Scrapyard Pneumatics and Compressors! Repair-A-Thon!

[@farfartony751]

😅 Jaas, well, in english we call it 'hoarding'. An occupational hazard for those who repair things.

[@katywalker8322]

Yes. The “oooh, that will be useful” thought process!

[@seanwieland9763]

I’m going to use those wires and AC/DC converters someday!

[@michaeltempsch5282]

​@@seanwieland9763The need/use for them usually comes a couple of days after you finally discarded them...

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

My partner, "we need to clean!" Me, "😁 I'll put the --Electronics-- Treasure in the garage! "

[@Grillingforalivin]

@farfartony751, So should he not collect things to make videos about?

[@talesfromthebottle6314]

Definitely worth investing in a pipe flare kit so you can make your own flare ended pipes out of good quality copper stock

[@cb84capri]

The one end looks similar to an automotive fuel/transmission/ac quick connect line. Any recommendations on a good tool for that?

[@ciano5475]

And a small pipe bender

[@gravely1000]

@@cb84capri Mastercool 72485 not cheap but it has so very many uses

[@Morrisonspouch]

Lovely stahwille spanner my favorite 🤩

[@athrunzala5337]

This yellow mini air compressor is so cool and versatile Great find ^__^ !!

[@arjanvanraaij8440]

typical compressor for systemceiling worker to power a pneumatic nailgun.

[@railgap]

You have the most amazing junkyards I've ever seen.

[@50-50_Grind]

I wish I had a junkyard where I live. Everybody goes to a recycling place instead where there's no option to buy old/broken stuff.

[@mortanicus5871]

I can appreciate how much time it takes to look for a replacement for that threaded connector, and when it was unavailable, take the time to find TWO connectors that accomplish the same thread reduction.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

You've got to be careful aiming an air gun at your hand like that, the risk is that a sharp enough burst of air can break the skin and blow an air bubble into your bloodstream. It might seem an unlikely scenario, but the risk is more than zero and if it does happen it can be fatal. I would hate for anything to happen to you, I really enjoy your videos, thanks and stay safe❤

[@emmajacobs5575]

Came here to say that too. I’m a little disappointed that nobody else seemed to notice it as a problem.

[@ralphj4012]

Concur, spotted that (only just seen this video). Although the people who work on these machines seem to have skin made of steel, it's still not an advisable way to test for compressed air and there could have been shards of metal or anything else in the lines, gun etc.

[@philtowle4683]

It can also force oil or other contaminants on your skin into the bloodstream.

[@philtowle4683]

Could you have not used a nut on thread of shaft to drive bearing on?

[@elginowens894]

That looked like an air injection injury waiting to happen. I never considered the possibility of contaminants being pushed in with the air, though that seems like a real possibility. High pressure injection injuries can occur with all sorts of fluids. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_pressure_injection_injury

[@teeanahera8949]

Couldn’t hear the last couple of minutes even with the volume on full. When the ad came on it nearly blew my eardrums. 🧨

[@jjock3239]

I have rebuilt a lot of chainsaw engines, and I use a heat gun to heat to expand the inner race of the bearing to install the bearings on the crankshaft. I use a hand held pyrometer, to measure the temperature, and keep the applied heat below 350F. You could also use dry ice, to cool the shaft, or put the shaft in the freezer. Normally, the bearings will just slide right into place.

[@xabaer]

Hi. I frequently watch your videos because I am doing as a hobby more ore less the same as you - repairing things. And it is amazing how often these things are faulty and thrown away just because an inexpensive part like a ball bearing or a spring or a capacitor or a diode is broken. I think that our societies (I live in Switzerland but I came from the Aachen region) is kind of distorted. Those who would be able to repair these things don't do it because they feel that their time is too precious and well paied that it is not worth it and they prefer selling new items - usually of worse quality. But now just a tip for you for fast replacing a bearing without having to hammer it home: Put the rotor of the motor in the freezer for 1h and - short before you want to mate them - the bearing on the top of a 100W incandescent bulb for 5 minutes or so. Then span the cold motor with the shaft up in the vise and grab the hot bearing with a leather glove and put it on the shaft. I have done that so often and it always works fine. Most of the time the bearing just falls in position, but it is wise to have an aluminum or brass tube or nut with an inner diameter slightly bigger than the shaft but not larger than the inner race of the bearing at hand so that you can tap the bearing in place if the fitting is still a bit tight. But I never needed much force and its a fast and safe method too.. Best regards Adalbert

