[JhnBrackett]

I was looking at getting a compressor for painting parts no larger than panels. All I've got is a dinky 2 hp (max) 10 gallon unit, but my uncle is going to give me a large oxygen tank that he said I shoudl use as a reserve unit. Woudl someone care to explain how I would hook it up and what hte use would be? I'm assuming I'd just fill it up to a very high PSI (can take up to 2400 PSI) and it would act as a larger tank that is only filled to 100 PSI. I have tried seraching around but can't quite figure out what parts I'd need... here's what I've found

Tank
Compressor - preferably 2 stage, 5+ HP, 80 Gallon
25' Hose
H20 Remover
Pressure Regulator at the connection to the tool
Paint gun (only used for primering and touch up painting [flames])

Guess this one is actually 2 questions, what's the purpose of a reserve tank and how would I use it in my case. And doe smy list include all the parts? This will be a unit that will have to be put away quite often.

[galaxieguy3]

A reserve tank would do 2 things. First it would keep your compressor from cycling as often, however it would run for longer periods to refill both tanks. Second, due to to higher capacity, you can use more air, with less immediate pressure drop.
If you do body work and use air tools such as board sander or d.a. sander, you would probably notice a big difference with the reserve tank.
If you are buying a new compressor, check the cfm capacity and compare it with the tools you will be using. I have a 5 hp 30 gallon tank, and it will not keep up with my d.a. sander. I could install a reserve tank and it would allow me a longer use time between refills, but the flip side is that it would take the compressor that much longer to refill.