Compressors: Which one do you own, or have experience with?
I found myself with a TSS, AA S410, and a Sportsman HV and only an
aluminum 80 SCUBA tank for which to fill them. It became clear to me
that I needed to invest in a compressor.
I searched around and found Mr. Jim Shelden out of Wichita, Kansas. He
has built compressors for several TAG maembers.
http://sheldensportinggoods.com/
I have add this link to Tom Kaye’s Shoebox Compressor site:
http://www.shoeboxcompressor.com/
After several conversations with Mr. Shelden I found myself purchasing a
Hamworthy 5.2 CFM compressor that is driven with a 230 volt, 13amp,
5HP, 1.15 service duty motor. It will fill an 86 cubic foot tank from empty to full at 4500psi in
20 minutes. It will take the same bottle from 3000psi to 4500psi in just 9
minutes. This was definitely what I needed to properly pursue my
addiction/hobby, (hi, my name is Steve 😉 …hi steve).
Mr. Shelden is a pleasure to deal with. He is knowledgable and
experienced with high pressure compressors. He has been building them
for many years. When you buy a Shelden compressor, you are also
getting one of those handshake warranties that can’t be beat. If I have a
question, he’s happy to hear from me. If something goes wrong he says
that he will back it up. I didn’t pin him down on this, but I got the distinct
impression that I could contact him indefinitely, as the original owner.
My compressor came with two sets of complete instructions plus
numerous tags hanging from important places with reminders of what
various thing did. He was also happy to talk me through the initial start-
up.
Here are some pictures of my compressor 😀 (No Mr. Shelden, I don’t
run it on the furniture dolly; that’s just so I can move it around).
I tried to right this pic, but it didn’t work:
This is a picture of my fill whip parts. I can fill SCBA tanks, SCUBA tanks,
and airguns directly if I so choose.
Recently I posted about tuning my new .25cal. Marauder. While adjusting
the metering screw, I degassed between every adjustment so as not to
be trying to turn that little brass screw against several thousand pounds
of pressure. My compressor allowed me to waste air like Congress
wastes money 😉
DH; I’m sure that you will notice my Mustang Convertible in the
background. I will apologize ahead of time for driving such a POS as you
have referred to them in the past. 😉
All Replies
Thanks guys! 😀 My compressor was expensive, but it does a great job. I really don’t shoot enough to justify it, but I bought before the Shoebox was introduced. If you are using lots of air, a Shelden compressor is the way to go. However, the shoebox is an outstanding performer and much cheaper. A Shoebox with two, or more SCBA tanks and some patience works very well from the reviews of people who own them. We now have a choice and that’s always good.
It is too bad that we are so fragmented. Shooters are trhat way. However, we have this place to meet and share ideas. Thanks WOK, Tony, Tron, and Y. 😀
Steve
Stock the fridge with some coots light
be there in 40 mins. With some half full cf tanks
Ha, good for you, nice move
Always wanted one of those, definitely the way to go in our world of pushing pellets with air
How you gonna explain the sudden spike with the electric bill ?
Have fun with that and be safe
SAW
Actually you paid big glue($) to be able to say that. 😉
Those big compressors ain’t cheap!!! 😯
I find my self wishing I lived in LA again… Well no not really. 😆
I am bringing back this thread because I know there is interest in compressors. I think that we are very fortunate to have men like Jim Shelden, and Tom Kaye, (Mr. Shoebox). Which compressor is right for you depends on your needs and how much mone you want to spend. Both men and their compressors are outstanding. Thank you Jim and Tom. 😀
Here are links to their websites:
http://sheldensportinggoods.com/
http://www.shoeboxcompressor.com/
For my cynical friends and collegues, I don’t make a dime on this. I enjoy owning my compressor and know that there are others who would also.
compressor like Homer Simpson say doughnut…com-press-or. 😀 .
Exactly how I was writing/meaning it 😆
Hands not too bad thanks mate, sore but I got plenty opiate and coke based pain killers…. :wave:
Hi Pab, how’s your hand doing? Some times I find myself saying
compressor like Homer Simpson say doughnut…com-press-or. 😀 It is
just too cool. 😉 Thanks Mam for the encouragement to sink so much
money into something that doesn’t actually shoot! 😆 I watched it as it
was running this morning and marveled at how smooth it ran. Its tone
didn’t change at all as it approached the 4500psi mark and finally blew
the relief valve. …like a finely crafted watch. 😀
Like I said before, I found myself with several PCP rifles and not shooting
them. I didn’t want to “waste” the air. That’s the way it is when you have
to travel to get your tank filled up. The $5 isn’t a biggie, but the travel,
especially for some people, is a deal breaker. The shoebox compressor
looks like it might be a viable option for many. I hope that it works out
well for everyone who purchases one. For those who are dedicated, or
who can just plain afford it, a compressor from Mr. Jim Shelden, is just as
slick as a whistle. (No, he’s not paying me to say that. Good people and
good products should be recognized whenever possible).
