my drill press’ column so zero for me is the table.

Now this is a precision gauge so I protect it and have never dropped it (knock on wood).  As far as standing up to daily use, it has done great and my shop goes from hot and humid in the summer to below freezing in the winter.  I literally just took the above photos for this blog post and am pretty sure the unit is nine years old or real close to it.  It sits in its box on my shelf except when I need to use it.

I selected this originally because of the Fowler brand name and its specs.  It can measure 90% on each side so 360 degree total with +/- 0.2 degree accuracy.  Yes, that is two tenths of a degree and repeatability is .05 degrees.

Another consideration for me was size.  In the photos, the Mini-Mag is sitting one one if my drilling jigs.  I needed the unit to be relatively small and it certainly is.  It’s 2-3/8″ tall x 2-3/8″ wide x 1-3/8″ thick and its all of my jigs just fine.

Once I got this, I was able to set up faster and the number of times I made a mistake due to the wrong angle plummeted.  Like I said earlier, for me, it’s been worth its weight in gold and then some.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Use an edge finder with a center point to improve drilling accuracy

Growing up on a farm, the only way I knew to locate a hole was to try and get the pointed part of the drill bit over the divot left by the center punch.  In junior high shop class, they showed how to start with a small bit to locate the hole and then go to the correct bit.  At some point in the last 20 years, someone introduced me to center finders.  For guys who eyeball the location of where to drill, these things can make a huge difference and they are usually very affordable.

There are all kinds of edge finders out there – it is a generic label so you need to make sure you get one that will fit your drill press.  My press has a 5/8″ chuck so it can hold just about any diameter edge finder.  The type I use the most has a conical end point that helps you locate where you want to drill via the sharp point or by allowing you to center the press over an existing hole.

This is the edge finder that I use the most – notice the sharp center:

If I am using a center punch, I just make sure all the sides smoothly meet on the edge finder, and adjust the X-Y table until I get the sharp center point exactly over the divot.  I then remove the edge finder and install whatever drill bit I need.  Don’t ram the edge finder into your work or you risk damaging it. By the way, click here if you want to read more about X-Y or Cross Slide tables.

The second use of this type of edge finder is to insert it into a hole to see how you need to adjust the X-Y table, or workpiece directly, to get on center.

Here is an example of the use.  I chuck it in the press and straighten all the sides so the surfaces smoothly meet.  I then gently lower it into this M72 handguard to decide how I need to move my X-Y table.

Edge Finder

I couldn’t take photos and show the unit in the handguard at the same time, but you can see the chuck is off center because the edge finder’s sections no longer smoothly meet.  What I normally do is keep the spindle down, gently insert the tool into the hole in the work piece and adjust the table until all sides of the finder smoothly meet.  Note, this does require that you have your work piece nice and secure and/or a jig that enables you to accurately position the next thing you want to drill in the same spot.  If your work piece can move, then that makes this whole exercise useless.

Edge Finder

See how all of the sides align in the next photo?  The drill is centered on the workpiece now.

Once the surfaces of the finder smoothly meet, you remove the edge finder, install your drill bit and away you go.  This is really handy if you need to duplicate holes on other similar items, make existing holes bigger or deeper, etc.

I have probably 3-4 of these at least.  I have one by my mill, a couple by my drill and a couple in my tool box with all my gauges.  Why?  Because I used to misplace them until I got better toolchests and I replaced a couple of cheap import models with my precise, easier to move quality units from Mitutoyo, Fowler and PEC – depending on what was on sale when I needed them.  I like my Fowler set as it came with a little case.

I literally use my edge finders several times every week and highly recommend them for folks trying to get more accurate positioning for drilling.

 

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Put an X-Y table on your drill press to improve accuracy

2 Comments

One of the problems with a drill table is that you have a platform to hold work but to position the work, you have to move the table.  Some guys are really good at doing this but I am not one of them.  I want to use something that I can precisely move to get a part right where I need it to drill.  Years ago I invested in what is often called an X-Y table as well as a cross-slide table.  It looks like a milling machine’s table and sits on top of the drill press’ table.  It makes a world of difference.  By rotating the hand wheels you can move it left to right as well as front to back.

