Oil in my Compressor Air

[newbie]

I need a little help. I have a 60 gallons 5 hp vertical compressor I bought at Lowes many years ago. It works well for anything else I use air for in my garage.
What's an easy way to check for oil in my compressor air, before messing up my first paint job. It's not an oil free compressor. Will in line moisture filters take care of oil as well as condensation?
Thanks,
newbie

 

[rex]

Most water separators grab oil too but not all of either.I don't know what they go for now but Sharpe makes a decent separator for the price (compared to $400 and up for multi stage traps).Motorguard makes a trap that uses a 'toiletpaper' filter,or that elcheapo buttwipe for economy, that works great for grabbing what the main traps miss.Putting loop traps in your plumbing system help a great deal too,which is nothing more than 'T'ing out the top of your piping and going up and then down with your fittings at waist level and the rest of the pipe going a few feet lower with a drain at the bottom.That sounded confusing,eh?

 

[newbie]

Rex,
Thanks again for the help. I'm going to try 2 disposable inlines at the gun, and 2 at the tank outlet. I'll be shooting my epoxy primer first, and I'm hoping that will reveal any problems. Since the filters are only a few bucks a pair, I'll put new ones on each time I spray. While I'm thinking about my epoxy primer, should I shoot a couple coats of it on my bare metal?
Thank you,
newbie

 

[newbie]

Rex,
I got one more here. Should I use a paper strainer on all my paints? Would I use it after mixing, such as when I'm pouring in to the gun? Are there different strainers for different type paints, or are they all the same?
Thanks,
newbie

 

[rex]

If those filters are the plastic spherical ones be careful with your hose and don't stress them by jerking the hose,I had one blow one time and shot little plastic bb's all over the place-was cool as hell but it tends to piss you off at the time.I'd throw a coat of epoxy on the steel spot for protection unless your next product to be applied can handle it,which epoxy do you use?Definately strain the paint putting it in your gun and an auto paint store will have the right size mesh,none of that house paint strainer crap that has mesh the size of chicken wire.The only time you want a large mesh is with large flake,pearls and small flake go right through the fine ones.I don't run a filter in the gun personally,I've had them restrict flow from pearl or metallic building up on them.I have to say I haven't had the problem with the 3M cup and liner system though and leave the filter in the cap.

 

[newbie]

Rex,
The filters I'm talking about are at the gun, it's moisture filters I'm using at the gun just prior to my gauge. I've bought 2 different types, one has about 8 layers of a cotton type material inside, the other one has desiccant beads. I've blasted the entire tank, now I'll fill 2 dents with filler, then I can just spot primer those spots with the epoxy, is that correct? Is there something I should spray over the filler prior to some epoxy primer. Do you recommend any specific type of filler for a guy who has never done any body work.
Thanks again for all the help.
How bout these cool temps we're having
newbie

 

[rex]

Oof,I can't complain so far but it's getting cold,eh?The desicant filters are the ones I refered to ,I haven't used the others.For fillers anything mid priced and up is good,Dyna Plus is good+,BasecoatClearcoat,and Rage are toward the top and Dynalite is medium grade but good.There's many more out there but I haven't really followed them recently.No White Streak or Napa's Cuz if they're still around.You didn't tell what epoxy you're using but I epoxy right after stripping,then do the bodywork.If you're using HOK epoxy it really wont hurt to mud it and then epoxy it (I still wouldn't) but if you happen to be using PPG epoxy it's better to use the epoxy first and use a urethane primer surfacer over bodywork-PPG's epoxy is soft and can shrink in days down the road after applying.Which epoxy are you using?There are quirks to PPG's epoxy but I think it has the best corrosion protection so far without the added expense of a 2part wash or etch primer and the problems they can cause.I've litterally watched freshly cleaned and prepped parts rust in front of my eyes as the wash primer sucked up our humidity as it flashed off,that's one reason I rarely use it anymore down here.You either need a heated booth or the humidity needs to be low.Neither's a common occurance in our part of Florida.