Any Good Quality Tools From Harbor Freight?

[joecooper84]

Looking to tell my wife what she can get me for Christmas, and I'm looking at Harbor Freight for air brushes and air compressors.

Does anyone have any experience with their products? Should I just save up and get a Paasch Air Brush instead of one of these? http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=airbrush

How many gallons and minimum PSI should I look for in an air compressor? I currently have a 2gal 100PSI Husky, but I doubt that is enough to use an air scribe or air brush...

Thanks all for your time.

[Fossildude19]

Joe,

I have the HF air eraser. It works very well with dolomite or regular baking soda.

I usually run it at around 60psi.

I also know that a few people on here had trouble with the HF model. For the price I personally would try it out and return it if you have issues.

Regards,

[jpc]

I consider HF to be cheap Chinese cr*p. If you are going to be using your tools a lot, go for quality. That is one man's opinion. HF is fine for occasional use.

[ZiggieCie]

I like the HF tools and they can save a lot of money if they work for you. For an air compressor get a small tank type not the pancake, you'll be happier in the long run. Their air abrader works OK, but still clogs up, even with very dry dolomite, but I have not used the Passhe for a comparison. They have a lot of things we can use for fossil hunting and prep, and save some money to buy the more expensive toys when we need them.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

My blast cabinet is from there. Good cabinet, but they don't seem to carry many replacement parts, like gloves .

[joecooper84]

I like the HF tools and they can save a lot of money if they work for you. For an air compressor get a small tank type not the pancake, you'll be happier in the long run. Their air abrader works OK, but still clogs up, even with very dry dolomite, but I have not used the Passhe for a comparison. They have a lot of things we can use for fossil hunting and prep, and save some money to buy the more expensive toys when we need them.

Thanks ZiggieCie. I do have the tube tank and not a pancake style. Is 2 gallons enough, or will it keep having to recharge every minute or so? Any size / brand works better than others?

My blast cabinet is from there. Good cabinet, but they don't seem to carry many replacement parts, like gloves .

I've noticed that too Dan (Unclie Siphuncle? ). I keep walking by those cabinets, and most of the time their gloves are broken on the display too

[Fossildude19]

Thanks ZiggieCie. I do have the tube tank and not a pancake style. Is 2 gallons enough, or will it keep having to recharge every minute or so? Any size / brand works better than others?

I've noticed that too Dan (Unclie Siphuncle? ). I keep walking by those cabinets, and most of the time their gloves are broken on the display too

Joe,

The 2 gallons might run an air eraser OK - but will be recharging frequently.

My setup consists of a HF air eraser, a HF blast cabinet, a HF 10 Gallon air compressor, and a cheapo air scribe. I don't do tons of prepping, and these tools are adequate to my needs.

The air scribe runs at about 90 psi,... and the air eraser around 40-60 psi. My 10 gallon seems to run the air eraser longer before needing a recharge.

Allot depends on how much prep you are doing, and what kind of matrix you are dealing with.

Regards,

[sixgill pete]

I consider HF to be cheap Chinese cr*p. If you are going to be using your tools a lot, go for quality. That is one man's opinion. HF is fine for occasional use.

It is mostly low end, but much of what they sell has a lifetime warranty. I have lots of their tools I use around the house (electric, air and hand) and have never had a problem with any of them. For the price, and occasional use there is nothing wrong with them.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Hey! Joe! Congrats on the new baby!!!

[joecooper84]

Hey! Joe! Congrats on the new baby!!!

Thanks Dan! He had a rough start and lived in the NICU for two weeks, but now he is at home, burping and farting like a grown man.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Thanks Dan! He had a rough start and lived in the NICU for two weeks, but now he is at home, burping and farting like a grown man.

I can neither confirm, nor deny, these allegations against grown men (?)

[joecooper84]

OK, so I know to get 8135B, as well as a couple extra carbide tips from what I've read in other post, at http://www.allairproducts.com/air_tools/specialty-air-tools/

I'm still unsure of what air scribe to get from http://www.paascheairbrush.com/products/airbrushes-airbrush-parts-and-accessories/Airbrushes

Air Scribe? Etching Tools? Gravity Fed? I've also heard about water separators, which I suspect I would need in humid San Antonio, TX.

Someone mind helping me before I buy the wrong thing?

FYI, all I have right now is a Husky 2gallon air compressor which will eventually be upgraded. I have nothing else in relation to the above.

Thanks!

[Uncle Siphuncle]

In San Antonio I don't do anything specisl for water management other than drain the tank at the beginning and end of each session. In high humidity I push the compressor into the laundry room so that it compresses dehumidified air, running a hose to the garage. I squirt seeing machine oil in my scribe hose fitting every few work hours.

Entrained water is more of a concern with microblasters as it leads to clogging. I get around this with my cheap Eco Blaster by using a large .060 orifice most of the time, minimizing clogging, which for my setup is most prevalent at the tip and dependent upon orifice diameter. This works for me since I tend toward gross, wide area blasting. Differential, fine work requires smaller orifices and lower pressures, exacerbating the need to manage condensate. In closing, my microblaster notes above apply to low end pressure pot systems more so than high end ($5k) Comco systems et. al .

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Joe if you want to look at my setup some night in the near future before you are fully committed, PM me. I'll show you my customized improvements and you can weigh my suggestions against the perhaps better suggestions from other members, then decide what might work best for you. My setup may seem rather "pedestrian" in its Spartan simplicity and low capital initiatives, but it has served me well for 12 years.