My exact table is made by Interstate and is 6″ deep x 19″ wide.  The amount it can travel is about 7.5″ x 11″.  Now the one challenge to factor in with these tables is that they are tall.  Mine takes up 5″ and if you have a small drill press or are are height-constrained for whatever reason, that is something you need to think about.  I’d also point out that these things are heavy – the Interstate is all steel

Next, for those of you not familiar with milling machines or it’s been a long time since shop class, those slots in the table are called “T-Slots” and look like an upside down letter T.  The Interstate has 9/16″ T-Slots and I have a clamping set of that size that I use to hold whatever I put on the table – vises, right angles, or even the work itself.  In a couple of the above photos you can see the camping set in the red plastic organizer against the wall.

The X-Y table must be bolted to the drill press table.  To true the table to the press, use either a framing square or a machinist square to line up to a long bit.  On my table it can tilt left and right so I tap it with a mallet to adjust it.  However, my press, and many others, do not have a means to adjust the front-to-back angle so shims must be inserted under the front of the table to lift it up until it is true with the bit.  My press is a Harbor Freight industrial series and it has many admirable aspects, such as a switch that is still working after literally over 10,000 cycles (each grip requires at least three drill operations plus it gets used for many other things as well and I’ve had it for at least 10 years) and the motor is still holding up.  When I took the photos I noticed left-to-right was fine (I check that all the time) but that I needed to re-shim it to get the front-to-back angle back closer to being true.

Something has shifted on my press as you can see it is no longer true from front to back based on the square.

I took a few minutes and fabricated a front shim using a piece of 22 gauge sheet metal, my plasma cutter and belt grinder.  So, with just a bit of work, it’s all nice and true again.  By the way, the reflection on the bit makes it look like there is a gap but the square is nice and flush from top to bottom and it’s sitting square on the table.

As an aside, there is an alternative to tables known as  X-Y vises, sometimes called “cross-slide” vises, that can give you some adjustment but I don’t use them because you are limited to work that can fit in the jaws and you only have the jaws as a means to secure the work.  If that is enough for you, then great.  For me, I prefer the flexibility of a big table with T-Slots so I can do whatever I want to hold work.

So, what are the pros of using a drill press X-Y table:

  • You can dial in the work to right where you want it
  • Big work area with clamps
  • Can adjust the table to move easily or very tightly via the socket head screws you see in the photos

Cons:

  • It does take up space – especially vertically – that might be at a premium
  • It’s fairly heavy and not something for a lightly made press – confirm the weight of your table before you buy it

By the way, one safety note.  This does not turn your drill press into a milling machine.  A mill is designed to handle the sideways stresses and you see this in the bearings, the way the mill is held, etc.  If you try to do milling with a drill press you risk at least ruining the bearings if not having the chuck fail and dangerous metal parts flying everywhere.  In short, it look like a mill but do not use it like a mill.  If you need a mill, buy a mill.

I bought my table years ago from Enco, that is now part of MSC.  They still sell it so click here to see it.

Like so many imported tools, it may be the case that it is made in a factory in China, or where ever, and then sold under other brands.  I notice that Grizzly has one that looks just like it:

You can also find a ton of them on eBay.  I’d do some digging because some of the no-name models do not have very good reviews.  Plamgren is very good and I like my Interstate but some on there may not be so red hot.

You will see wild differences in pricing for tables, clamp sets and what have you.  Check out MSC, eBay and Amazon plus where ever else you find via Google, or recommendations from guys on forums, Facebook, etc. for you before you buy.

Also, if you search on Amazon for cross slide vise, you’ll also see not so well rated vises.  For me to feel good about something, I really want to see at least 30 reviews to have a good sample (this comes from stats for folks who remember that class) and I want the majority of scores to be fours and fives.  When you see five stars and one or two ratings, you have no idea who those people were – they could be employees of the vendor selling them or perhaps they don’t have much experience.  In short, the greater the number of reviews, the better off you are.

