new air compressor from craigslist

[badss98]

Yesterday I purchased this Rol-Air compressor for 225 which seems to be a good deal as my 20 plus year old craftsmen is somewhat undersized for sandblasting and other duties. I know you guys have a wealth of knowledge on here and will be able to help me with some questions.
Its a 60 gallon tank,5 hp and runs great. She pressured up in no time and does have a few minor leaks that I will be working on,Some of the copper lines were loose and petcock needs replacing plus on front of pump it is missing sightglass for oil and they have put a plug in front of pump so there I some missing parts there.
This is where I need some assistance, I need to id the pump as it only has a few visible markings TF0018 on lower head, TF0016 on front of pump, there is no cover for pressure switch and the cooler line on the head needs replacing so I would like to pull this apart and fix all the issues.If someone has the same pump I would appreciate any rebuild data and pictures that will help me get this back in working order. Thanks mark.

 

[badss98]

Ok I had added a few more photos in hopes someone can id this pump on the air compressor, I think the lower right plug should have a oil level sight glass there but the middle plug I am not sure of what is missing there. I looked at the vintage air compressor thread and did not see this one so hopefully someone has this pump and can help with my parts search.

 

[badss98]

Ok it seems I have stumped all of you so I had to go to extremes to get the information I needed. Just out of sheer desperation I sent off a email with enclosed pictures to rolair yesterday morning and 2 hours later I got a response from them.
My email was forwarded to the corporate big boss and he not only answered all questions I had but also sent pictures back of original pump and compressor. A full data sheet with all specifications, plus retro refit parts that would work for the parts no longer manufactured. This is what I would call excellent customer service. They went out of there way to make sure I had all the information I needed and above.
So now my pump restoration can begin and since I work at an oil refinery the parts that I needed are mostly at my disposal. Lower right in pictures is sight glass, middle picture should be valve unloader which he told me is not needed unless I was going to set the compressor up for constant run. The electrical pressure switch that is currently on compressor is set to low with a 135psi cutoff and he gave me the proper switch number to replace this with the 175psi retro fit, this replaces the unloader valve and will convert compressor to pressure running as I intended.The pump is a tf28 manufactured 1981 by Campbell Hausfeld model #PMP22TF28CH. I will add pictures as I progress.

 

[metal4130]

Good to hear they got you the info you needed. It looks like at one time it had a centrifugal unloader that somebody replaced by a pressure relieving pressure switch.

 

[badss98]

Yes sir it did, That is one of the items he stated that is no longer in production and that the pressure switch will work just fine. I plan on putting in 1/4 plug where the elbow currently is.

 

[badss98]

Well I spent some time getting the compressor pulled apart, Did some part searching and ordered some stuff, new unloader switch,pressure guage,assorted plugs and new copper pipe to make inter-cooler.I decided to paint pump red and go with a dark green for tank.Rol-air uses a dark green on newer machines so I guess I will go that direction.
Spent allot of time degreasing all the crud off the compressor and shroud for flywheel, it looks allot better already and just need to get parts delivered to start reassembly, also ordered new safety rv just to be on safe side.

 

[TiredDude]

Great customer service. Glad to hear it, good luck with the restore.

 

[badss98]

Getting some color now on the old girl, I know it looks like a Christmas tree but I just could not go solid green as rol air puts on the newer compressors but I still wanted to keep it somewhat close. Two coats and one more to go and a coat of clear on tank and reassembly will begin.

 

[badss98]

Getting a little more done,

 

[pepi]

Good to see you getting busy on it, before the paint did you check if it runs, pumps air? My guess is you did just never said it . I like the horz configuration, just takes up more real estate then I have, eye wise they look industrial.

 

[badss98]

Yes when I purchased it she pumped right up to 135 then unloaded. The pressure switch was a replacement for the old mechanical unloader. New one is on the way. You are right about the space requirements but I have a three car garage that it will fit without to much fuss. My plan is to add one line for garage air and another outside door for driveway access. There is 1/2 outlets on tank so this should work out. Now I just need to clean up my mess and reorganize garage.

 

[porschedude996TT]

Nice, YOU ****!

 

[mawrick]

Looking good!

Did you paint the cylinder parts individual or as it sits ?

 

[badss98]

Thanks, painted the pump as she sits, removed all acessoiries and replaced or cleaned everything before it was reinstalled. I sent another email to the gentlemen at Rol Air in regards to ordering new factory emblems to reinstall on tank. He replied back that these were a non-order item but he would send some to the house at no charge as long as he gets a picture of completed compressor. Once again they have come to my assistance.

