Air nailer kit question.

Jack wrote:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DCBKX/qid=1150989924/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1555381-6900636?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013
>
> 1. If I nail at an angle the finish nail sticks out about 1/4" from the
> surface but then when I use the hammer to drive it down the hail head just
> bend over. Are there finish nailers the could be used at an angle?
>
> 2. The compressor develop a leak a couple of weeks ago at the regulator.
> Took it apart but couldn't see anything wrong - have not replace the O-ring
> yet. I've had it over a year but don't use it that much - maybe two
> continuous hours. When it is in storage do I leave it at full pressure or
> discharge the compressor?

Jack:

You will receive many opinions here. Just about all trim guns will
shoot nails at an angle, it just depends on how acute the angle
actually is... you cannot shoot and sink any farther than the driver
extends past the nose of the gun. When I have something that demands a
really steep angle I take the plastic nose off the gun before shooting
to get as much depth as possible. The set you referenced is a nice set
and I know professional trimmers that use that very set.

As for the compressor, for all of our Chiawanese tools you never know
how long they will actually last. Many things could be wrong here, and
there may not actually be a problem. My compressors occasionally get
some rough handling or some heavy handed adjustments, but there is
remarkable little outright failure.

Try this:

Take the hose off, and power up the compressor and see if it still
leaks at the same spot. If it does, eliminate the hose fitting. (I
have found that the hose fittings leak much more than the regulator).
If it is leaking take the cap off the regualtor and make sure it is
connected securely to the compressor supply line and if not take it off
and reinstall with some teflon tape. As a sidebar, two of my
compressors were sealed at the factory with a pipe dope/Loctite stuff
on the connections which heated up and came off - a couple of wraps of
teflon took care of it.

Some regulators are only flow restrictors, and some are diaphragm type.
If you have a diaphragm type you can push the push the little brass
leaf to the point where it will take a set and will cause a leak at
lower pressures. My fastener guy showed me this: power up the
compressor and let it run unitl it quits. Turn the knob all the way
down to achieve the highest poundage possible. Let out the air on the
release valve (the little one with the ring on it) and cycle the
compressor a few times. Then turn it down to about 20 pounds, cycling
along the way. If it quits, it is probably fine and the diaphragm was
pushed in too far. Adjust as normal for your use.

If it still leaks, then you can replace the regulator pretty cheap. I
think I paid about $6 at HF (sale price) the last time I did, and I
bought a couple. They also have these at HD and Lowe's, but I didn't
like the small dials and the little knobs. These cheap regulators seem
to last as well as any for me:


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90590

I always drain my tank as that is what they told us to do 30+ years
ago. I know the gas stations never did, and neither did the flat
repair guys. Does it make a difference? Not if you use it for a few
shots then turn it off and store it. But then, why stress any seals
when you don't have to?

The main reason I drain my tanks every day is the moisture. High
humidity and a few hours of work will build a lot in the tank which
will turn to rusty water immediately. Then if the compressor is
tipped on its side (ever knocked one over? had one lay over in the
truck while stuck in traffic?) the rusty water can get into the
internals. Not good on seals at all.

Hope that all helps.

Robert

1. For angle nailing, you'll probably want to remove the rubber "boot"
from the saftey tip and set the drive depth to maximum.

2. I have the same compressor, and mine leaked badly where the pipe
nipple that supports the pressure switch is threaded into the tank.
This is a weak point in the design, since any tension on the air hose
stresses the threaded connection, and in my case, the joint was barely
finger tight. After disconnecting the electricals, I was easily able to
tighten it another full turn by hand. Chalk that up to shoddy assembly
(regarding the comment on Chiawanese tools, my compressor was labled as
assembled in the USA).

3. I leave my compressor filled. Now that I've fixed the leak, it holds
pressure indefinitely, so I can shoot off a few nails when I need them
without the unbearable racket of the compresor running. I do bleed off
the water occasionally, but a compressor tank is alwasy going to have
some mositure in it, whehter you keep it filled or empty

On 2006/6/22 11:42 AM, "Jack" <n> wrote:



> 1. If I nail at an angle the finish nail sticks out about 1/4" from the
> surface but then when I use the hammer to drive it down the hail head just
> bend over. Are there finish nailers the could be used at an angle?

Yes, a number of companies make angled finish nail guns

>
> 2. The compressor develop a leak a couple of weeks ago at the regulator.
> Took it apart but couldn't see anything wrong - have not replace the O-ring
> yet. I've had it over a year but don't use it that much - maybe two
> continuous hours.

I have the same compressor , used for hundreds of hours, with no leaks. You
should not be experiencing that kind of problem. Have you contacted Porter
Cable?

>When it is in storage do I leave it at full pressure or
> discharge the compressor?

Discharge the pressure using the relief valve on the bottom of the tank.

Robert Haar <[email protected]> wrote in
news:C0C0BF0E.184750%[email protected]:

>>When it is in storage do I leave it at full pressure or
>> discharge the compressor?
>
> Discharge the pressure using the relief valve on the bottom of the
> tank.
>

And then turn the valve back in about half a turn or so.

DAMHIKT.

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....