The following are links to pages that will open in a separate tab so you can see current product listings:

May 15th:  For all the folks who emailed and called me out on the work area being a mess – you are absolutely right.  I’ll get it cleaned up.  I have a ton of excuses but no valid reasons for it being a mess.

Also, two guys posted saying how happy they are with their Wilton cross-slide vises so that is good to know and share also.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

How to clean an air compressor’s automatic drain – Midwest Control or a Clone

Automatic air compressor drains are fantastic.  An automatic drain makes it so easy to keep the condensate to a minimum in tanks that I recommend them to everyone.  The only time you can’t rely on one is if it is below freezing and ice may cause the little valve to stick open.  For that reason, I switch to a manual ball valve when it gets cold here in Michigan because my shop is unheated.  As soon as spring rolls around, I immediately reinstall my trusty Midwest Controls EAD-25 valve made in 2011.  There are tons and tons of clones out there that range from $11 upwards.

Now, as reliable and simple as these devices are there are some preventive maintenance and routine troubleshooting that need to be done.  Basically, the device has a timer on the top that counts how many minutes until it blows off and then the duration.  An electromagnet is tripped, pulls back against a spring and allows air and condensate to flow out the valve.  This area can and will get dirty from rust and other debris.  This can cause air to leak because of an imperfect seal or even jam the unit open or closed. Fortunately, these are a breeze to work on.

Each spring, before I put the unit back into service, I take it apart and clean it.  At the end of the box is a silver hex nut.  Simply remove it and the washer.  Note how the rubber part of the washer goes to the back.  The metal valve assembly will then slide out of the electro-magnet coil.

  

Next, note the hex nut at the base of the valve assembly.  Loosen it to remove the valve from the brass body.  If you need to, put the body in a vise to hold it while you loosen it.  Personally, I never go crazy tightening mine because there in an O-Ring in there that I do not want to crush so mine can come apart by hand.  Be careful that the parts do not fall out of the valve assembly.  Do this some place where you can keep track of small parts.  There is a tiny double stacked spring in there you do NOT want to lose.

When you turn the valve body upside down, the metal valve itself and the return spring should come out.  I clean the parts and wipe everything down with a coat of silicone.  Look at all the rust and junk on the towel from inside the tubular body of the valve assembly.  Keep track of that little double spring – it is a small spring in a big spring and they will come apart!!

    

I do the same thing with the brass body as well. You’ll see all the dirt.  I blow it out first with compressed air (be sure to wear your safety glasses) and then clean it also.  The rubber face of the valve will sit squarely on that elevated nipple you see.  Do not oil these parts or use anything that will attract dirt. I tend to use silicone spray myself but use whatever you prefer.  Some guys choose not to use anything for fear of causing particles to stick – it’s your call.

Assembly is just the reverse order.  One big tip – I install the spring on the valve and keep it horizontal during reassembly.  Do not just stick the spring in the valve and drop it all back in the tube vertically.  There are good odds the spring will fall out.  By keeping it on its side, you can then screw the tube back onto the brass body and everything will then stay together properly because the spring will be held in position.  I do not tighten the tube back on very tightly – just firm.

 

Once it is reassembled, push the Test button.  You should hear a very crisp snapping sound as the valve opens and closes.  If it does not sound really crisp, or however it normally sounds, then the spring may have fallen out.

Troubleshooting Your Valve

I have really only encountered two types of problems – either there is air leaking out even when the valve should be closed or the valve sticks wide open.

Sometimes you can simply fix this by Pushing the “TEST” button 3-5 times and see if doing so blows the debris free and it closes all the way.  If if does not, then disassemble and clean the valve per the above.