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Eccentrics are very common in steam and model engines. I know the frustration of many different thread sizes and types on a tool or machine. I wish other companies would coat the inside of compressor tanks. It is crazy that the Dura tank does not have a way to drain the condensate. Useful video. Always good to see machines given a second life.

[@Saskajohn]

Thank you for documenting all of your fantastic work. Many episodes ago you fixed an orange compressor. This encouraged me to find an old compressor which I did almost immediately. It was in the trash. I asked for some advice from you which you very kindly gave. Repaired the unit for about 80$ Canadian. It works to this day! And I walk by an aisle at the local tool store that still sells the exact same unit for 500$ Canadian. Danke :)

[@RinoaL]

I finally get home and get to watch this!

[@barthanes1]

Cool stuff. I would round off the corners of that mounting plate which mounts the compressor to the big orange tank. It looks like it could bite your knee if you're not looking.

[@roadrunner8574]

Yes, and paint it 😅

[@partymanau]

Wouldnt be a hobby workshop if u didnt have a few booby traps laying about.

[@Thunderbelch]

02:04 The solenoid is probably used to automatically purge condensation from the tank on a (broken) timer

[@cmeier7560]

... and I bet the whole compressor would/should have been mounted vertically, so that the valve is the lowest point of the whole setup.

[@lokilyesmyth]

it may have a draw tube and relies on the pressure to push the water up the tube. I think that is why he could not get it to drain when he had it vertical. @@cmeier7560

[@Tunzbig]

Fascinating, that Chiron compressor is a work of art. Great content as always.

[@markavis7232]

Minor nit-pick - that air cleaner is going to be 1/8" BSP (pipe thread), not 1/8" BSW (Whitworth). Pipe threads are confusingly named after the bore diameter of the bit of black-iron gas pipe they would originally have threaded around the outside, so the numbers are small compared to the obvious OD of the thread. 1/8" BSW does exist, but it is tiny (1/8" OD, 3-and-a-bit mm). It's odd that BSP got adopted into the modern, metric family of threads, but it did - and is sometimes called 'G' (for 'gas'?), perhaps because 'BS' is a bit imperial for our European friends :-)

[@tangomike7]

Dampers absorb mechanical vibration. Dampeners make things wet. The 1/8bsp fitting has already been covered, but for reference, 1/8bsp is 55° thread form and takes its name from the pipe bore size so the thread diameter is a fair bit bigger than the stated dimension. Pneumatic fittings are often parallel thread (BSPP) often with a face o ring seal but pipe threads are tapered (BSPT). Whitworth is also 55° thread form but takes its name from the size of the bolt shank.

[@tonybrock5288]

With the first compressor: isn't the solenoid the water drain valve? It looks like the compressor should be mounted vertically and then when the solenoid is activated the water will be pushed out. I saw a similar compressor yesterday with an "automatic" solenoid that drained water every now and then.

[@ThePostApocalypticInventor]

Maybe that was the Idea. Seems like it was never mounted vertically and the water wasn't drained.

[@tonybrock5288]

@@ThePostApocalypticInventor "In my previous life", I was a qualified Dive Master and Compressor Operator. Here everything is in reverse. You do not want to put water or anything else other than pure air into someone's cylinder. At depth this could be ugly. So, the compressed air goes through a heat exchanger first, to cool it down and then the condensed water is drained off. Then it goes through Silica Gel to dry it further and then it goes through activated carbon to clean it further. Well, that was how we did it in my day ... 😀

[@tonybrock5288]

@@ThePostApocalypticInventor Try it out then 🙂

[@woodsplitter]

​@@ThePostApocalypticInventorpretty sure there is a pipe inside the tank going to the bottom. That is why you couldn't empty the tank by tilting it. So I think it should be horizontal, like it is. Just need to get the solenoid working.

