Airbrush Nebulizer Project

I'm not telling anyone to do this. I'm just relating what I am doing. Remember, nothing in the way of equipment listed here is in any way approved for medical use.

• Compressor- a commonly available small OIL-LESS air compressor; these things are NOISY. Cost around $150. I bought the smallest & lightest I could find at the time, since then I've seen a smaller one at Lowe's.
• Regulator- a commonly available subcompact air pressure line regulator. These regulators have trouble being reliably adjustable at below 20psi. These usually come on the compressor these days.
• Hose- standard black vinyl, red rubber, pvc or urethane air hose. Cheapest is all I need for this. I'm using the one that came with the compressor.
• Airbrush- Harbor Freight airbrush kit model 1500. Cost me $25 with shipping. HF is terminally slow with the cheapest shipping option. It took two weeks to get here and their distribution center is 100 miles away.
• Standard brass 1/4" quick disconnect fittings between the regulator and main hose, and between the main hose and the small airbrush hose in the kit.

The kit comes with two glass bottles, I use the smaller one. The metal "cup" is useless for this purpose. Save the larger bottle in case the small one gets broken.

At 15 psi, this airbrush puts a out a fine mist that appears to be every bit as fine as the mist form the nebulizer I've used for years. The main difference is that it is pressurized. A nebulizer chamber atomizes the liquid but disperses the pressure, so there is no pressure into the mouth. Disadvantage- makes me want to resist breathing it; Advantage- would be good if breathing were difficult. 20 psi is too much. This is not for a child to use unless an adult is controlling the trigger. There is an adjustment at the nose of the airbrush, keep it tight for finest mist.

At 15psi, I have the option of closing my mouth around it or holding it out of my mouth and breathing the mist.

The really big advantage is that this arrangement will conserve both the CS mixture and the air used. The compressor won't run nearly as much as with a nebulizer chamber since I am shutting the air off after every breath. This would be particularly advantageous if hooked it to a bottle of oxygen (with an oxy regulator!!!). If I have to stop, I don't have to get up and cut the air off, but of course that could be fixed on a nebulizer with a valve in-line close to me.

Speaking of oxygen, you can buy small tanks with some metal cutting torch outfits. I came upon mine, brand new, because someone traded in one of those tanks for a larger one at my local welding shop. I bought the tank for $50.

The trigger is a button on top that has a double action. You must depress it and pull it back to get full fog. If you don't pull it back you're only getting air.

This was worth doing to me, but then I love playing with this kinda stuff. Guy Thing.

Daddybob