Maybe this year I will break into my black powder supply and fire off the home made cannon for the 4th. Another project, I have an authentic, brass steam whistle that came out of a local factory that closed. Meaning to hook that up to the Air compressor. Paul might could help with this. I was wondering if I should build some sort of "accumulator" ahead of the whistle. something to give it a boost of air. My dad always said the whistle didn't sound as good on air, as it would on steam. About 50 years ago we had it on our farm shop, outside, and we just hooked up regular 1/2" air line to the 3/4" galvanized pipe we had it plumbed into. We have a grandson that is a steam train nut, he is 15, and never heard this thing. Bout time to rectify that.
Gene
Bout that time of year again.
Re: Bout that time of year again.
Interesting question. How big is the tank on your compressor?
Given sufficient volume in the compressor tank, I suspect the best bang for your buck is to increase the size of the piping/hose to the whistle. A large volume in storage won't help if the delivery system is too small. The key is how many Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) you can deliver at the whistle.
Alternatively, for short blasts, a small tank/accumulator right at the inlet to the whistle should cure your CFM issue.
Given sufficient volume in the compressor tank, I suspect the best bang for your buck is to increase the size of the piping/hose to the whistle. A large volume in storage won't help if the delivery system is too small. The key is how many Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) you can deliver at the whistle.
Alternatively, for short blasts, a small tank/accumulator right at the inlet to the whistle should cure your CFM issue.
Re: Bout that time of year again.
Yes, I think you are right. I believe I have plenty of capacity. I have one of the big compressors. It is a 220v, 3 cylinder upright. Not sure of the CFM. I am probably overthinking this. Need to just run a pipe out side the shop and see what happens.PHPaul wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2026 4:20 am Interesting question. How big is the tank on your compressor?
Given sufficient volume in the compressor tank, I suspect the best bang for your buck is to increase the size of the piping/hose to the whistle. A large volume in storage won't help if the delivery system is too small. The key is how many Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) you can deliver at the whistle.
Alternatively, for short blasts, a small tank/accumulator right at the inlet to the whistle should cure your CFM issue.
Thanks, Gene