Airless Misting System

[jweaver72]

Question

I am looking to start working on a mist system form my mill but I do not want a compressor in my shop (Im sure I will need to cave on that sooner or later). I have been churning the wheels on how to achieve this and I keep coming back to a Wagner power painter. They mount on a 5 gal bucket, they run off an airless pump, they maintain a positive charge on the line and have many adjustable tips.

Has anyone attempted a conversion such as this?

Some things that come to mind:
Multiple stage filtering - The coolant would need to be super clean before sending it through the pump.
Nozzle would have to be mounted in a modified holder.
Solenoid valve would have to be added to replace the trigger.

Looking forward to feedback.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

what about one of the super quiet California Air Tools compressors? I haven't used one myself, but I've read lots of rave reviews about them. Rather than spend $$ on something specific to your mill, it might be worth spending a few more $$ on something that can be used for a lot of other jobs around the shop.

 

[jweaver72]

Its funny you mention that. Right after I posted my post, I found that post. It is definitely an option I will look at.

Thank you

 

[Terrywerm]

I just ordered one of those compressors and can hardly wait for it to get here. With air available I can now also start on my no-fog coolant misting system. Once I get one made and try it out, I will post drawings in the plans section.

 

[John Hasler]

what about one of the super quiet California Air Tools compressors? I haven't used one myself, but I've read lots of rave reviews about them. Rather than spend $$ on something specific to your mill, it might be worth spending a few more $$ on something that can be used for a lot of other jobs around the shop.

I put my compressor in the machine shed next to my shop and ran a buried line.

 

[wrmiller]

My little California Air Tools compressor sits under my bench, right in front of my feet. I hardly know it's there.

About these misters? I know Micro Mark has one, and I'm sure others do as well, but what about breathing this stuff? Also, what kind of cfm rating do these mist systems require?

Would love to have a small spray/mist that I could direct right at the cut. Certainly don't need a flood coolant type for my application.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[jweaver72]

I think that would be one of the benefits of the paint sprayer. It would not come out as a complete mist and the force of the liquid would be enough to remove the chips from the work as well. it would be sort of a mix between a flood system and a mist system and I would think with a little trial and error, you could customize the tips.

 

[wrmiller]

LMS has something called a fog buster. Droplets not mist. This will work for me.


Bill

 

[Terrywerm]

I put my compressor in the machine shed next to my shop and ran a buried line.

I will not do that in our cold climate. Burnt up a motor on an old compressor when moisture condensed in the cylinders and froze. Motor cooked itself in no time when it tried to start and could not turn. Naturally, no one was out there when it happened either. I first thought that the compressor had seized up as I could not turn it. I tore it out and bought a new one. The old one sat for a while and when the weather warmed up, lo and behold, the compressor turned without a problem! Gave it to my uncle, he put a new motor on it and put it in the shop at his farm where it now enjoys a warm environment year round. He's still got it and it works just fine!

I do have a large compressor out in my unheated garage. During the summer I leave it on, but I turn it off during the cold months, turning it on only when I am right there in case of problems. Anyway, getting air in my basement shop would be easy, but insulating and heating the garage for the benefit of the compressor would be far more expensive than a quiet little compressor just for in the basement. So, it was a no brainer for me.

My little California Air Tools compressor sits under my bench, right in front of my feet. I hardly know it's there.

About these misters? I know Micro Mark has one, and I'm sure others do as well, but what about breathing this stuff? Also, what kind of cfm rating do these mist systems require?

Would love to have a small spray/mist that I could direct right at the cut. Certainly don't need a flood coolant type for my application.

Thanks,
Bill

The mister that I am making is like the Fogbuster that someone else mentioned, it creates small droplets but does not atomize the coolant. Additionally, the reservoir is pressurized so that the fluid is not drawn up by venturi effect, which also tends to atomize the liquid. Years ago I worked in a machine shop where the old style misters were used, and you could hardly breathe the air in there, not to mention how problematic and noisy they were. I will not have that in the house! This system works on very low pressures, using just enough air to push chips away from the cutter and just enough fluid in tiny droplets to keep the tool cool. If I recall correctly, the Micro Mark unit uses a pump to get the coolant up to the nozzle instead of a pressurized reservoir like the Fogbuster.

I have used a Fogbuster, and loved it. No fog in the air, no nasty smell or taste, relatively quiet, and no mess. If you can see the coolant, it's going on too heavy. At these low rates, the CFM requirements are quite low and should be no problem for the smaller compressors.

Keep your eyes open, as in the coming weeks I will post drawings for such a mister. The dimensions of the working part are available elsewhere on the net, so are well established, but I want to complete mine before I post the drawings, just so I can make changes if necessary.

 

[John Hasler]

I will not do that in our cold climate. Burnt up a motor on an old compressor when moisture condensed in the cylinders and froze. Motor cooked itself in no time when it tried to start and could not turn.

My compressor has a proper starter with overloads, but in any case it has never frozen up here in Wisconsin. I also don't leave it on all the time. Moving it into the shop wouldn't help anyway: the shop is not heated.