I finally got some air run in the shop. When I started digging out the pipes and fittings, I was surprised at how much pipe I actually had. The air pipe will all get run with only a minimal purchase of fittings. I got enough done this last week that I was able to drail the portable and put it in storage.
The first thing I did is an experiment. We'll see how well it actually works. What I did was build a "cooling tower" out of 1 1/2" black iron. The air travels through a 1/2" pipe to the bottom of the tower, then expands into the larger area. The theory is that when it makes the transition, it slows down. As it slows and contacts the cool walls of the tower, water should drop out of the air stream. The tower also adds almost 16' of pipe to the system before the air even starts heading for a fitting. All the joints on this are wrapped with a lot of teflon tape and then coated with a sealer to minimize leaks. Every joint in the system is done the same way.
I machined a 3/4 bushing to make the transition from the 3/4" feed to the 1/2" inside tube. Then did a pretty bad job of welding it in place. I blame the new helmet and not enough light. And technique.
Here's what the completed tower looks like:
Here it is hung on the wall. There is no special significance to the S curve input pipe. I could not find shorter hose to replace the 3/4" hose I had on the compressor, so I just looped the pipe up to meet the hose. The little gold gizmo is a 175 PSI pressure relief valve. Max system pressure is normally 130 PSI. A pipe will run from that T to the far end of the dirty area with maybe a drop in the middle somewhere. There is a lot of odd length pipe left, so any drops will be where ever the joints end up.
I didn't try to run pipe to the drops in the work room - too much trouble IMHO. I used 25' of reinforced 1/2" Goodyear air hose. It was only $30 at TSC.
20 feet of pipe from the closet distribution point was perfect for hanging the 50' hose reel on the wall. It has it's own shutoff like all the drops.
I put one drop by the mill and benches in the back corner and plumbed it with two outlets. One outlet uses the regulator off a HF dryer unit. It was about the only good part on the dryer.
And there is one drop by the main bench. The filter/regulator is a traveling part with a quick connect on the back. I can move it around the shop as needed.
Benefits of living in a town with three universities - dorm fridges on sale for $79. Break time, have a cold one! 110F outside, beer 37F inside.