[@alro2434]

The end fitting has an internal line extending to the bottom. That's why the puzzled draining!

[@perrymattes4285]

If the first little compressor is mounted with the solenoid valve down there probably was a circuit that purged the water using the solenoid

[@lukas187]

We have a CHIRON Taifun air compressor too! We bought it 30 years ago for our family operated painting business. It's been used since then, even tho it's a bit oversized at 2.5 Hp, around once a week for a few hours. It just needed 1 or two oil changes and still runs great to this day.

[@fredreed7202]

Amazing the way you are able to diagnose and improvise so quickly. FANTASTIC VIDEOS !!!!

[@samvalentine3206]

Thank you for the fun episode, Gerolf! It always gives me a sense of satisfaction to see you bring these discarded often broken parts back together and do something useful with them again. I am somewhat surprised to see Whitworth thread type still around - I thought that died off some time ago, but a quick search shows that it still exists and is used. Differing pipe thread standards are a cause for frustration for sure! Thanks again!

[@gridfreedomquest8613]

post apocalyptic inventor: “i will have to take this compressor completely apart” me: “yessssss”

[@RubenKelevra]

I like my setup where you have a small electric valve at the bottom of the tank which locks the tank if you turn on the compressor. If you turn it off, it will release the residual pressure (very slowly) and the moisture trapped inside, too. As it's constantly open, it will also allow trapped humidity in the air to settle out and drip out over time.

[@bashchelik100]

if you put a timer to a e valve will be better..it will sneeze water all the time..

[@thewolfin]

Wow, that really is a silent compressor. Kudos on the restoration. And that snowflake connector is going to give me nightmares... Really goes to show how valuable machinist skills, particularly thread-turning, are going to become.

[@Antony_Jenner]

Oh Gerlof, watching you use the teflon tape was killing me. When winding the tape on always have the spool facing such that as you wind the tape on the thread it pulls the tape off the spool instead of unwinding. But you knew that anyway I bet>🤣Anyway I allways enjoy your videos as being a boilermaker/welder/fabricator/maintenance fitter and now Valve amp builder and repairer I can relate to all the stuff you fix for future prosperity! We need more people like you. Bleib in Sicherheit, mein Freund.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Cool episode, a nice introduction to pneumatics. I tinkered with that stuff from time to time since my teens, mainly in my Book Art Museum period (2014-2018). There's so much more to tell about pneumatics - filters, regulators, in-line fog lubricators, pressure sensors, manifolds, connectors, all kinds of solenoid valves, check valves, safety valves (you can never understate their importance!), pressure testing the tanks etc.

[@julias-shed]

First compressor should be mounted vertically and the solenoid used as an auto drain? 😀

[@MattBrownbill]

Yes, I agree that looks like its purpose. Drains on startup, and/or shutdown.

[@MerlosTheMad]

that third air compressor is so cool. they really dont make them like they used to!

[@woodsplitter]

The reason you cannot manually purge the water from the hole that the purging solenoid is sitting is that there is a pipe going to the bottom of the tank, where the water normally is, due to gravity.

[@plasmaDave]

Living in tropical Queensland I have to drain my large compressor daily and on bad days get more than a ltr out of it. A refrigerated air chiller is pretty much essential here.

[@teeanahera8949]

I live there too mate and I share your annoyance. I haven’t heard of a polymer coated expansion tank before but I will research that. A rusting tank is a killer, literally. Exploding rusty tanks can level a shed and maim or kill the occupants. My tank for the compressor in the 4wd is aluminium to prevent rust.

[@itachi1145]

I have a compressor that ive been meaning to fix for 4 years now. This video was what i needed.

