Above 1200 Sq/FT The ASYLUM - Happy 40th Birthday to Me! (Est. 2005)

shopnut · Jun 24, 2014

BlackSheepSpeedShop - Thanks. What you expected? Does that mean I'm becoming predictable?!?

Pointbock - Currently, my inventory is all in my head and it doesn't always work that well. But moving stuff around and organizing every now and then helps to keep stuff fresh in my mind. I'm sure I have several of those "safe spots" just waiting to be re-discovered - it will be like Christmas when I finally stumble on them

.

R1chy - LOL. I'm not proud of this, but I probably have some stuff that has been in storage around 30 years now. Why I keep some of the stuff, I'll never know. Luckily though, these doors were bought maybe 3-4 years ago so they were staring me in the face anytime I dug around in the side loft for something so no problem finding them.

Vernmotor - "Overkill"? What is this strange word you speak of?

Wingnut65 - Yeah, I guess I have a knack for over-complicating things. But, I gotta be me! I do keep hearing this pitiful sound coming from the shop and can't quite figure out what it is. Maybe I need to be tested for this car deafness Vernmotor speaks of :dunno:

rieferman - Thanks so much for the kind words. Hopefully the work will be winding down soon and then the real playtime can begin.

shopnut · Jun 24, 2014

GETTING A LITTLE FURTHER ON THE COMPRESSOR PANEL…

A little R&R has kept me from my duties in the Asylum (luckily they granted me a pass out of this place for a short time), but everyone needs a little rest. Mine came in the form of a trip back home which included great visit with my family during my niece's wedding, a few gatherings with high school and college buddies, some racing action at Road America, and topped off with a surprise ride in a Ferrari 360 Spider (incredible car, btw!). But in the end, there is no place like home, and I'm happy to get back to "work" here (yes, I know, I'm a sick man!)

So back to the compressor panel. As I mentioned, the panel was just a bit too short and I needed to add about two inches on it. I did this by buying another push panel and hiding the seem right where the regular knob sticks through. In order to add the hole right on the seam, I attached both plates to a board and ran the hole saw through both at once.

Here it is with it roughly mounted to the wall with some black screws. A view is included from behind as well.

It will be trimmed with a black bezel for a little contrast (and hide my crude edges!).

I still haven't permanently mounted the 220V timer, but it will go in that void below the panel, behind a hinged door.

shopnut · Jun 26, 2014

20 TON SHOP PRESS…

These go on sale quite often, but I decided the time was right to make the plunge with a sale dropping it to $154 at Harbor Freight (Item 60603).

Here are the parts all laid out ready to go together (for those wondering what to expect when buying one)

Here it is with the basic frame put together.

And all together.

For mobility, I added some casters. I had the large casters available from moving the air compressor around, but decided they were way oversized for this job and saved them for a more demanding job. Instead, I took Bob Heine’s advice from several years ago and bought a 1000 lb capacity moving dolly and modified it to fit on there (Thanks Bob!).

Now with the base feet off the floor a few inches, they potentially are angle busters. So I added a little edge trim to save my skin or anything else they may come into contact with.

The silver paint on the press is a good match for the shop, but I will eventually add some checkered flag tape to make it really feel at home in the Asylum. I can’t decide between the white or yellow.

I also still need to add a board down at the base to give me a spot to store any tooling I pick up for it. I’ll probably get around to it after those black arbor plates fall off and chip my floor for the 3rd time

colin39 · Jun 26, 2014

Ya cant beat a good press in a workshop. I think the white check will look the part bud. Had a good bit of rain here this arvo, lol,cant even say it cleared the air. Still its still better than at home.

shopnut · Jun 26, 2014

colin39 - By the looks of it, you DEFINITELY made it to Florida! You'll learn quick enough that it's best to not plan any important outdoor activities between 3 and 7 pm this time of year, unless of course, your activities involve wearing a wetsuit

colin39 · Jun 27, 2014

shopnut said:
colin39 - By the looks of it, you DEFINITELY made it to Florida! You'll learn quick enough that it's best to not plan any important outdoor activities between 3 and 7 pm this time of year, unless of course, your activities involve wearing a wetsuit

1st time we have come over at this time of the year, we normally do oct, love halloween in the usa, its not the same in the Y-uk. Still loving it though, had a relaxing day yesterday and a bit of jus looking around and re familiarising ourselfs with the roads, cant believe how much has changed since 2009.

