Hiho,
Maybe some of you have the same problem, compressors can be... noisy! Specially when, like me, you paint at night when your kids / wife / family are sleeping. Even if i dont use the airbrush very often, it happened to be an issue.
I thought about buying another compressor, but the silent ones are way too expensive. The cheapest solution was to build a soundproof box.
So here's what we need to do it :
- Wooden boards (MDF boards works good)
- Wood glue
- Nails
- A closing system
- Hinges
- Soundproof foam (bought in a specialized store)
- Round pads
Total cost = approx. 40
€
Let's start with the boards and glue them together:
Nail the boards together to make it stronger:
Add some pads under the box for two reasons. First because you dont want the box to leave marks on your floor. Second and mostly because if you dont do it, the vibrations of the compressor will be in contact with the floor and your soundproofing box will lose a lot of its efficiency.
Time to make the door :
Once the box is complete, drill two holes. One for the plugs, and another one on the top for the hot air evacuation. You dont want your compressor to overheat and burn, obviously. Now it's time to cut the soundproofing foam and glue it on every side inside the box.
The box is done! Sadly i dont have the device to mesure the decibels, but trusting my ears it's approximately twice less noisy. Now i can use it when the family is sleeping, thats awesome!
Of course it's possible to make it more effective, with thicker foam, with double walls or whatever depending your needs. This is a cheap version, but it will be enough in many cases. The only thing i'll see in the future is if the compressor doesnt heat too much inside with only one aeration. Maybe i will have to add another one with a little ventilator. Stay tuned!
Cheers :)