Bought a Sanborn 2.5HP compressor to restore

[Miss_Sissy]

Today I bought the 2.5HP Sanborn compressor shown in the first thumbnail photo (taken after I pulled the sheet metal covers/guard but before I cleaned anything) for $80. I got to hear it run before buying it and it's very quiet and sounds healthy.

The tank cleaned up nicely and looked pretty good on top and sides. But it had been patched below and was too rusted to keep (I was not surprised).

Good Stuff:

• Motor is a continuous duty Century. 115/230V, 20A/10A, 3450 rpm, 2.5hp
• Pressure switch is a Furnas, which is about as good as you get.
• Pump is a Sanborn 130, which is rated for 125 psi max pressure and 6.0 cfm at 90 psi.
• Gauges work and faces are clear.

For $80, knowing the pump and motor work, I am fine with paying the $155 it will cost for a brand new ASME 20 gallon tank. Add in maybe $20 for a belt, spray paint, cleaning supplies, and it's going to be pretty nice.

I'm considering giving it a retro look. I could buy antique brass pressure gauges with old-style pointers and fonts. Maybe replace aluminum tubing/fittings with polished copper and brass. I could do some gold colored pin-striping or even use an antique Maxwell auto logo (my last name). It all seems better than sitting around and whining about the winter weather.

 

[CNGsaves]

Good to see the compressor get new life by someone willing to restore.

Also, hope you took a plasma to the old rusted out tank / pressure vessel and cut it in half. They make pretty good planters for a flower bed !!
(just drill holes across the bottom for drainage)

Recently saw CL ad for similar compressor for $40 with leaking tank. Didn't get there fast enough so missed out on nice little compressor, once it got a new tank. Those old school Sanborn 115v/230v just keep running, and running, and running !

Good luck with restoration. Post up bunch of PICS and explain what you're doing so future GJers just getting their first compressor can use this thread and LEARN to purchase a belt-driven oil splash compressor . . . NOT oil-less !!

 

[VersionOne]

Very cool piece. Do you plan on keeping it portable a unit?

 

[Tronyadorable]

You should talk to the idiots at Horrific Fright and see what they do when they have to exchange the P.O.S. direct drive units. Might be a really cheap source for a like new tank ?

 

[Miss_Sissy]

Very cool piece. Do you plan on keeping it portable a unit?

Thank you. I do plan to keep it portable. I've got a 60 gallon Puma and this is just a fun project.

I'm thinking of jumping on one of the tanks that Northern Tool is selling on ebay for $155. See the image that I included below.

I did some research and it's for a gasoline engine compressor (Honda GX160 engine), so the plate would need to be drilled for the electric motor and probably the pump, too. So eight drill holes, bend some copper tubing and I'm basically there with an absolutely brand new tank that should go for years.

I already found the exact Sanborn 22 gallon replacement tank (in red, not black) used on craigslist for $35. But I'm seeing some rust on the outside. It would be a shame to build the whole thing, make it look good, and then have the tank develop pin-holes in six months or a year.

You should talk to the idiots at Horrific Fright and see what they do when they have to exchange the P.O.S. direct drive units. Might be a really cheap source for a like new tank ?

That's a really interesting idea. I can't imagine them shipping tanks all over the country. It would take some work to put a plate on it for the motor and pump, but it could be well worth it.

I was planning on cutting the plate off of the old tank. I could clean-up the edges and braze it on to another tank (I like brazing because I'd not be melting the steel on the tank and potentially weakening the walls).

 

[Miss_Sissy]

Post Mortem On The Tank

I cut the motor and pump mounting plate off of the tank at the welds using a pneumatic cut-off tool. The cuts were neat and it's definitely reusable, but it sure shows how there was no effort at all to get any paint beyond where you can see easily.

After that, I used a redneck plasma torch (a reciprocating saw) to slice the tank in half. It was horrifying to see the inside. As you can see from the photos, the water was probably more than an inch deep. The act of sawing the tank dislodged the rust, making a thick mess like mud, but with big chunks. You can see one of the chunks in my hand.

There were rust-through holes at each end that had been patched with some kind of poorly adhered, non-metalic patching material (see photo of end cleaned of patch). Yet if you look along the cut line, all of the way around, the tank was still structurally sound at that mid-point where the cut was made.

This is why I hate small horizontal compressor tanks. The drain, even if it had ever been used (unlikely), would not have been at the low point of the tank. Unlike the big tanks, the small ones don't have nice, rounded ends, so it's worsened by the sharp corner inside of each end cap; water collects there.

The Takeaway:
Unless you have a strong need for a horizontal tank, get a vertical tank when buying a wheel-around compressor. On a vertical tank, the drain is at the low point. If used, will keep the tank good and dry. Not so with a horizontal tank where even the smallest slope means that water remains at the low end.

If you have a horizontal tank, then make sure to tilt it one way and the other to get the maximum amount of water out while the drain is open.