E12-535iTurbo · Jun 27, 2014

Hell yeah! It's nice to see you have all the same ideas about a compressor setup as I did. (been thinking about for weeks on and off. Feeling I'm overcomplicating things but if it's not right it just isn't right, right?) I feel confident now to start buying parts and not having to bin items. Thanks for sharing it's been a great read.

flybefree · Jun 29, 2014

Shopnut: I like the compressor discussion, I have my compressor pretty much just plugged in and have only this summer started to wonder if I should do something to cool/dry the air.

v/r

Shaun

akdiesel · Jun 29, 2014

shopnut

Great work on the gauge pod. I will be utilizing the remote monitoring and control system when I upgrade.
Thank you.

JCQuick · Jun 29, 2014

I want video of said unit working

shopnut · Jun 30, 2014

colin39 – Oct through April is my favorite time around here. Summer isn’t bad if you enjoy playing in the water. They always tell us the afternoon rains are nature’s way of cooling this place down when it hits the mid-90F temps.

E12-535ITurbo – Go for it. If it doesn’t work out, use the parts on the next crazy project! I wish I had some additional run time on the system so I could comment on the longevity of the parts, but you will have to wait a while to get that kind of feedback from me. Feel free to offer up suggestions or comments on what you discover while putting your system together. Thanks for stopping in.

flybefree – There is definitely a difference in humidity levels between your location and mine, but I bet you would be amazed at how much moisture can still be pulled out of the air. I’m really looking forward to the auto-drain feature for the tank and the outlet air. Those are things that tend to be forgotten very easily.

akdiesel – Thanks. I think it will be nice having everything in one spot down at eye level (or slightly below). I probably should have left a little room for expansion on that panel though – who knows what I might want to add someday.

JCQuick – Are you expecting this compressor to actually work someday?

It seems like I have been working on it forever (mostly because I have!), but things (and the heat) keep distracting me and slowing me down. Plus, it doesn’t help that my old compressor is still functional, so it is not an emergency. Maybe selling the old one will push getting the new compressor running higher on the priority list. :dunno:

Amazzen · Jun 30, 2014

shopnut said:
JCQuick – Thanks for the info. Coolers on the belt guard utilizing the pulley/fan seems to be a popular way of doing it. I’m a little hesitant to do this on my cheap compressor, however, because it probably relies on ambient air to be cooling the compressor head rather than preheated air

In regards to those refrigerated systems... Sounds like they were designed perfectly – not a bit of cooling was going to waste for you to feel.

Bob Heine – Just a follow-up... Here’s a visual on what I might try replacing my pump outlet tube with (disregard the end fittings):

I stumbled on them last night and there appears to be quite a variety of them for the beer homebrew DIY’er. They call them Wort Chillers. Certainly it won’t be as effective as something with cooling fins, but is has to help somewhat.

Hey Shopnut,

Looks like this one's taking a bit of time and I'm very interested in seeing how your design works out. Love the control panel.

I have a similar compressor and I have to say, if I lived in a southern state... this puppy would definitely be OUTSIDE.

Anyhow, I installed a chiller a couple of years back and still had water in the lines. I knew it was due to the proximity of the unit to the compressor, so today I finally reinstalled it 50 feet down the way and so far so good!

I have 2 large filters at the spray booth, but it will be good to give my air tools some dry air for a change.

Fingers crossed (for you too!).

Paul

shopnut · Jul 1, 2014

Amazzen said:
Hey Shopnut,

Looks like this one's taking a bit of time and I'm very interested in seeing how your design works out. Love the control panel.

I have a similar compressor and I have to say, if I lived in a southern state... this puppy would definitely be OUTSIDE.

Anyhow, I installed a chiller a couple of years back and still had water in the lines. I knew it was due to the proximity of the unit to the compressor, so today I finally reinstalled it 50 feet down the way and so far so good!

I have 2 large filters at the spray booth, but it will be good to give my air tools some dry air for a change.

Fingers crossed (for you too!).

Paul

Thanks Paul. Yeah, way too long for just a stinking little compressor, right? I'm almost embarrassed about it

.