If that valve is frozen open due to frozen moisture, you really need to warm it up.  You can put a light near by to warm it up, use a pipe heater, etc.  My honest recommendation is to switch over to a manual valve.  Your risk that your valve may stick open when you are not around and cause the pressure to drop and the compressor turn on over and over causing wear and using electricity for no reason.  Some guys will put their valves on lamp timers and only let it run for the time they normally use it – for example from 7am to 7pm.  That is what I do but my hours are 6am – 11pm as I have such a crazy schedule but I do turn my compressor off at the breaker box before I leave the shop.

In closing, I really like the automatic air compressor drain valves and I’ve had my Midwest Controls EAD-25 for quite a while now and it is still going strong.  The hints above have certainly helped me out over the years and can apply to many of the automatic drains that use the electromagnetic valve approach.

Here are Midwest Controls automatic drains on eBay (may not show any if none are listed):

Here are other brands of automatic drains with very good reviews on Amazon:

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 3: Add two stage air filters to remove contaminants

5 Comments

If you are just jumping into this three part post, an inline compressed air filter by itself does not work very well when it comes to removing moisture from compressed air but it definite works good as a third step in a thought out moisture control strategy.  If you haven’t read them yet, please read these other posts first:

  1. Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 1:  Drain Your Tank Regularly
  2. Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 2:  Add a Moisture Separation System

Now, as a third step, good filters are definitely needed.   In line filters remove even more moisture and protect your regulators and equipment from debris such as rust.  Filters are a good example of you get what you pay for.  Those really cheap air filters aren’t up to demanding tasks.  Setting shoddy construction to the side for the moment, you will notice that some do not say how fine their filter is (as measured in microns) or give you any indication of the cubic feet minute (CFM) the filter can handle.  You at least need to know the first part.

Buy quality units from a reputably manufacturer.  I like Milton, Parker and PneumaticPlus and they are three of many that are out there.  Everything I am going to write about here, I bought with my own money and actually use or have used so this is not some thinly veiled advertisement.  I’m recommending the various items because they work for me.

In terms of construction, some have a plastic/polycarbonate bowl and they are rated for lower pressures (usually 125-150 PSI) and others have metal bowls and are rated for higher pressures.  For example, my Ingersol Rand 2340 stores the compressed air at 175PSI so I use metal bowls on my filters and drains exposed to that pressure.  In downstream areas with lower pressure, I use filters with polycarbonate bowls.

If you are serious about filtering, you need at least a two stage unit.  The first stage is a coarse air filter and will range from 5-40 microns in terms of filtering element size.  The second stage will be a fine air filter and be remove even smaller particles often down to the 1 to even .01 micron level.  You must have the coarse filter in front or you will plug up the fine air filter real fast and negatively impact your CFM.

When you are shopping for filters, there is an ISO standard to be aware of that some reputable filter companies will reference – ISO8573.1.  Here is a good blog post if you want to learn more.

With that said, let me show you what I actually use.

My inlet air for the filter is 1/2″ because I wanted to provide a lot of flow.  All of my plumbing up to that point is 1/2″ also.  After doing a lot of digging, I opted for a PneumaticPlus SAU4030M-N04DG-MEP which is a combination three stage unit with a 10 micron coarse air particulate filter first, then a 0.3 Micron Coalescing Filter followed by a pressure regulator.

In researching the unit, I found that the rated inlet pressure was 250PSI and the outlet was rated at 150PSI — note these are metal bowls hence the higher pressure rating..  I planned on setting the regulator to 90PSI for my tools and found that the maximum flow would be around 38 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute) @ 90 PSI, which also met my needs.  The two filters also have automatic drains so I don’t have to worry about purging them.

You’ll note the black warmer cable in the last photo – that’s because my shop is unheated in the winter.  The heated cable is on a thermal switch and only turns on at 32F.  This keeps the condensate from freezing in the bowls.  You’ll also note the 1/8″ tubing removing routing the condensate to drain where I want it to.