Starting on motor this week and if all goes as planned i hope to have her up and running by weekend.

 

[badss98]

Getting close to putting her back in service, I cleaned up motor yesterday and just need to get the pully painted , pressure tested pipe from high to low side and no leaks, new un-loader installed now I have to installed motor and cage and wire her up. Oh and I should be getting tank stickers within a week.
This has been allot of fun, I cant wait to get her fired up

 

[dogmir]

That is looking really sharp now. Good work!

 

[ovilla]

Looking great! Nice job! Are you rattle can painting it? Just wondering what products you are using there.

 

[badss98]

Yes I decided to rattle can because I have never used a real sprayer but I have an older ford powermaster tractor that needs a respray and I will try it on that possibly this winter. I used krylon products for both colors, The green is a real close match to the newer rolair green and I wanted to make the pump stand out some so I used a cherry red which is pretty bright. Some of the newer rustolem cans have crappy spray nozzels now so that's the reason for using krylon. I put clear on the tank but none on the pump as I was not sure about the temps peeling it. It certainly is no professional restore but looks a heck of allot better and will be something I use allot. I am a cheap *** by heart and so far I have just shy over 300 in everything. Maybe this will motivate me to reorganize the garage. We just moved here a coulple of years ago and the house was a empty forclosure so allot of time has gone into that instead of hobbies.

 

[great white tj]

Great looking rebuild...

 

[badss98]

She is up and running, Got the compressor all wired up last night. Installed new stickers complements from rol-air, just need to put cage on but it was fun just to watch it run after all the work. Now I have to reorganize garage since it looks like a bomb went off in there. Since we moved here recently I have managed to do a few things but not as much as I wanted so I guess I will remove most of what is currently there and paint and start new.

Everyone one this site is a great motivator and the wealth of knowledge is crazy so time to organize. Thanks for the good *****

 

[930dreamer]

Looks great, how about a video of it in operation?

 

[GreenNV]

Great job! There’s something about working on a quality product that instills great pride in its restoration. Makes you smile every time you walk by.

 

[bazzateer]

Sweet!

 

[heiltrading]

wow, great build

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Wow...Very nice....I should do mine, but I plan on moving it out of the garage into it's own shed on the side of the house....

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Your pump is visually identical to the one on my 2003 vintage 7.5 hp Husky which is made by Campbell Hausfeld. Shows they haven't changed the design.

Charles

 

[badss98]

Thanks again, been working allot and not enough hours to get on here as we live on a wooded lot and the trees **** up most of my time with leaf pickup. The compressor is still in the middle of the floor as in the pictures, She was slow building pressure past 135psi so head is removed and new rebuild assembly sitting in garage. There was a **** load of carbon buildup on plate assembly. The air filter was totally plugged so hopefully she will be up and running tomorrow.

 

[Reitwagen]

Nice job!

 

[thdewey]

Where did you find the decals?

 

[badss98]

All back together and running perfect, pumped right up to 175psi in no time, reset cutout down to 145 psi as I don't see and need right now for that high of pressure.
The stickers came from rol-air I contacted them thru email and they were quick to respond back with all the specs on this compressor. They sent me free decals, even though I had asked how to purchase them.
Now I need to get that catch all garage back in order.

 

[rustyjames]

That's a nice job. You should consider installing a pulley guard if there's going to be kids around.

 

[badss98]

You are correct on pulley guard, did not post any pictures with it installed but it is on now. And yes plenty of grandchildren running around, safety first

 

[marsh1]

Nice job and great CS from Rolair.

 

[low51fan]

I was reading this articel and had to chime in. I have the an old rolair compressor also. I did the same as th original OP and contacted rolair for information on mine. I got a hold of Doug and he has been a great source of information and has helped me out tremendously.

I cant beleive a company would take that much time and care in a product I bought years after the original sale. If I ever have the need to buy a new compressor I will for sure go with the Rolair company.

 

[rmicko]

Have same type compressor pump do you have any info on it?

 

[badss98]

Rmicko at the beginning of the post I have pump number and identification hopefully that helps you out.

 

[Lelandwelds]

This is what I would call excellent customer service. They went out of there way to make sure I had all the information I needed and above.

This is good news. Usually I hear how poorly a company performs. I have never looked at Rolair. I will have to make my short list a bit longer.

That red is a bit much. A nice black would have been my choice. HF has some great paint guns at a price thats stupid cheap.

 

[spudley]

That's a really good resto. Hope you sent Rolair some of those pix. Nice work!