I must say, it's a bit disheartening knowing that even a purpose-built chiller had some problems removing the moisture. But it won't discourage me from trying a couple of things anyway - it's one of the best ways I've found to really learn something (although sometimes one of the slowest too

).

I mentioned it before, but I planned on placing the big compressor outside for the same reason everyone else wants to - noise. It wasn't until recently that I made a complete 180 turn on that thinking. Many reasons got me to this decision, and hopefully it will be the best one for my current situation. I'm sure mine will run a lot less than yours so noise shouldn't be a major factor.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm learning more about this stuff everyday!

shopnut · Jul 1, 2014

SOME DOORS FOR THE COMPRESSOR CABINET…

I spent most of my visit to the Asylum catching up on yard work (with plenty of rain and sun, it turns into a jungle in a matter of weeks!), but I did manage to find some time to get a little further on the cabinet.

In this picture, the black trim around the door opening was just added. I also added aluminum angle where the lower cabinet will roll in, but it’s hard to see in the picture.

The hinges were originally intended to snap into holes in the door jamb, so I had to trim off the tabs and drill holes for conventional screws. Since there were 8 hinges to modify, I made a simple little drill template to speed up the work.

The original cabinets also had these catches to hold the doors closed, so they were modified slightly to mount in the wood framework.

And the doors finally go on.

It’s starting to look a bit more finished. The second door set should go much faster now that I have the procedure figured out.

shopnut · Jul 5, 2014

A SMALL MOD FOR MY WORK TRUCK…

My old 2003 Avalanche had steps built into the corner of the bumper, making it easy to climb up on an opened tailgate. But the step surface on the corners of the 2013 bumper all but get covered up with the tailgate down, rendering it nearly useless.

I searched quite a bit for some kind of corner bumper assist step but only found them available for pickups. The Avy is based on the Tahoe and Suburban platform, so I guess no one decided it was worth their time to develop a custom step for them.

My search resulted in a part that could be modified relatively easily to mount on the Avalanche bumper yet swing away out of sight when not being used. It’s the AS-550 step from BULLY.

It was originally intended as a swing-out step for the sides of pickup truck beds. It came with “universal” mounting parts that I couldn’t use for my application, but I’m sure will get recycled on another project someday. I was actually quite impressed with the quality of the parts in this kit.

I made one for each corner on the bumper. The passenger side has the custom brackets assembled lying next to it while the driver side step is all built up ready to go on.

In this picture of the passenger side step, the step to shown in its retracted position. It connects to three different spots for rigidity, including the trailer hitch mount.

A similar view with the step swung out 180 degrees. That T-handle underneath is what releases the plunger and allows it to swivel.

This is all you see once it is mounted and the three latching positions are shown.

They are about 8” lower that the top of the bumper and much easier for an old guy like me to step up to. It might not look like much to step on, but it is more than adequate and the raised circles grip your boot sole really well. I’m tempted to drill a hole in each one since they could be great anchor points to tie off a rope for long items like canoes and kayaks.

shopnut · Jul 6, 2014

WIRING AN HOUR METER INTO THE AIR COMPRESSOR CIRCUIT…

As shown earlier, I added this 2" diameter hour meter to my compressor control panel.

To get true elapsed runtime on the motor and pump, the meter needs to connect downstream of the pressure switch. For my compressor, these little 1/4" spade connectors from Radio Shack (#6403064) made it easy to tap into the circuit.

In this picture, the gold taps were slid onto the existing terminals and the black and white motor wires were slid onto those. I installed the blue insulated female spade connector onto one of the taps.

A grommet fits into a small mousehole cutout in pressure switch plastic cover and the black cable runs down to the hour meter.

Here it is with the switch all wired up and put back together. The metal-clad (MC) cable is what brings 220V power up from the timer box.

Back down at the control panel, two spade connectors attach to the back of the meter

flybefree · Jul 6, 2014

Shopnut: I have an auto drainon mine, but during the summer I am still concerned about moisture...watching to see what you come up with. Hour meter...great idea.

Shaun

shopnut · Jul 6, 2014

flybefree said:
Shopnut: I have an auto drainon mine, but during the summer I am still concerned about moisture...watching to see what you come up with. Hour meter...great idea.

