Car compressors

[irisher]

Has anyone here ever used a compressor out of a car to fill their cannon? I was just wondering because it seems like it would be fairly easy to get one and you wouldn't have to deal with finnicky electronics. Thoughts?

[Crna Legija]

do you mean a/c compressor or like a super chargers type?

[irisher]

I was thinking a/c compressor.

[Technician1002]

Many car AC compressors do not have an oil reservoir. They circulate the lubrication oil with the freon. You can identify those by the small cylindrical compressor. You would need to feed it a few drops of oil into it every few minutes of operation.

For power you will want an electric motor over 1.5 HP in size or a gas engine at least 5 HP in size depending on the pressure you want and the pulley ratio.

If you can find one of the ancient piston compressors from the 1970's, they would work better with a crankcase containing oil.

Car AC systems are not small fractional HP units like a fridge compressor. They are high displacement units like a larger window AC unit.

[POLAND_SPUD]

I was considering using them but I never got one (though they are really cheap)

they have several pretty cool advantages:
high power like 10X higher than that of an average fridge compressor, possibility of changing gear ratio, etc

[Crna Legija]

idk much about them, but don't see why it wouldn't work.

[D_Hall]

Check out the 4x4 hobby community. A fair number of Jeep enthusiasts will convert the AC compressors into air compressors for use as tire inflators and such (since they have the top down, the AC doesn't do them any good anyway). I don't know the details, but obviously that community would.