Bill D 2,103 #1 Posted May 2 Looking for advice on the best material to use for a new pump diaphram for this old compressor. It would need to be about 0.125" thick. Original diaphram measures 3 3/4" in diameter. The company that made the compressor is still in business and will make me one for $25 plus tax and shipping. Problem is I only paid $10 at a yard sale. Thanks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 9,032 #2 Posted Friday at 09:01 AM IMHO. break loose with the $25 and buy it. For me, it is not worth the time & risk of choosing an incompatible material to have it fail again..... Use that time you would have fiddled with it to do something else productive.... Hobbies are seldom cost effective.... like tractors are. 6 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,571 #3 Posted Friday at 10:13 AM (edited) Total investment of less than $50 with a Brand New OEM Diaphragm, It would probably cost $25+ for some 1/8" material to make one yourself. Ditch the electric motor and add an O&R engine for an even cooler piece. Here's mine with an engine. An older compressor version https://myoldmachine.com/topic/6266-speedy-sprayer/#comments Orline compressor with one like yours https://myoldmachine.com/topic/1387-or-orline-air-compressor-compressor-made-by-wr-brown/?tab=comments#comment-14370 Edited Friday at 10:59 AM by wallfish 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 42,721 #4 Posted Friday at 10:37 AM (edited) Look at it this way. You bought the Diaphragm for $25 Then found a cheap compressor to go with it. Back when I was doing Auto Ac jobs on the side we needed our TV satellite dish moved. Paid the TV guy $50. My wife asked why I didn't do it my self. I told her i could work on 4 cars ($200-250) in the time it was gonna take for me to do it. Time is money Edited Friday at 10:38 AM by squonk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 58,175 #5 Posted Friday at 10:56 AM 38 minutes ago, wallfish said: Brand New OEM Diaphragm, It would probably cost $25+ for some 1/8" material to make one yourself. That diaphragm is not a flat sheet of material, the way it was manufactured it allows for stretching and recoil. Buy the correct part or just clean it up and put it on the shelf as a display piece. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill D 2,103 #6 Posted Friday at 03:02 PM All good points. Since my father-in-law only uses this for occasional tire inflation it may be easier to find another used compressor at a yard sale. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill D 2,103 #7 Posted Friday at 06:06 PM I did see some material on Ebay that might work. Cutting a diaphram takes about 10 min. For $27 I can get a piece big enough to make 6 diaphrams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 13,860 #8 Posted Friday at 06:07 PM 9 hours ago, ri702bill said: Hobbies are seldom cost effective.... like tractors are. Clearly I'm doing something wrong. My tractors are like dependents. I pay in alot, with minimal monetary returns... But they are fun! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill D 2,103 #9 Posted Friday at 06:54 PM 37 minutes ago, kpinnc said: Clearly I'm doing something wrong. My tractors are like dependents. I pay in alot, with minimal monetary returns... But they are fun! I personally find small quick repairs enjoyable. A friend gave me some reinforced rubber material to try. I had to cut and install three pieces because it was so thin, but was able to get it to pump again. I cut it slightly oversized, then installed the compressor head with the piston on the down stroke. This should give it some room to flex. We'll see how long it lasts. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