Shaun

I've been researching cheap ways to temporarily cool that pump output air and I think the best choice for me will be some sort of counterflow water chiller. Why? Because I can run the cooling water only when I need it. I don't need dry air for things like blowing the tractor off when I'm done mowing. But having dry air when I'm sand blasting or painting will be essential. Cooling water will only need to flow when the pump is running so I don't see too much water being used for my limited projects. Stay tuned and I will be happy share what I learn. Those beer brewing people are giving me a lot of great ideas - gotta love them (for a number of reasons)! :beer:

flybefree · Jul 7, 2014

Staying tuned!

Shaun

shopnut · Jul 8, 2014

SWITCHING TO PLAN "B" FOR THE COMPRESSOR TIMER…

I had two high-amp timers sitting on the shelf when I started this project. I originally chose the Paragon model because it had a 220V clock motor in it and that matched the compressor wiring. But upon closer examination, I discovered the contacts were only rated for 1 HP per pole, which just wouldn't cut it. The compressor pulls 6 HP upon startup, and 3.2 while running.

So I ended up going with option B, an Intermatic brand timer with a 5 HP rating per pole.

The much stronger snap action of the contacts lent itself better to adding on my remote trigger too. The following pictures show how I rigged up a little push/pull mechanism so I can hide the timer box behind a door.

Instead of the choke cable I bought, I used an old throttle cable from a push mower and it worked out nicely. I will make a cover plate with a slot in it to match the main compressor panel.

Some videos of it working will follow shortly. Yes, I said VIDEOS!

.

BlackSheepSpeedShop · Jul 8, 2014

Video! Awesome!!!

shopnut · Jul 8, 2014

** VIDEO ALERT ** - THE COMPRESSOR GETTING SWITCHED ON…

I was overdue to post a video, so here are a couple showing the air compressor getting switched on and off. Hopefully it's all you dreamed it would be! LOL

Click on this picture to see the youtube video where I first switch on the main power to the compressor via a remote lever to the 7-day timer. I then activate the second timer (12-hour spring wound version) which controls the air-actuated ball valve and supplies air to the shop air loop. Tank pressure is on the right gauge and you see it dip temporarily when the ball valve opens and closes because they share the same tee in the circuit. Regulated pressure is on the left gauge and you see it come up to pressure when I rotate the top timer knob.

Video of Air Compressor getting switched on (click on picture):

.

Click on this next picture to see how I rigged up a way to remote actuate the timer switch with an old mower throttle cable. When completed, all you will see on the outside of the panel is the knob sticking through and a small placard labeled with ON and OFF. It ended up having a great snap action to it and you probably can tell I was enjoying flipping it

Video of remote trigger for Air Compressor timer (click on picture):

akdiesel · Jul 9, 2014

shopnut

Very clever and industrial.

shopnut · Jul 10, 2014

akdiesel said:
shopnut

Very clever and industrial.

Thanks. Its kind of funny how the old mower throttle that had been sitting in the attic for 25 years ended up being the best solution. The bad thing about it is, now I'm not going to throw anything out thinking it might be useable someday!

shopnut · Jul 10, 2014

WIRING THE 110V COMPRESSOR ACCESSORY CIRCUIT…

Recall that a second timer was added to the far right side of the compressor control panel. It’s the type you wind it up to the desired ON time and it switches off once it counts down to zero.

This 110V circuit is for powering the following:
1 - tank drain circuit consisting of two 3-way solenoid valves
2 - air-actuated 1/2" ball valve with solenoid pilot valve (shop air loop)
3 - cooling fan for the "semi-soundproof" compressor cabinet

This turned out to be easier than I had planned because I used the Intermatic 7-day timer. Since I already had 110V power running to it for the clock motor, it became a convenient J-box for all other 110V functions.

I cut some slots in the wood supports for the cables to run through.

The wiring to the drain valves and ball valve is now finished. Power comes in via the orange cord and it distributed out to the 3 solenoids from there.

Since I don't know exactly where the cooling fan will be located yet, I left this green supply cord just dangling for the moment. The fan has a 6 foot cord on it as well so I have plenty of length available.