They both still collect moisture – the first filter more than the second.  Every day, I can see the condensate coming out of the tank, the moisture separator and to a much lesser extent, these filters.   I have been using this set up since August 2016 and really like it.  I usually find zero moisture downstream but I still run basic coarse filters just before my various regulators.  Attached to my plasma cutter, I still run one of their #128647 1 micron air filters just to play it safe.

Downstream, I still have in-line air filters just in case

As a rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to have an air filter just before a regulatory.  Before a couple of my downstream pressure regulators, I run Milton 1018 filters and they are nice.  40 micron coarse filters with 48 SCFM.  This one right here has been in use for a few years and predates the elaborate moisture control system I have in place now.  Look at the rust in the bowl from when I cleaned it!  I still have two of these in daily use and have no complaints.

These inline filters are all bone dry which helps me conclude the upstream moisture control is working pretty well.  They are probably 50-75 feet from the tank in terms of how much line the air must flow through before reaching them.  The dirty bowls are from the mess I had before the current system.  I cleaned them while I was at it hence the above 1018 being disassembled.  A nice feature of this model Milton is that it automatically drains when the pressure in the bowls drops to the point that a spring can pop open and let the condensate out. You can also push the rubber nipple sideways to manually drain it while pressurized.  They are simple and effective coarse filters.

Now the red and black filter is a Craftsman 16009 and it is pretty low end.  When my dad passed away, he left a couple of Sears gift cards that I used to buy three of these filters and some air hose.  When I google them now and read on the Sears website, they do not list the microns.  I suspect it is a 40-50 micron coarse filter but that lack of a rating should throw up flags.  I don’t have the original packaging so I don’t know if it listed it or not.  The one unit left in place was inserted a few years ago to protect the one regulator from backflow from the two airlines just before it The Milton’s drain when the pressure in the bowls drops to the point that a spring can pop open and let the condensate out.  With the Craftsman, you need to turn that little valve screw on the bottom and manually drain it.  Not too bad for casual use but I would not use them again for my stuff.  I should point out that on one filter, the pipe hole not straight!  Also, guys report bowls cracking and no replacement parts so at least that hasn’t happened to me.  I just include them here so you can see what I would not recommend.  You can see the angled/not true pipe hole in the second photo especially.  These are in my parts bin just in case.

5/2/2019 Update – I have replaced all Craftsmen filters with Milton filters.  The PneumaticPlus gear is all still running great.

I hope this three part blog post has given you some ideas on how to reduce moisture in your air lines.  I don’t consider myself an expert or anything close, but just wanted to share what worked for me.  There are some great resources on the Internet if you want to learn more:

The three blog posts in the series are:

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Need Drier Shop Compressed Air? – Step 2: Build a Moisture Separation System

3 Comments

When compressed air leaves a compressor, the the temperature drops as it expands, and moisture condenses on the wall of whatever surface is below the dew point of the air and then runs down to the lowest spot where it is collected and dispose of.  Now the cooling part is critical – just putting an air filter immediately outside of a compressor tank will not accomplish much.  Ideally you want the air to travel and cool for a bit in a metal pipe that is at least 20 feet long.  You may wonder why I mention 20 feet – it’s because I was told 20 feet at a minimum – in other words, I have no basis in engineering, just what guys have told me over the years.  I would just use that as a rule of thumb about how far the air needs to travel at a minimum before you do another round of moisture filtering.  The further the better.

I looked at three simple options when I was considering how to remove the bulk of the moisture from my airlines:

Run your hard air lines at an upward angle and install traps

This is as simple as it sounds.  I like to always install a ball valve and then a quick connect on the tank and run a rubber/flexible airline to the hardline to isolate vibrations. Plug into the airline above a moisture trap like so:

Uphill Hard Line Sample

I investigated this approach but it was going to take up too much space.  I needed to start accessing dry air much closer to my compressor so this was discounted right away.  If I were to build this, I would still use the PneumaticPlus drains referenced in more detail in the next section.

Pros of this approach:  Relatively cheap and easy to build

Cons:  Takes a long distance / not very compact.  It was going to be too long or my needs.