[@partymanau]

Gidday from Oz mate. Love to see u breathe life back into scrapped machines. About the bearing on that small compressor, some times u can get a different style bearing with the same dimentions. A roller bearing would go great on the crank end of thing. Salutes from the land down under.

[@RundeKatze]

I have a Chiron compressor with 6l Tank (built in the frame itself like yours). This beast can deliver 10 Bar and hold up to 5 Bar when using a blow nozzle continously. I like the small tank because it's usable after turning on within 15 seconds. I want to upgrade this compressor by adding an additional (maybe 50-100l) tank with a valve. So when i just need some quick air, i can fill up the normal 6l tank, and when i need volume, i crank the valve open and interconnect the large tank to the compressor. But since now i have not found a suitable tank for my application. Greetings from Goslar!

[@isoguy.]

Really appreciate these repair videos, it's reminded me to get my outstanding projects completed. We should only buy producs that have repair manuals\ spares availability and definitely embargo suppliers who don't offer these.

[@redneckgarage17O819]

A few years ago i had pneumatics classes in school and hardly understood anything about how the valves work and how to read the symbols on them, you did a much better job explaining them because mow i actually understand it, thank you

[@puritan7473]

I have no idea why this showed on my feed as I have never looked at a video about compressors but Thank You! I had forgotten about draining my compressor for the last few years!

[@martinbyrne1104]

Fantastic as usual. But... The Kaeser has the pump and motor on rubber mounts and a solid pump to tank connection. The pipe will shortly fail due to metal fatigue. You will need a flexible connection eventually. Your channel is one of the very best on KZbin BTW.

[@wyattoneable]

I enjoy seeing old equipment and tools come back to life. Great work.

[@Daleeather1975]

Job well done. I have a vintage compressor that was from a tyre place. Built in 1970s

[@wadejensen4146]

I wait for your videos more than any others I’m subscribed to. Thanks Geoff! Always a treat for me.

[@alanharney5278]

Thanks for the video, sir. My favorite part of your offerings is your translation of English words and phrases into German. I enjoy hearing what familiar English names for things and places sound like in German. Appreciate your efforts.

[@abettermousetrap]

Always fun and educational to watch you repair and modify old stuff. thanks for the video from the Maritimes, Canada

[@michaelmoser2130]

I work at Chiron, we actually only stopped making compressors in the 2000s. Most of our big industrial facilities are still powered by huge screw type compressors of our own :)

[@Flymochairman1]

Quite a course in Pneumatics. Good to see you. It's been great watching your repairs of such items, as ever. Re-use is recycling. Keep safe and well, sir. Cheers!

[@Utuber-x44]

Sad that such quality items end up in the bin. Glad you rescued some 👍

[@DasIllu]

Pneumatics was a blast from the past for me. I actually had to learn that stuff in voc training. It's always been the cheap and fast option in automation. Once you have compressed air in a company, adding rigs is a no brainer. But the first setup usually ends in a pipe massacre 😀

[@endutubecensorship]

That little yellow compressor is a nice find, well done getting it back in service!

[@lumotroph]

Such a great video! Thank you 🎉

[@PedalBox]

We were fixing our compressor a couple days ago and wondered what the purpose of (what turns out to be) the unloader line was, so this was spectacularly well timed information. Thanks!

[@patjohnson3100]

Very rewarding to see those old, high quality compressors repaired and brought back to useful life. I enjoy your tool repair videos.

[@specialservicesequipment393]

Love your collection, we don't have scrap yards like that here in Texas, USA. I put together a collection of German field telephones, a USMC switchboard, and a military radio link for field Telephones.

[@cetocoquinto4704]

Nice episode man! Love your contents. Before the pandemic i used to work in pneumatics here in the philippines and we have a one funny experience when we designed a cyclinder ejection system where underweight and overweight cans on a production line will be automatically ejected. Because of our lack of experience when those cyclinders actuates the cans become dented/damaged 😂. We never have thought that you could just eject it using air only or like an opening underneath. I remember those times. Thanks for sharing your knowledge this are very useful things especially in automated systems. Lots of aspiring engineers today. Cheers feom philippines!

