pescador775
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Characteristics of the Kidde
Among military surplus compressors the Steward Warner 4 cfm, 3 stage is nearly bulletproof. So much so, that some small business guys that sell commercial rebuilds or adaptations of military compressors, after they've given up on the Kidde, concentrate on civilianizing and selling the SW. I am not a businessman and care nothing for the logic that drives the bottom line. I've sold a couple of compressors to make room in my shop, that's it. I certainly have not made a profit of any kind in these transactions. I currently have one brand new Stewart Warner for sale. It is professionally constructed and absolutely faultless. Since all the components are new, and not rebuilt, this SW project was not much fun for me.
Some people like to pass time repairing old watches. Some of those old time pieces were serious works of art and a successful repair must be satisfying, as much so as bringing a supposedly dead Kidde back to life. I've already supplied many technical details of these compressors and what to expect when servicing or overhauling so I won't go back over that ground. Needless to say, the economics of spending $1500 cash and several days or weeks sweat equity to manufacture your own SCUBA compressor, where the final result is superior to the $4600 Bauer Oceanus, can be argued.
I have run and tested many compressors and can detect little difference in noise. The Kidde 4 stage is perfectly balanced and produces no vibration at all. The revolving parts make a moderate 'whirring' noise when running. Unless the intake is muffled there is a stoccato or rapping sound which comes from the first stage intake valve . The overall sound level is very moderate and one can hold his head close and without discomfort when the unit is driven by an electric motor.
I've tried to discourage the average Joe from undertaking one of these projects because of the typical difficulties that 'Curley' experienced. However, I know that there are some sharp fellows out there whose basic skill sets are greater than mine. They don't employ a taxi meter to calculate the cost and they will not be dissuaded from undertaking such a project, at least once. I'm writing to these and continue to communicate privately with them. Admittedly, it takes a bit of trial and error and there is no need to learn the hard way when collaboration is what the internet was designed for.
There are huge differences in the cosmetics and functionality of surplus compressors. This is for obvious reasons and due to the fact that surplus dealers' employees apparently throw or shot put the light weight Kidde to impress their girl friends when the boss isn't looking.
Parts are as easy to find as the compressor itself. Just buy two compressors and expect to get one good one along with extra parts. Fortunately, some of the more vulnerable parts, such as the first stage intake valve, valve springs, heads and 3rd and 4th stages are interchangable among compressors of the same or similar lineage spanning many years. The economics of do it yourself are based on ingenuity. However, you should be able to purchase and rebuild a Kidde pump for about the price of a routine service, or, say, a spare piston for a brand name compressor. Yep, those expensive, branded parts are easy to find, except when the company goes out of business (remember American Bristol? LOL).
Among military surplus compressors the Steward Warner 4 cfm, 3 stage is nearly bulletproof. So much so, that some small business guys that sell commercial rebuilds or adaptations of military compressors, after they've given up on the Kidde, concentrate on civilianizing and selling the SW. I am not a businessman and care nothing for the logic that drives the bottom line. I've sold a couple of compressors to make room in my shop, that's it. I certainly have not made a profit of any kind in these transactions. I currently have one brand new Stewart Warner for sale. It is professionally constructed and absolutely faultless. Since all the components are new, and not rebuilt, this SW project was not much fun for me.
Some people like to pass time repairing old watches. Some of those old time pieces were serious works of art and a successful repair must be satisfying, as much so as bringing a supposedly dead Kidde back to life. I've already supplied many technical details of these compressors and what to expect when servicing or overhauling so I won't go back over that ground. Needless to say, the economics of spending $1500 cash and several days or weeks sweat equity to manufacture your own SCUBA compressor, where the final result is superior to the $4600 Bauer Oceanus, can be argued.
I have run and tested many compressors and can detect little difference in noise. The Kidde 4 stage is perfectly balanced and produces no vibration at all. The revolving parts make a moderate 'whirring' noise when running. Unless the intake is muffled there is a stoccato or rapping sound which comes from the first stage intake valve . The overall sound level is very moderate and one can hold his head close and without discomfort when the unit is driven by an electric motor.
I've tried to discourage the average Joe from undertaking one of these projects because of the typical difficulties that 'Curley' experienced. However, I know that there are some sharp fellows out there whose basic skill sets are greater than mine. They don't employ a taxi meter to calculate the cost and they will not be dissuaded from undertaking such a project, at least once. I'm writing to these and continue to communicate privately with them. Admittedly, it takes a bit of trial and error and there is no need to learn the hard way when collaboration is what the internet was designed for.
There are huge differences in the cosmetics and functionality of surplus compressors. This is for obvious reasons and due to the fact that surplus dealers' employees apparently throw or shot put the light weight Kidde to impress their girl friends when the boss isn't looking.
Parts are as easy to find as the compressor itself. Just buy two compressors and expect to get one good one along with extra parts. Fortunately, some of the more vulnerable parts, such as the first stage intake valve, valve springs, heads and 3rd and 4th stages are interchangable among compressors of the same or similar lineage spanning many years. The economics of do it yourself are based on ingenuity. However, you should be able to purchase and rebuild a Kidde pump for about the price of a routine service, or, say, a spare piston for a brand name compressor. Yep, those expensive, branded parts are easy to find, except when the company goes out of business (remember American Bristol? LOL).