Build a compact moisture separator

Now this is what I do in my shop and it works great.  I use a series of vertical 1/2″ pipes with PneumaticPlus SAD402-N04D-MEP water traps with automatic drains at the bottom of each riser.  Now this works very well.   The vertical pieces are 6 feet tall and the cross sections are 6″.  This is occupying an area about 24″ wide and 8 feet tall.  It’s mounted on the shop wall and out of the way.  Most of the condensation happens in the first pipe. A lesser amount in the second and very little in the third.  It cost about $120 for the plumbing, $56 for each of the automatic drains and then maybe $50 for the  short hoses and 1/2″ fittings.  I installed this in August 2016 and am quite happy with it.

For me, one of the big benefits is with the automatic drains in the water traps.  When the float rises to a certain level there is a quick “pffft” sound and the trap blows out the water and closes again.  It’s not something you have to remember to drain, which is something I am not great at.  Also, when I am doing a lot of work, I might hear the first trap drain twice in one day but that is rare.

 

Sorry I don’t have a photo of the whole system from top to bottom.  I have equipment in front of it now and can’t get a good overall photo.  It’s just too tall for my camera given the limited distance I have to get the photo.

For me, it is really intriguing to see how much condensate is caught in the first trap closest to the compressor.  The second trap has much less and the third is dramatically less than either of the others.  This is not perfect as I still catch moisture in my air filters but it has made a dramatic difference at the end of the line.  When I blow air at a glass or mirror, there isn’t water all over it any more 🙂  I have wondered what would happen if I used 1″ pipe in that first vertical six foot section but have never had the need to spend the money and time to experiment.  In theory, the greater the expansion, the greater the cooling and thus the greater the level of condensation all other things being equal.

By the way, I really like PneumaticPlus.  I actually bought this gear off Amazon with my own money – this is a real review.  Every time I have questions they actually answer their phones and help me.  I had one defective part in one bowl and they immediately sent me a replacement.  In short, not only is the hardware itself good but I like the company behind it too.

You can add 1/8″ tubing to drain the condensate away from the water traps.  I feel it is a good idea to get the water away from the compressor as much as possible:

Pros to this approach:  It actually works, does not need electricity, automatically drains, uses relatively little space

Cons:  The floats could freeze in cold weather so I insulate and heat them in the winter.  I did not have any problems during the 2016/2017 winter with that approach.  It’s a little pricey but it really gets the job done.

By the way, if you can’t afford the automatic drains/traps, then put in ball valves with longer pipes to hold the accumulated condensate and drain them manually.  It definitely works but you must remember to manually drain the traps.

Install a refrigerated air dryer

The last option is the most expensive and that is to install a refrigerated air dryer.  Basically, the warm moist air enters a dryer that is a series of tubes that are refrigerated causing the moisture to condense and then drain out of the unit.  There is a Harbor Freight unit that gets surprisingly good reviews plus many different industrial models to select from.  I have not needed this yet, so I do not have first hand experience.  I’ve read about guys using them to protect their plasma cutters.  I use the above compact moisture separator described above, a two stage air filter system and then a very fine final filter from Hypertherm right before the inlet of my plasma cutter and have not had a problem.

Pros:  You can definitely remove the moisture.  Guys say they really like the low-cost Harbor Freight unit.

Cons:  Expensive and you need electricity for it to work.  It will get pretty dirty in a high dust environment like my shop and need routine cleaning to stay efficient.

If you are interested, here is the link to the HF dryer:  http://www.harborfreight.com/compressed-air-dryer-40211.html

So the first stage of moisture defense in my shop is to keep the tank drained.  Then it is this separator system to get the bulk of the moisture out of the compressed air.  In the last part of the series, I’ll talk about fine air filters.