[@TheMrPopper69]

I learn so much from this channel, thanks TPAI

[@sparkyprojects]

eccentric is a common word, a steam engine has a crank for the piston, and an eccentric for the valve ;)

[@bernardb8045]

You are incredible, I started having issues with my small compressor a couple of days ago ha ha!

[@MD4564]

Loved these videos, those engraved diagrams are cool and easy to explain, makes total sense.

[@hallowelt9296]

Grüße aus bayern. Wieder was dazugelernt.😊

[@yadda_tools]

Always inspired to go fix things after watching your videos.

[@electroshed]

Love the first small compressor!

[@FixTechStuff]

Interesting watching this video after working on a water pump today with similar failed bearings. One was seized and the other was mostly Ok. Unable to find any of my bearing pullers we removed the first bearing with much trouble. Replacement bearings were $5 each, fortunately for me the bearing shop volunteered to remove the other bearing and also installed both of them for free!

[@bigbird2100]

Great video 👍 Learning so much and having a laugh along the way,I think the pressure relief valves fail when you're friends use the compressor 😅

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

I have a small compressor similar to the yellow one and will be installing it inside my Bridgeport clone milling machine. It will switch on when I turn on the mill so I can use it to blow swarf out of the way. It will save running my big compressor as I only need short bursts of compressed air when machining. It could also be used on a lathe. Awesome video as always, cheers, Stuart 🇦🇺

[@omegahelix]

Well done as usual. Hope you are having a nice summer.

[@no-expert]

Thats so cool - I also accumulated various pneumatic parts over the last year "because I need them for projects" but they have just been sitting around. This motivates me to clean them and actually use them. Also the explanation of the valves was pretty helpful :)

[@MusicMike939]

I wonder if he has heard the Pat Metheny album Orchestrion. He uses azlot of solenoids to create a mechanical jazz band. That he then controls from his guitar.

[@Digital-Dan]

30+ minutes of pleasurable hacking. Thanks.

[@MarksGoneWicked]

This reminds me, I have to replace a control line on a tiny pancake compressor. Was planning on replacing the check valve too, but I can't seem to remove the old one. I also have a horn that needs some testing and work. The bell is missing a top section, but I have another bell from a different horn as a potential donor.

[@TheDistur]

I wish I could scare up some cheap compressor parts for my shop. Love that horseshoe looking tank.

[@nobuckle40]

Thank you for the simple lesson on pneumatic cylinders. Pneumatics in an area that I have yet to dive into. Your explanation was very helpful.

[@l3p3]

Die neue Folge passt mir gerade gut. Danke.

[@prasadvn524]

Highly educative video.Keep doing more such videos

[@dalemettee1147]

I'm a lot older than you but I still feel like repairing and modifying parts to fit my requirements. For example, I'm getting into scale modeling again. This time using an air brush and spray booth adding a reserve tank to a compressor and adding LED lights in a small foldable spray booth. Also restarting my photography skills with a new camera and new lenses to match.

[@HildebrandGlossop]

Thanks for walking us through how to read those valve diagrams. I gave up once before, thinking it was really complicated. As you rightly pointed out, it really isn't. And now I know.

[@markae0]

Beautiful work!

[@jamesbeemer7855]

This very handy instruction material . Thank you .

[@tiping1]

Very informative and great explanations. Thank you !

[@timothywaters8249]

I'm a hands on engineer and I learn so much watching you. You would have been an amazing professor!!! Keep up the great work! Much love from Atlanta, Georgia.

[@erok268]

A hands on engineer? Like an improvisational engineer?

[@zoidberg444]

My dad worked at an engineering firm that had Chiron machining centres for many years. He actually got sent to Germany for training at their plant in Tuttlingun. They were very good machines many of which worked 5 or 6 days a week for 20 years.

[@OZheathen]

Love your content mate, I love learning this kind of stuff.

