Convert hand pump to electric..??
I have been thinking.. 😆
What if one were to buy a Hill hand pump and hook it up to something like a old power hacksaw I have sitting in the back of my shop? I cant see where the saw mech. pumping the handle would be much different than me pumping it..your thoughts suggestions..thanks!
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How would you combat the heat issue? I know my pump gets fairly hot and I was told to leave It cool after about 50 pumps to reduce the chances of mositure/ condensation getting In to the air res.
I have never pumped one but I bet your wrong about my old hacksaw..it has a 5 hp motor, a belt reduction and a gear reduction..it has picked me up off the ground more than once and feels like it could turn over a truck if you pulled it up besides it..so if it wouldnt pump on I dont think anything else would either…….
Those motorized pumps are simply the handpumps with an electric motor connected. The key is not pressure; its cooling. The handpumps have to be cooled in order to keep them working longer than a week. They aren’t built to last, though. Periodically I see Stewart-Warner, Ingersol-Rand and Cornelius compressor heads for sale on evilbay. Might be easier for you to pick up one of these for a few bucks and attach it to a small motor as these things are practically indestructible. I have heard of SW compressor heads that have been run intermittently in industrial applications since WWII and as long as you change the oil regularly, they are still running today. I think they generally go to 3500psi or thereabouts. Low flow rate, you can’t supply a whole paintball shop with one, but they are small, light, cheap, and can still be found floating around here and there. I would have built my own air gun compressor with one if I hadn’t found a cheap scuba compressor for sale locally and jumped on it.
aloha,
walt
How FX used to do it.
Do a search here on the forum. We have a member who did something just like that with his.
I’d think your old power hacksaw frame doesn’t have enough balls to move the pump in both directions when the pressure gets up there. You would also want to run it fairly slow.
There is a compressor like what you say though. I think it looked like they used the bike-pump style and put a crank type pulley on it somehow.
You’re a machinist – build one! Run it sloooow, and keep it coooool if you want it to work.
If you want to know how much work it really is, try topping off a scuba tank sometime. If your tongue isn’t hanging down to your knees when you’re done, you probably didn’t need a compressor anyway!
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Nah, your old hacksaw ain’t gonna cut the mustard without some type of outta-control Rube Goldberg pulley system. The heat factor is another big issue to consider. Even if you managed to get full strokes, either the motor or the pump would melt after the first go ’round.
As someone who has recently been introduced to the HPA hand pump, I can tell you that there’s likely no such thing as a 110v power tool that’d drive that bugger.
I’m 6’2″, in decent shape and about 185lbs wet, and using an AF pump, I’ve gotta throw everything I’ve got at that pump handle to bottom it out once I get above 2400psi. Frankly, at anything above 2200 psi, it ain’t about strength, it’s simply weight and gravity that gets the job done.
Go for it, but you oughta experience the pump procedure first…. trust me, you’ll likely save your hacksaw for another project.