The three blog posts in the series are:

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 1 Tank Draining Options

3 Comments

In my shop, I need clean dry air for working with the plastics, the abrasive Blaster, and my air tools. It also comes in handy when I’m spraying on finishes such as Molyresin.  I have certainly had my share of problems over the years caused by dirty air including air tool failures, water or oil spraying on paint, clumping of abrasive Blaster media and so forth. As time went on I identified a number of practices that could help reduce moisture in the air lines as well as other contaminants.  I don’t use an inline oiler so most of my issues revolve around water, rust particles (from the tank and hard air lines) and some amount of air compressor oil that makes it past the piston rings.

The fact is that all compressed air systems will have some amount of moisture when first compressed. Natural air contains moisture and as your compressor pumps it into the tank, it is both heating and concentrating it.  Once the temperature drops below where the moisture will settle out of the air, that is known as the “dew point”, that is when the water appears.   Some of it will collect in the bottom of the tank causing rust and some will likely remain in the compressed air.

Now I am not an expert on this stuff but I have had to try and learn a lot over time.  In this post and the two that follow it, I am going to try and explain options I looked at and what I did.  I’m not going to go into a ton of theory or talk about things I didn’t check out.  If I am really wrong on something, please let me know.  If you really want to get into details, check out a cool website called Compressed Air Best Practices that has tons of information.

I live in Michigan and have a ton of moisture to fight.  I have a lot of air powered wrenches and sanders plus an abrasive blast cabinet and plasma cutter so this is a big deal to me – I need clean dry air.   For me, there’s not one single cost effective solution so I approach the reduction of moisture in stages.  The first and cheapest approach is to dry your air is to Drain your tank!  I can’t emphasize this enough!!

As water settles inside the tank, it gets blown all over the place during use plus it is causing your tank to rust and form sediment at the bottom. The best offense is a good defense. Get rid of the water by regularly draining your tank and this may mean several times every day.  Here’s the amount of moisture I blew out the drain after my compressor ran for several hours (and I do mean actual run time). It’s about a half a cup of water if I were to guess:

Water sitting in your tank not only means you have water blowing everywhere in your tank and potentially adding moisture to the outgoing air but it also causes rust inside your tank both adding further contaminates and weakening the tank over time.  We were all young once, right?  I bought some low end Devilbiss compressor 20-25 years ago and had it in the garage.  My dad asked if I had ever drained it and I really hadn’t been diligent about it.  We opened the valve and it was stunning as to how much smelly rusty water came out.  That sold me.  Over the years I have heard stories of blown / leaky corroded tanks but thankfully have never had that happen first hand.  For me, it is the moisture in the lines that is the problem and regular draining of the tank is the first step in combating that.

So, if draining regularly is a good idea, what are our options for small shops?

Use the drain valve that came with the compressor:

Every consumer or prosumer grade compressor I have seen comes with a drain valve.  When you get up to the industrial models, you may see a hole where they expect you to add something but for most small shops what you have will either look like the old petcock valve from a radiator or a round unit like the above.  Even though reaching those things is a total headache, one option is to live with it, reach under the tank and drain it.  If you are a light user, do this when you are done for the day and leave it open letting everything run out or at least let stop after the bulk of the condensation stops.  If you are doing a ton of work, you may need to drain it every few hours vs. at the end of the day.  It all depends on your experience and how much water you see coming out for a given amount of time.  In general, once is a day is fine and by doing it at the end, it doesn’t sit there needlessly for however long until the next use.

Pros with this approach:  Usually is supplied with the compressor so it is ready to go with not additional investment and it does work.
Cons:  Total headache to reach, ejects the water right under the tank waiting to evaporate and go back into the tank not to mention is messy because you can’t readily control where the condensate goes, and you have to remember to do it (which is the hardest thing always).  Also, these drain valves are pretty cheaply made, can corrode and then be a total bear to open. I really dislike these things but they are better than nothing.

If your existing drain fails for some reason, stores and vendors sell exact replacement drains but don’t do that.  Do one of the next two options to make your life easier.  Matter of fact, do one of the next two options as soon as you can to make your life easier.

