1980s Sears Air Compressor

[jf2k13]

Hello, everyone. first post here, hope im in the right spot.

Step-dad gave me his air compressor. It was given to him by his father, who purchased it new. It's a Sears Roebuck & Co. Model 919.174210 paint sprayer air compressor. Ive attached some photos1HP, oiled, belt driven. GE MO-6031 110V only electric motor. Not sure what model the pump is. I can make out a few numbers on it. 265-104 and 275. I dont have anything to compare it with but it seems to run fine. Takes about 95 seconds from 0 PSI to 112 PSI.



Good compressor? Will it last another 40 or so years? Think it was purchased new sometime in the 80s. Tank seems to be good condition. No leaks as of yet.

 

[The Cobbler]

you have a nice set up there . assuming the tank is OK, you should get lots of use out of it. Not a powerhouse by any means, but a decent general use compressor

 

[RTM]

919 prefix Craftsman equipment is thought to be DeVilbiss or Ingersoll Rand as the maker. Try searching for those names with your numbers, might help you out figuring out who made it, and which is a model number for the various chunks.

 

[senlow]

I had a Craftsman compressor that was bought in the early '80s. It looks alot like yours. Mine was a DevilPiss, er DeVilbiss. In fact, I bought parts from DeVilbiss when I rebuilt the pump. Those are decent little compressors.

 

[glennm]

I have one like that but it has a leak in the tank. I’m not sure if I can get a tank?

 

[Citation]

Seems fine. Use it. If you can I would build a belt gard. I'm not a fan of having all that open though I know many are ok using it that way.

Your fill times seem good so odds are your pump is healthy. The tank is old so leaks are always a concern but so long as you scrap the tank if it starts to leak you should be fine. When you read about tanks exploding you generally find some decided to "fix" the tank.

 

[finn]

Those Devilbiss sourced Sears compressors were a little noisy, aluminum case and relatively high speed, and all.

Mine is a little larger, 20 gallons with a 2 hp 120/240 motor, but it’s 45 years old and still works fine.

I doubt any of the current crop of direct drive / “silent” compressors will still be in service in another 45 years.

 

[Citation]

Those Devilbiss sourced Sears compressors were a little noisy, aluminum case and relatively high speed, and all.

Mine is a little larger, 20 gallons with a 2 hp 120/240 motor, but it’s 45 years old and still works fine.

I doubt any of the current crop of direct drive / “silent” compressors will still be in service in another 45 years.

They probably won't be... but for the difference in price (especially inflation adjusted) it might be about the same price to replace the silent models every decade. It's definitely cheaper if it saves you the cost of some hearing aids

 

[finn]

They probably won't be... but for the difference in price (especially inflation adjusted) it might be about the same price to replace the silent models every decade. It's definitely cheaper if it saves you the cost of some hearing aids

Those belt driven Devilbiss compressors certainly aren’t silent, unless you’re comparing them to the direct drive compressors that came along later.

There’s probably no reason one couldn’t adapt an intake silencer like the so called “silent” compressors incorporate now.

My Craftsman was a so called Sears Best version. I don’t recall any significant sound control, but it does have a fancy decorative plastic shroud that more or less integrates the regulator and pressure gauges for a more modern look.

I suspect that other than the decorative shroud, and different pump displacements in some cases there wasn’t much different between Good, Better, and Best back then.

Maybe I should pull mine out and clean it up.

 

[kams1973]

I think Sanborn made that pump.