Practically Classics Forum

Have been given a FD day present to get some air tools. So, i'm thinking a 3/8's ratchet, 1/2" impact and possibly a small 'sand' blaster. Looking to get decent quality at a low budget, without getting Chinese cheese.

Any suggestions?

How big is the compressor? Not the displacement, but the FAD - how much air it can put out when working. Machine Mart and Clarke aren't helpful as they give displacement for compressors and FAD for tools, which can mean a compressor may not be able to give enough air to run the tools.

The ratchet should be OK, they don't use a lot of air, the windy-gun uses a fair bit and a small compressor will soon run out of puff (my old 7CFM FAD compressor could just about cope with a tractor wheel nut - but was running all the time) and a sandblaster uses massive amounts and can see a big compressor running non-stop to keep up with it (we had a big compressor at work - 500l tank and 20A power feed and it would run continuously with a Clarke sand blast cabinet).

I admit that most of my stuff is Clarke's from Machine Mart, but it is convenient and you can find them again if there's a problem - unlike some trade stands or eBay sellers . I have never had much luck with the smaller sandblasters - though the spot blaster does a nice job for stone chips etc. Certainly, IMHO, the hand held blasters (with container like a spray gun) aren't worth spending money on - I bought one and a friend saw it and gave me a second and they were both a waste of time. I have a larger one now - with a "pot" that works a lot better with my larger compressor (16CFM displacement, 11CFM FAD) but it still has trouble keeping up!

UKJeeper wrote:Have been given a FD day present to get some air tools. So, i'm thinking a 3/8's ratchet, 1/2" impact and possibly a small 'sand' blaster. Looking to get decent quality at a low budget, without getting Chinese cheese.

Any suggestions?

I thought I did well to get a half bottle of Whisky and a Toblerone (I shared the Toblerone)

Top of my head, its a 5hp, 20 gallon job. Big bugger my Dad gave me years ago. Has enough 'wind' to run a cutting wheel effectively enough. I'll have a better look when i get home. I used to know, but it's been forever since i looked at the labels (which face the wall).

I also run what's called "OBA", converted my Sanden AC compressor on the Wrangler into an air compressor setup. The Sanden is (supposedly) good for about 5.5cfm and up to 300psi (though my pressure switch is set to 100psi, due to the air locking diffs i have). I also have inline air tanks for a bit of storage. I know there's enough oomph to reseat 33" tyres as i've done it, more than once (impressed the bloke down at National when i did it!) Would like to at least be able to use the impact wrench if i need to change a wheel off the road.

3rdly, i have a 'pub bottle' co2 tank. Quite popular in the off-road set for exactly this purpose (eg: http://www.powertank.com), CO2 tanks can be converted to run air tools. Very useful if you need air power and there's none around, for miles.

tractorman wrote:How big is the compressor? Not the displacement, but the FAD - how much air it can put out when working. Machine Mart and Clarke aren't helpful as they give displacement for compressors and FAD for tools, which can mean a compressor may not be able to give enough air to run the tools.

The ratchet should be OK, they don't use a lot of air, the windy-gun uses a fair bit and a small compressor will soon run out of puff (my old 7CFM FAD compressor could just about cope with a tractor wheel nut - but was running all the time) and a sandblaster uses massive amounts and can see a big compressor running non-stop to keep up with it (we had a big compressor at work - 500l tank and 20A power feed and it would run continuously with a Clarke sand blast cabinet).

I admit that most of my stuff is Clarke's from Machine Mart, but it is convenient and you can find them again if there's a problem - unlike some trade stands or eBay sellers . I have never had much luck with the smaller sandblasters - though the spot blaster does a nice job for stone chips etc. Certainly, IMHO, the hand held blasters (with container like a spray gun) aren't worth spending money on - I bought one and a friend saw it and gave me a second and they were both a waste of time. I have a larger one now - with a "pot" that works a lot better with my larger compressor (16CFM displacement, 11CFM FAD) but it still has trouble keeping up!

arceye wrote:
I thought I did well to get a half bottle of Whisky and a Toblerone (I shared the Toblerone)

They're under strict instructions to NOT get me chocolate (as i seem to be suffering from FatGit-itis), and i picked up a bottle of JD Honey the day before (£20 at Tesco, rude not to really).

I got a card with a car on it.......and that's all, so what am I doing wrong?

I worked many years in a car related environment and bought almost exclusively Snap-on tools, I say 'almost' because the exception was air tools and when it came to these CP was the make to go for then. They tend to be slightly on the pricey side but are/were the best.

Had a look. It's a FIAC E3HP-150S.
Fiac Air-Force 15/150S 150 Litre air compressor 230v. Motor HP 3.0. Air Receiver Litres 150. Displacement CFM 14.5. Free Air - CFM 10.5. Electrical Phase 1/3

Your compressor should be able to run what you want, though a decent sandblaster (with pot) will be better than the small ones. I bought mine on eBay and it's identical to the Machine Mart ones (and looks like Sealey's too!)

AS Minxy said, the CP ones were good tools and probably worth the money if you use them a lot (and can afford them).

MSC do some good air tools, they sell slightly higher quality tools in general, but can be expensive!

http://www.mscdirect.co.uk/

RDG stock some reasonably priced air tools. I haven't bought their air tools, but their other stuff is reasonably priced and still good quality (I have some 5/8 UNC taps that have had some "stick" and are still going a good job - and the set of 3 was cheaper than individual items elsewhere!).

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/AIR_ ... _ELSE.html

Not forgetting Just Off Base, who sell Sealey stuff:

http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Tool-Shop/Air-Tools

Ive a few sealey tools and find them totally fine for my use. Looking at blasing cabinets at the mo which should help with the refurbing of smaller crusty parts.

Kev