I bought a bicycle water bottle bracket and will be using a peanut container for a water catch reservoir. I'm not certain if it will be big enough yet - time will tell. It will be located behind the lower rolling cabinet for easy access.

shopnut · Jul 14, 2014

AN AFTERCOOLER FOR THE COMPRESSOR…

In an effort to minimize moisture in my compressed air system, I will be adding some type of aftercooler. A cooler between the pump and tank makes the most sense to me because the heat transfer potential is greatest due to very high temperature differential with the ambient air. Pulling some moisture out at this point in the system may also reduce the amount of water my tank will see. Another thing I noticed was that the tank holds just a little bit more air at a lower temperature.

I think I have read just about every thread on the Garage Journal (and many other sites) regarding the aftercooler topic. Everything from homemade Franzinator pipes to expensive refrigeration units have been tried/used to cool the hot air exiting the pump. I still have dreams of some water-cooled system after reading about what many beer brewers and moonshine makers do (such as Wort chillers, reflux condensers, and Liebig columns) that could be activated when I needed really dry air, but I will save that upgrade for later.

It seems one of the most cost effective routes is an air-to-air cooler (such as a an automotive trans or oil cooler) with an auxiliary fan blowing on it, and many have proven that works. Parts can be had for under $100. But since I had a 20 foot length of soft copper tubing already on hand, I decided to give this simple method a try.

Total cost of a homemade version will be about $70, and the breakdown is as follows:
- 20 feet of copper tubing - $40
- 6” diameter X 24” duct - $3
- 4” diameter X 24” duct - $3
- 6” inline duct fan - $24

It will be installed here in my compressor cabinet. This picture shows 4” ductwork, but I have since upgraded to 6” due to coiling limitations.

As an upgrade to what is shown, I intend to install a water separator after the cooler if the air is cool enough (reference the blue line in the diagram above). If still above the max operating temp of my separator (140 degrees), I will simply add a water drain. A convenient spot to mount the separate for me was down by one foot of the tank.

I’m still putting it together, but this may give you some idea of what parts are being used. It shows the 4" and rather bent up 6” duct, along with the coil I rolled that will fit between the inner and outer walls formed by them.

I had some fun coiling the copper, but I was successful and will explain that in a bit more detail later.

OTHER MISC WORK ON THE COMPRESSOR…

The upper door set was added.

I added a cutout in the timer box for the remote cable switch so the door can finally latch shut.

Here is the duct adapter ($8) that will draw hot air out of the top of the cabinet. An 8” inline duct fan ($26) will be connected to it to move the air.

ODIS · Jul 16, 2014

Great Work!

E12-535iTurbo · Jul 17, 2014

shopnut said:
An 8” inline duct fan ($26) will be connected to it to move the air.

How much air does the fan move? I've three little fans that move 210 m^3/h and I'm wondering if this will be enough for cooling my low budget tiny single piston compressor (210L/min).

nine4gmc · Jul 17, 2014

In for info!

shopnut · Jul 17, 2014

ODIS – Thanks. I’m really ready for this “little” project to be behind me – I have a whole wall full of cabinets to build yet!

E12-535iTurbo – The Amazon links for the three different fans I purchased follow. Although none of them are actually installed yet, I did plug them in to make sure them worked as soon as they arrived. The 4” version is whisper quiet. The 6 and 8” are much louder.

In my opinion, the 6” is the most efficient of the bunch, and it is very hard to tell the difference in output between the 6 and 8”. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the fan blade of the 6” fan fits very tightly in the duct (~0.25” or 6mm gap), while the 4 and 8” versions had a much larger gap (~0.50” or 13mm gap) so that could definitely explain it. This is good in my situation because there will be a lot of back pressure in my 6” ducting with the copper coil stuffed in there.

Fan Links:
VenTech DF8 (400 cfm)
VanTech DF6 (240 cfm)
VanTech DF4 (100 cfm)

I threw this simple calc sheet together just out of curiosity. The first three lines list the different size fans with the published flow ratings. The fourth line (in yellow) shows how the air velocity will be increased across my aftercooler coil by blocking the center 4 inches with the inside duct.

nine4gmc – I’m always happy to share anything I’ve learned. I’m not sure what in particular you’re interested in, but just speak up and I will give as much extra detail as you want on any of this. If it’s an aftercooler you seek, I have found dozens of ways to accomplish it.