[@KF-qj2rn]

wow fascinating, you'd be a great instructor. I found a commercial truck seat in dumpster with six individual dual-valves (inflate/deflate)....an air pocket balloon for side lats, head/neck rest, thighs, spine/lower back, up/down, and one more....I should have converted to indoor use on rollers.

[@beautifulsmall]

Yes I should check the compressor drain. Picked up some Festo pneumatic valve blocks and made an instructable about the software hack. The schematics were a whole new syntax. Great work.

[@thomasstanley6101]

Love the air comp. content! The Chiron is especially cool, never seen one like it before! I used to rent a 210cfm Kaeser that I tried desperately to buy, but ended up getting sold to someone else for much less than I offered. That's okay, I ended up with my own 375cfm, but I'm still very fond of Kaeser.

[@JoachimHB]

Hello from Denmark! I’m not sure, but the first Compressor, i think the solenoid is for auto draining, there is probably a hose on the inside of the tank going to the bottom. If the solenoid is faulty, that’s probably why the tank is full of water, and you can’t drain it out from there 😊

[@mikescudder4621]

Another great episode!! Any developments on that nice little piece of land in the hills??

[@SciStarborne]

I recognise the pump at 21seconds! I pulled one from a broken autoclave. The manifold is painted not anodised and the aluminium underneath had corroded. Even cleaned up it was too pitted for the (rather poor quality) rubber washer valves to seal enough to pull a vacuum again.

[@63801170]

I am always impressed by your videos and what you can put together from your finds, old or new. It makes me think you would be a perfect person (with the channel to present it) to try one of the "machines" in the Global Village Construction Set (Open Source Ecology)... but from your scap-yard finds 😅... even if it's at first a plan to collect all the parts over a period of time? Thanks for your videos.

[@truthreigns7]

I wish I had the junk yards you have.

[@paulwinstone4825]

You have reminded me of the difficulty I have in getting filters to fit my compressor. I can only find cheap plastic ones to fit that make it quieter and filter the air. If I go for any metal ones, none of the adapters I've tried works for the thread. 😞

[@jackmclane1826]

The solenoid is the drain mechanism of that Dürr compressor. It is probably supposed to be mounted solenoid down and it would occasionally open up to release the water.

[@Lordosvk]

Pretty nice handy compressor for air brush or small repairs.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

Hi, I think you'll find that pipe thread is not 1/8 Whitworth. It would be 1/8" BSP, that is British Standard Pipe. Completely different to Whitworth. Ps : love the channel.

[@Narwaro]

Yeah. Fluid dynamics and connector nightmares. At some point youre usually better off having a lathe and making them yourself when you need them 😂

[@freddyjackson4424]

Jetzt brauchst du nur noch einen trockeneisstrahler eine Sandstrahlkabine, um die geretteten Maschinen wieder in neuem Glanz erstrahlen zu lassen

[@RubenKelevra]

Btw: If you want to optimize your setup to get a high pressure quicker, but still have a large tank for large air operations do the following: - Add a small tank to the compressor. - Connect it with an overpressure release valve to a larger tank which is set to 10% below your cutoff pressure of the compressor. - Connect the large tank back to the small tank with a check valve, so air can only flow from the large tank to the small tank through this connection. This will build pressure really quickly in the small tank and then start charging the large tank, as soon as the pressure is build up. If you use the air faster than the compressor is building it in the small tank, the large tank will supply air back to the smaller tank.

[@markwatters6875]

Thank you for the video 👍🇦🇺

[@CollectorOfThings]

If you switched the quick connector around so the socket is on the pressure switch it would be safer.

[@sootikins]

Yea or just use a pipe union instead of a quick connector.

[@alro2434]

4 bolts, move the motor, screw in P switch, move motor, 4 bolts, done.

[@groopmmex]

Dude, thanks for the pneumatics demo!

[@twocvbloke]

There's something about old compressors that kind of scare me, given that it could have hidden flaws that might cause the tank to rupture and ruin your day somewhat, just one of those things that my anxiety-ridden mind seems to get fixated on sometimes... :S