# Badger 180-11 compressor



## Flash53

Has anyone on the forum used or have opinion on the Badger 180-11 air compressor. Acccording to the ad it is 1/12HP, generates 1cfm @20psi, has no regulator or water trap. Not sure how important regulator & trap are.

I have zero experience with airbrushing but thought I would start with getting compressor first. Looking for a basic setup & have budget of about $300 for everything. I think I can get the compressor new for about $125 - $150. Intended use would be HO scale - weathering of track, painting structures perhaps decorating rolling stock (as I gained experience).

Thanks
Steve


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## buffalowings

I don't have experience in model railroading except from when i was a wee child, but I do plastic modeling and i use a airbrush constantly during the process. the badger 180-11 is a diaphragm compressor meaning the airflow isn't 100% constant so the paint/airflow will "pulse" how bad would it pulse i do not know, but a regulator will eliminate that as well as control the psi (air pressure) from what i am reading of the 180-11, the max psi is 48 psi without any regulation. unless you're going to use it to paint basecoats by the dozen without any regard for detail, you NEED (sorry for emphasis if that's rude) but yes..you NEED a regulator, also, a decent regulator usually has a moisture trap built in, that gets rid of any water droplets in the system/airhose (water occurs due to condensation, which can be caused by a multitude of reasons such as moving the compressor to a cooler location or simply from the motor heating and cooling. anywho, most diaphragm compressors are around the same loudness. my personal reccomendation for a person on a budget is the TC20T. it has several benefits over the badger, for one, it has a a tank for air storage, meaning the motor pumps air into the tank until it reaches a maximum pressure and stops, and when air is depleted to a certain stage, the motor switches on again replenishing to resevoir. This has many benefits because it eliminates the issue of pulsing AND it doesn't have to be running the entire time while spraying (with the badger, even with auto shutoff, as soon as the trigger is pressed, the motor starts working. finally, I found my TC-20T off ebay for $110 i think, it included a regulator and a airbrush holder as a bonus. It's not too loud either, much quieter than my er vacuum cleaner and hairbrush. unless you buy a really expensive piston silent cooler you won't really get quieter than that. finally, if you're REALLY on a budget...you could use a inner tube of a car (or monster truck) fill er up, roll it back home and use it until the air is depleted but with $300 you don't need to do that. ALSO please don't use those wimpy compressed air cans. 12-14oz is quickly used up while practicing and by the time you get the hang of spraying, you could have already bought a compressor and regulator.

finally, onto the airbrush, for beginners, I recommend a single action internal mix airbrush over dual action. why? for one, less things to mess with. a dual action controls air pressure and paint flow with one knobish button thingy wingy. this is superbly fancy and can get you all sorts of fancy patterns as well (german mottle camoflouge for example) but it requires that the user be in constant and fine control while a single action, as soon as you set the paint flow, all there is is the motion of the brush and distance. assuming the airflow is alright as well 18-20 psi is what i usually use for hobby acrylics. also, a internal action single action airbrush can makes lines as thin as a pencil line (or even .2mm if required with a simple needle change) personally, I've been using my badger 200 with a medium needle for a while and it's built like a champ, paasche is a reputable brand as well

FINALLY: WARNING TIME... always have adequate ventilation (spraying outside or in a room with all the windows open and maybe even a fan blowing into/out. 

sorry if this was too long winded


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## tjcruiser

B'wings,

Very nice commentary. Thanks for sharing your experience here.

TJ


Search hits:

air compressor tips
airbrush tips
air brush tips


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## inxy

Thanks for the informative post Wings. In the market for an airbrush and compressor. Restoration time. I'll take your picks for both the airbrush and compressor. Also thank Flash for the question - saves me from asking.


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## buffalowings

no problem, another compressor of interest would be this, http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/pas/pasd3000r.htm

not sure whether or not it is really any more quiet than the TC20 though

good luck


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## Flash53

B'wings

Thanks for the info, lots of good detail - I'll set my sights on something with tank, regulator & trap. Hopefully I can source in Canada since shipping from US is deadly - $50+ by USPS. Maybe I can request tank be filled with helium to keep the weight down  In the meantime back to my trusty paintbrush.

Steve


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## Gansett

I have this Harbor Freight gem. Oil lubed, has a regulator and much quieter than my previous non-oil small compressers. It'll run 2 Bostich nail guns at the same time, also air rachets/small impacts. Blows up tires and kids toys no problem. Doesn't constantly cycle on and off so it should be really good for air brush use.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...on-125-psi-portable-air-compressor-67501.html

I'm also in the market for a air brush although leaning toward a dual action internal mix.

Again just my 2¢


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## buffalowings

the compressor you have is a industrial compressor designed for the less finer things in life (blowing up kiddy pools, powering nail guns etc etc) hard to imagine it'll be as quiet as a hobbyist oriented compressor since sound isn't as much a concern for industrial work. But if you can live with the noise level, a general purpose compressor would do nicely


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## NIMT

Steve,
I use a standard Home depot pancake compressor with a water trap and a fine regulator it works perfectly because the compressor runs very little and I can usually air brush for a hour or so between run cycles. Cheap and effective!!!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I have a hobby compressor, and it's pretty noisy!  It's the Miller Model 2000, and I think it makes almost as much noise as my large compressor in the garage. :laugh:


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## Flash53

Searched Home Depot online & they carry Porter Cable compressor cmb15. which seems to be OK for airbrush use??? It has regulator, tank, liteweight and quiet; at least according to the specs. I plan on going out to actually see it tomorrow. Would I need to add any special adaptors to hook up to airbrush, 

I think that I read in earlier thread about a second regulator being added to lower airpressure to low teens or less.

Thinking of Badger 200 as possible airbrush. I have seen a couple of used ones on ebay. Is this something I should stay away from (used airbrush on ebay)?

Is this complete shopping list - air compressor; respirator, moisture trap, additional regulator (maybe) & airbrush (badger 200).


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## waltr

Someone posted the following link (don't remember which forum) and felt it is a very good review of several airbrushes and how they work. Should be worth reading before deciding on an airbrush.
https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/


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## NIMT

Yes steve you need a second regulator, there is one that Home Depot has that also has the water trap right on it and that one works great!
As far as adapting it to the badger you will need to see what size hose it comes with you can get brass pipe adapters to adapt it up to the right size.







H.D. also has that compressor with nail / staple guns and other tools included for a good price too! I use the staple gun a lot in my builds!
I have a badger that I've used for years, not a bad gun either! I bought my wife a really nice Iwata, Eclipse dual action gun, she paints a lot of the buildings!


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