Wingnut65 · Jul 17, 2014

Man, I take a little R&R to take the family snorkeling and see a couple volcanoes, and you keep working on this same 'little' project! Wow! The only thing I could offer is to see when you will re-label the throttle lever?? But, the Asylum needs more than "On - Off". Maybe "Air - No Air" or "Pressurized - Aborted", "In Use - Sleep Mode", or even "Yes - No". I'm sure you can come up with something...

(Note to self, go home and drain the compressor sump the old way with a wrench!)

Also, that 20-ton press will come in handy. I've thought about getting one, but my space is limited and I really don't need one if I know who does have one! :thumbup:

But, now that it is assembled, I really don't see anything else in the Asylum that is all silver. It really needs some Yellow and Black Attack! And not just tape.. For instance, the 'Ankle Bangers' really would be limited in the injuries if the base was all Asylum Yellow! Top half with the jack would look great black. Just a thought...

I'm interested in your aftercooler. It is something I really should learn about, especially before I think about any final painting on the bus!

shopnut · Jul 17, 2014

Wingnut65 - Sounds like you guys possibly visited an island (or two)? Nice! Man, I need a vacation! I guess I can't complain too much though, I got a surprise ride in a Ferrari on my last one and that's still bouncing around in my head.

Maybe I shouldn't label anything on the compressor control panel and just let people figure it out

. Thanks for the suggestions.

Regarding the press paint - you just love generating more work for me, don't you? (while you go off on family vacations, no less!

) To be honest, that press has a pretty nice paint job on it - kind of a gray/silver metallic. Good on HF! The funny thing about it is I paid $155 for the press and the first accessory I'm considering for it will set me back $279. Overall cost is still pretty reasonable for the extra capability it will give me.

Regarding the aftercooler - all you really need to know is moisture will come out of the air when you cool it. Many attack the issue right out of the pump because the air is hottest and pulling water out there will keep some from ending up in your tank (to sit there until someone drains it!). Many, many ways to accomplish the cooling.

Let's hope I'm still not working on this after you get back from the next family vacation!

shopnut · Jul 17, 2014

IT'S TIME TO DISTILL SOME MOONSHINE…

Well, makin' moonshine with this coil is plan "B" anyways if the aftercooler idea doesn't pan out. This is the 1/2” OD copper tubing I started with.

I’ll admit, I struggled with this task a bit. I had high hopes of making a nice small diameter coil to fit inside 4” dryer duct pipe. I don’t know WHAT I was thinking. Methods like packing the tube with salt, freezing a soapy solution inside, or using fancy tooling may have kept the tube from collapsing at this small bend radius, but it ended up being limited to about a 4.5” ID on the coil with just rolling the raw tubing over a simple drum with some acceptable flattening on the tube.

When I realized 4” OD wasn’t doable, I searched high and low for something larger around the shop that I could wrap the tubing around. Finally I stumbled on the lathe (literally, because it is STILL sitting in the floor on a rolling cart

) and the chuck OD looked just about right. Well, it turned out to be a 5.0” OD, just a hair too big. For some reason (now I know why

), I keep all the “cutouts” when making circular holes. Well, some of them finally came in handy. It just so happened that a number of them were 4.5” OD, so I stacked them up and bolted them to a lathe faceplate and wrapped them with a sock to protect the soft copper a bit.

Here are a few shots during the rolling process. It would have been really cool if I could have used the power of the lathe to roll this coil, but it was a much more delicate operation then that. So it was muscle to the rescue. I still had to be extremely careful not to kink the tube trying to form this tight radius. The larger radius loops that you see in the pictures were where I wanted to extend out from the coil with a straight section later on.

Here’s the (nearly) finished product after a little tweeking to get uniform spacing between loops for good airflow around the entire tube. Ends still need to be be trimmed off and fittings installed.

Okay, I believe that was the hard part (I hope!) and now it’s time to tuck this inside of those concentric ducts.

nine4gmc · Jul 17, 2014

Dumb question here, will the coils still get good airflow between the walls of tubing and part "b", wouldn't they get more being open on either the inside or outside of one tube? I'm sure you have a logical reason behind this so I'll kick back and enjoy the show!

