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Air Compressor Restoration.

Shorerider

Shorerider

Staff Member
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Extreme Member
A few weeks ago I was at a Vintage market where they were selling all sorts of old and antique items. I was just about done and spotted this beat up Air Compressor. (2Hp/21L)
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It had an obvious broken aluminum main air line, but other than that the rest looked purely cosmetic. It had a price of $20, so I jumped on it. As I proceeded to pay, the guy behind the counter assured me that the motor was fine, and the broken air line was the only major issue. It was actually still holding good air pressure too!
 
I spent a few hours working on it, swapped out the broken aluminum hose for a copper one, replaced the air regulator and gauges, and a new on/off tap and a few new fittings here and there.
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I even remade the oil plug as the old one was damaged. 
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There's no doubt in my mind that I actually prefer to have restored this compressor, then to have bought one new, regardless of the cost.
 
 
SR.
 
fiveohmike said:
Slick job!
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Thank you. 
 
Chilima said:
Looks like new and for 20 bucks  i say score.
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Thanks, and yes, I think I did well.
 
queequeg152 said:
nice work.
 
you turned that plug yourself?
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Thanks mate. Yep, I made it on one of the lathes at work. Trickiest part was that it sits partially over a lip (as you can see in the pics) so I had to shape the edge by hand so it sat all the way down. It worked out well. 
 
Oh, and by the way, it works perfectly!
 
Shorerider said:
There's no doubt in my mind that I actually prefer to have restored this compressor, then to have bought one new, regardless of the cost.
 
 
SR.
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It's all in the satisfaction, and bringing something back to life as well...
 
Nice.
 
queequeg152 said:
wish i had a f**king lathe... and a mill, and a bending break.  and a new garage foundation to keep it all from cracking the shitty post tensioned job currently there...
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I'd like to get a small Lathe, but they're extremely expensive for a backyard hack like me. I have however turned stuff using a drill and files before, but this only works up to the size of the chuck on the drill which is 10mm for me.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
 
It's all in the satisfaction, and bringing something back to life as well...
 
Nice.
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I couldn't agree more, thanks.
 
 
Dude! Nice, nice job!
 
Before I even started reading I was like, "Aluminum? WTF??? Replace that shiz with copper."
 
A few pics later... vóila! That thing will run all kinds of nail guns etc, even good for HVLP sprayers. It might be a little small for impact wrenches but who cares, right?
 
It looks better than new dude! Good job!
 
Thanks Scovie, I don't even have any air tools yet, but now I have this compressor I can start my collection. Maybe another trip to the vintage market is in order.... :P
 
Be careful buying "vintage" nail guns. if rebuild kits aren't available for them any more then all you'll have is an awkward, heavy, hammer. LOLOL There are rubber seals and rings that wear out (much like a car piston) and they don't make those rebuild kits forever. Here's a tip though, if you buy new... stay away from SENCO. I would suggest a Hitachi NR 83A2. A great all around nail gun that shoots anything from 1-⅜" ring shank nails to 3-½" galvanized framing nails. Full round head (of course). Which brings up another point for "vintage" nail guns. The UBC code changed some years back and requires "full round headed nails now. A lot of old guns had "clipped head" and not only aren't legal for construction but just flat-out aren't available anymore. so finding nails is also something to think about. I have about 60 lbs of Passload clipped head 3-¼" if you want them FREE. LOL you pay the shipping. :rofl:
 
Yes, HVLP sprayers are great for small projects like fence pickets, handrail balusters, air compressors (haha) etc. They only hold about a quart but do a damm nice job for their size.
 
Clipped head nails shown (because of how they stacked them in clips). Nails readily available nowadays are full round head.
 
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Enough rambling? Join me next week when I babble about how tile blades aren't "sharpened", they are "dressed". :rofl:
 
dont forget about the NR90... its like 100 cheaper.  i dont even really know what the differences are between the two... the only thing i dont like about my nr90 nailers is the magazine takes like... 2 and 1/4 strips of nails? why not just 2 strips? or 3 strips? lol it drives me crazy.
 
you can get an extended magazine though. like 80 bucks though.
 
hitachi also makes a nice coil framing nailer for around 300.... if you plan on doing alot of framing joists or soffits... eves that sort of thing, the smaller size would make getting into tight places alot easier.
 
coil nail packs are always a bitch to get though. pretty much amazon/lumber yard only.
 
queequeg152 said:
the magazine takes like... 2 and 1/4 strips of nails? why not just 2 strips? or 3 strips? lol it drives me crazy.
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It takes 2, with room. Kinda like that room above the marks on a measuring cup lol. When you're nailing off 75 sheets of roof sheathing (or HardiBacker underlayment) speed pays the bills. You just hammer out 2 clips at a time and reload fast. LOLOL
 
OH! and DONT get cheap PVC air hose!
 
either get the expensive good year rubber hose with the stamp that that makes it resistant to oils and hydrocarbons? i forget what its called... is very heavy, but it will last forever. i always reccomend it to car people... it will stand up to oils greases and gasoline... stuff like that.
 
if you are just going to run nailers and junk get that urethane type hose. the pvc stuff gets very very stuff after a few years. i buy this stuff called flexzilla, but idk what is available down in australia.

Scoville DeVille said:
 
 
It takes 2, with room. Kinda like that room above the marks on a measuring cup lol. When you're nailing off 75 sheets of roof sheathing (or HardiBacker underlayment) speed pays the bills. You just hammer out 2 clips at a time and reload fast. LOLOL
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i know man... but it drives me crazy. i try to reload when i have like 10 nails left so i can get 2 strips in there to fill it up all the way.
 
how many nails does the nr83 hold?
 
OH shit! Shorerider in down under! I forgot. :rofl:
 
I'm all talking about the UBC code and sheeeit. BWAHAHAHAHAHA
 
Disregard what I said!  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:
 
And what QQ said too. Cheap hoses suck. Period. Don't go getting any "vintage" hoses. hahahaha
 
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