Replace the cheap original drain with a better positioned ball valve and drain hose

 

Get rid of that awful little stock valve and install a ball valve that is easier to reach.  This can make things so much simpler.  Odds are the old valve is 1/4″.  Remove it and confirm the size.  Install a nipple, a right angle fitting, a long enough piece of pipe, the ball valve itself and then a hose barb (or 1/4″ quick adapter) with a piece of hose that allows you to drain the condensate where ever you want.  Be sure to wrap all the threads with PTFE tape.  I buy most of my plumbing stuff from Home Depot.  In general, I get pneumatic parts and supplies from Amazon such as Milton quick connect fittings, filters, etc.  I always read the reviews and ratings carefully.

One tip, go with whatever length nipple and a female-female right angle pipe fitting to get the greatest flow.  Also, make sure you have enough room for whatever you are installing.  There is often very little clearance between the bottom of the tank and the floor.  On my IR compressor, I use a “street elbow” that, even though has a relative small internal dimension, works just fine to drain water. I have a valve with a good sized handle and it is very easy to access and to turn.

Since my shop is not heated and I live in Michigan, I need to get creative.  The black cable you see is a pipe warmer with a thermal switch that only comes on at 32F to keep the valve from freezing.  I actually have it on a timer so it will only run 7am-10pm – when I am usually in the shop.

The rubber drain line you see is 3/8″ fuel hose pushed over a regular 1/4″ male quick connect fitting and it goes out the corner of my shop’s garage door.  I’ve never needed a hose clamp and it gets the condensate out of my shop.

Pros:  Quick, easy and cheap  It’s also very reliable in cold weather.

Con:  You still need to remember to do it and you can’t constantly do it.

Now, here’s an interesting alternative for low clearance situations.  I have only seen these – I have never used one but they make sense and pretty much anything is better than that hard to reach stock valve in my opinion:

Install an automatic drain and reap the rewards!

This is the last option and one I recommend – Invest in a automatic drain that has adjustments for how often to open and how long to remain open. Let me tell you, that automatic drain is worth its weight in gold when the temperatures are above freezing.  The only time I go back to the ball valve is when temperatures are below freezing and I don’t want the automatic drain to freeze open and it will do just that in cold weather.  When the warm weather comes, I reinstall the automatic drain.

At any rate, the installation is the same as the ball valve except the automated unit goes in place of the manual valve.  My unit is a Midwest Controls EAD-25 that is probably at least 5-6 years old.  Let me put it this way, I have moved it from one compressor to the next probably three times as I wore consumer compressors out.  I currently have an IR 2340 entry-level industrial compressor that has survived for 2-1/2 years, which is remarkable given how I blew through the consumer Husky models.

 

The following photos are of my doing my spring swap wherein I replace my ball valve with my freshly cleaned automatic drain valve:

 

 

 

These automatic drains are simple as can be – the timer trips and an electromagnet turns on and opens the valve for the specified duration.  The timer then cuts the electricity to the electromagnet and springs shove the valve back closed.  The only wear point I can see is the rubber surface on the valve and mine still works fine all these years later.  I just have to take it apart and clean it a few times a year, which I will post about later.  The photos in this post were taken in the spring as I converted back from the ball valve to the automatic drain.

Pros:  It is actually easy to install – just add the pipe and install the automatic unit, plug it in, set the timer and blow-off duration and call it even.  It is the best approach I have found when the weather is above freezing.

Cons:  It can be expensive if you buy a name brand but they last forever (I have never tried another brand as my local tool supplier recommended this one and it is still working!).  They will freeze up in the winter (I put my ball valve back in before it gets super cold as my shop is unheated most of the time) and debris can jam it but it is very easy to clean.

This is the exact model I have:

This is my model except mine has a blue case … it’s old and still working!

Here are automatic drain with very good reviews on Amazon:

In my next post, I’ll explain how to build a condensation based moisture separator and explain some concepts for you to consider.

The three blog posts in the series are:

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.