Oh and yes, I am interested in your method of an air cooler, I too have read a bit on the Franzinator and auto trans coolers etc but like to see other ways to skin cats

shopnut · Jul 17, 2014

nine4gmc said:
Dumb question here, will the coils still get good airflow between the walls of tubing and part "b", wouldn't they get more being open on either the inside or outside of one tube? I'm sure you have a logical reason behind this so I'll kick back and enjoy the show!

Oh and yes, I am interested in your method of an air cooler, I too have read a bit on the Franzinator and auto trans coolers etc but like to see other ways to skin cats

Ideally, I would have liked to have found a section of this type of tubing to use for its increased surface area and enhanced heat transfer, but no such luck.

There will be a 1" gap between the 4 and 6" ducts and I intend to center my coil in the gap with about a .25" air gap on each side. This picture kind of shows what I'm talking about with my trial coil. Air should be able to reach all surfaces of the copper tube and I'm hoping the higher air velocity will create some turbulence to help work it between adjacent coil loops a bit, instead of just flowing straight up and out.

I also have one trick up my sleeve to help center it in the gap and at the same time, get a little more surface area with simple parts anyone can buy. Hopefully I can show pictures of that soon.

One other thing I'm using is the principle of "counterflow", which should yield slightly better performance with the hot air flowing down through the coil while the cool air is flowing up through the duct.

I'm still skeptical whether air temp drop will be adequate with this first attempt, but it can't hurt to give it a try. Let's hope too many cats don't have to get skinned

Wingnut65 · Jul 18, 2014

I think you're on to me... we actually hit four and yellow really would be a great accent color. :thumbup:

Now, I'm beginning to understand the concept you are working towards. If the idea is to force the air between the ducts. Just a thought... if it is difficult to get the 4" duct to the size and space you need, all you really need is something in the middle to force air around the copper. PVC or even a wood block turned to the size you need may be easier to get to do what you need.

The more I see the aftercooler need, I may just take my bus to Arizona to paint it and not worry about moisture in my air. It may be the easiest solution...

shopnut · Jul 20, 2014

Wingnut65 - The life of leisure - I really need to try that sometime!

Yeah, a couple of spits of water when you're trying to spray paint a critical part will just ruin your day. It's likely I will be leaving the body panel painting to the professionals (maybe a group discount at some Arizona body shop???

), but for now, I just want reasonably dry air for sandblasting and keeping the tank dry. I'm happy to report that I made some great strides forward this weekend on the compressor and dealing with our moisture-rich FL air.

Thanks for the suggestions. Luckily the $3 aluminum duct worked perfectly so I didn't have to make any wood chips.

shopnut · Jul 21, 2014

THE COMPRESSOR AFTERCOOLER BUILD…

With the coil rolled up, it was time to put this thing together. First, the coil was stuffed in the 6” HVAC duct. The duct was the split kind with an overlapping seam running down its length. You can barely see it, but some high temp silicone heater hose (blue) was used as a spacer so the copper didn’t touch the duct.

I cut some 1” wide slits in the duct to allow the two copper tubes to exit. Some of that same heater hose provided isolation and protection there as well. Note that the slits originate from the duct seam and were cut in about 2”. This made it easy to wrap the duct around the coil and snap it together.

For the center diverter, I used a section of 4” duct, funnel, and a disk of wood to join them together. Note that there is about a .25” gap between the coil and duct.

Here are the parts all laid out before assembly. I used a 6” section of small aluminum channel to create a cross brace, holding the diverter in place. The heater hose basically kept the other end in place. The 6” duct fan (240cfm) is also shown this picture.

Here’s a view looking in the end where the fan will be blowing. I added some 1/2” holes in that support channel to minimize air restriction.

nine4gmc · Jul 21, 2014

Check the airflow with that booster fan attached, they are not designed to force air, only to boost flow on unrestricted tubing. You may need to go with a 6" centrifugal fan, I know for sure it will blow though that .25" gap. Please don't think I'm nitpicking, I have had experience with those duct boosters and centrifugals and the boosters were not worth the time or money I wasted in my application.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/h...gclid=CNS9jfu1178CFahj7AodLX0Arg&gclsrc=aw.ds

mdbeck1 · Jul 21, 2014

So are you going to install temperature gauges at the inlet and outlet so we have some idea of how much heat is pulled out of the air?

Above 1200 Sq/FT The ASYLUM - Happy 40th Birthday to Me! (Est. 2005)

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