1980's Ingersoll type 30 model 242 compressor

As i get deeper into projects I find that my current compressor can not keep up with me or my tool demands.

A local career welder has retired and decided to liquidate his home shop. (lots and lots of goodies)

His late model ingersoll rand t-30 compressor has caught my eye and I am strongly considering purchasing it ( along with a few other things )

Manufactured in the eighties its a 2 stage 80 gallon beast that is quiet and has had a good history of maintenance and upkeep. it's dirty but mechanically I believe it to be sound.





I have emailed Ingersoll Rand with hopes of acquiring more information regarding output and parts availability.

From my research so far the early 242 pumps were truly a 3hp pump and were adapted with a 5hp motor to speed them up a bit. The later 253 pumps were 5hp pumps with a better output.


I have purchased a 40# harbor freight media blasting cabinet off of good ol' craigslist for under a $100 and would like a compressor that can keep up with the air demands of 10 cfm @90 Which I think this one can.


Nic

If I were you, I'd forget the "horsepower" thing. What's more important is the CFM rating. The compressor industry got in a lot of trouble over using hp to rate consumer grade compressors. You need to know how many CFM your blast cabinet will use and how many the compressor can supply at the working pressure used. You should be able to get that information from IR. The specs I found say 30 CFM@125 psi.

Attached is the IR t30 data sheets

I'm working to finish a compressor with a 242 pump. Pump was very easy to work on and very common so parts were easy to find.

Industrial compressors, of which early model I/Rs were, will produce about 4.5 CFM per horsepower. So your 3 HP compressor will give you about 13.5 SCFM. A newer style big box store compressor, of which ttpete speaks made in China probably will only produce 13 SCFM with a 5 peak horsepower motor. Far less efficient than the Old I/R.
That I/R is far & away superior than a new box store compressor.

If I were you I would ditch that cheesy air filter and get a good Solberg filter.

By the way it wasn't the American air compressor industry that got into trouble with their horsepower ratings,it was the oriental compressor industry dumping inferior products on us. And of course we Americans bought the stuff forcing the whole industry to cheapen their stuff to compete.

I like the old industrial IR compressors. Sure beats the hell out of their consumer grade junk they make now days.

As far as sandblasting, I think you’ll be pushing that one beyond its limits. Anything other than that, should be plenty fine.

Just be careful not to pay too much. An old 3hp compressor just doesn’t bring that much $.

I was looking to purchase one very similiar to this, thinking that with as big as the compressor and motor are, it must be pretty hight CFM. Called a local dealer and he said 17 cfm MAX. Talk about disappointment. But at least I found out BEFORE buying it.