It was great to have a compressor when I was tuning my .25 Marauder;
did I mention that I really like my .25 Marauder? I degassed between
every adjustment of the metering screw. That was alot of air! But it was
worth while.
Mmmmmmmm, compressor………. 😎
I just filled my CF bottle with my compressor…11 minutes total run time;
2700 psi to 4500psi. Thanks Jim for building such a nice and smooth
compressor for me. 😀 This thing is just so cool! I know it was
significantly more money than shoebox compressor, but then again
great PCP rifles are considerably more than a springer. You get what you
pay for! I feel like my path to the dark side is complete. 😉
Thanks Jim!
http://sheldensportinggoods.com/
I am sure that did make a huge difference in tuning the M-rod .25… I have tuned on both my Condor and the Rapid MKII and I do waste lots of air and it takes me forever to get the tuning figured out as I don’t have even close to enough air supply…
Nice setup man, but I do think you might want to think about getting a more safe unit than that nasty one you have right now… You should just toss that one toward my way and get yourself a better and more safe unit, I will keep a close eye on this one for you LOL…
…that’s the way I like it, that’s the way uh huh :6
Go Steve, it’s ya birthday, shake ya booty, pump some presha… 😆
I just finished filling my SCBA tank to 4500psi…in nine minutes! 😀 I
love this compressor. It is just too cool! Mamcrackin told me that after I
had used my compressor a few times, that I would never look back and
wonder how I ever lived without it before. He was right. I haven’t looked
back, I just enjoy the freedom of supplying my own air. No, it wasn’t
free. Actually my refills are obscenely expensive at this point, but in a
few years it will get more reasonable. In the meantime I enjoy HPA 24/7.
WooHoo 😀
…gotta go to solar electricity; same deal, expensive initial with benefits
that pay off over the long haul.
I know that a bunch of our members are fortunate enough to receive free
air and that’s great. The price @ $5 a fill is not exactly cost prohibitive,
but the going back and forth is a hassle. I just did some tuning and
experimenting on my new .25 Marauder. Having a compressor allowed
me to waste alot of air without giving it a second thought. I am very
pleased with this Marauder. More than I thought I would be. 😀 The
thought crosses my mind to sell off my .22 PCP guns; I love the big holes
that the .25 produces and the Marauder is affordably priced.
I have heard that others have compressors and I am curious about which
models they are. I am curious about the performance…how fast do they
fill a bottle, to what pressures will they pump up to? Where did they get
them? That kind of thing. ❓
I posted about the Air Arms S410 and got way more responses than I
thought I would. Many people had great info about them and other quality
air rifles. At some points the thread clearly went away from the S410’s,
but the guns that were discussed were really great examples of what
there is to choose from. We are so spoiled with quality airguns and
airgunsmiths like Tony at TalonTunes, Tim at Mac-1, and Steve at
Pomona Airguns, just to name a few. I think that Jim Shelden is a great
resource for us who enjoy airgunning with PCP guns and hate running out
of air 😀 Just my .02. What’s yours? ❓
so far all my fills have been free at the local fire safety supply shop….they keep asking why i bring it in when it still has 2100psi left…..and every time i explane that i only use just the top 900psi and after that its empty to me so they just top it off and say “its on us.. it was only 800-900 psi fill”… 😀 😀 😀
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Bauer Oceanus, 6hp honda gas motor. about 4cfm, but since the gas motor has a carb with a throttle, I usually trim back the throttle as slow as practicable, this is to give the tank as much time to cool as possible. this also lessens the thermal shock to the tank, which is important for me since I don’t have an armored caddy to put the tank into when charging with 4000psi air. Even so, I find an excuse to walk away from it while its charging as I have read too many accounts of people losing legs with even 3000psi fills into compromised aluminum tanks. congrats on your purchase, Steve, it really beats looking around for air fill stations. One tip; I will only fire her up when it’s a nice hot dry day, watch the humidity to lessen the strain on your filtering stage.
walt