Forget those pricey, wasteful compressed air cans! They’re gone in no time and usually spray out that nasty propellant when tipped upside down. Use compressor in your shop.
That will blow fresh dry air all day long. Why spend money on compressed air? A homemade duster is cheaper then a single can of the stuff.
Build Your Own Shop Air Duster
Why Build a Homemade Duster
It only takes an afternoon or so to make, and it packs far more punch than a throwaway can. To do this you really only require three component: a container for the air, something for it to attach to to hook up to compressor hose, and finally a nozzle to concentrate flow of air. It concentrates the air into a more powerful stream then the weak puff from store-bought cans.
Something to make it precise, something to control it. This tool, this thing you build. Find some stuff in your junk drawer (or shop).
Materials Needed for DIY Duster
Find a hard plastic bottle like a two liter soda bottle. Soft bendy plastic won’t stand up to pressurized air. Obtain a quick-connect fitting to match your compressor hose.
Something like a regular 1/4 inch male quick connect are fine. Also obtain a long skinny nozzle. A piece of stiff tubing or an old inkjet printhead will work.
How precise you can gets it cleaned depends on the nozzle shape.
Assembling the Air Duster
Drill a hole in the bottle cap for the fitting. It’s best to drill it slightly smaller then the fitting so that the fitting has something to grab onto and creates a seal against plastic.
You can use a power drill, but you want make sure it’s held steady or use a drill press. First make a small pilot hole to prevent your bit from wandering. Once drilled screw the fitting into the cap.
If it seems loose add some thread sealant tape. When the pressure is built up there can’t be any leaks in this connection. Put it together with the fitting attached to the nozzle.
Run the nozzle up under the cap along with air intake. It’s not too bad but it look a little sloppy. One nice thing about that is you can use T-fitting or an adapter for the manifold.
Testing and Safety Precautions
Hook the bottle up to your air hose on your compressor. Test everything out before firing it up. If the plastic breaks, you’ll have a leak that’s both dangerous and annoying.
Plastic shards under high pressure becomes projectiles. Always wear your safety glasses when experimenting with duster. Begin at a lower pressure like 30 psi just to see if there are any leaks.
Is it hissing? If not then increase the pressure slowley. Shop compressors typically operate anywhere from 90-120 psi.
So long as bottle hasn’t been damaged and is rigid, it will be fine at that pressure. Glass bottles should of never be used due to extreme explosion risk. Homemade duster are better than commercial cans.
Performance and Cost Savings
You get a steady blast of air that doesn’t lose its temperature. You get a consistent powerful blast of air that does not cool down or run out. Dust blows right off of keyboards and circuit boards.
With this tool you’re using the full power of your shop air system. You will have no more restrictions from little cans. You can use your shop tools differentaly.
It is a resource rather than an expense because it transform what was an expense into a tool. You’ll never have to buy another compressed air can. Make this duster just one time and forget about the expense of cans ever again, and the best part is that the air’s free and so is the power.
It makes things feel more comfortabley when work is done. The moddern way to clean is different than how people used to do it. This method is actualy much better for a person who want to save money.
You can recieve great results with this.
