I recently tore my AB compressor down to check everything out. Don't wait 2 years to do this! My biggest problem is that inside the regulator there's a brass rod and a spring that have degraded quite badly. I'm going to have a friend machine the part for me. I need to come up with brass stock and I was going to buy the stuff I can get at hobby lobby. Is there any reason not to use this brand? I can't imagine it's any worse than the original metal.

K&S might be a slightly softer brass, than some of industrial stuff.

I'd try a known alloy:
http://www.speedymetals.com/c-8195-brass.aspx

Matt is right. I have found through hard experience that most "hobby" materials do not machine well. I would also imagine that their strength and durability, while excellent for models, would be questionable in a machine use. I think you'll be lots happier in the long run following Matt's advice.


Jim
LSA

Thanks gents

K&S is not a typical "hobby" brass product-- it's only sold in hobby stores as a secondary market-- the primary market is for industrial purposes, and K&S can be found in greater quantity and variety in hardware stores and equipment supply stores like Ace Hardware, Wilco Farm Supply Stores and McClendon Hardware stores. I've used it for years in many automotive and appliance repair projects, including the repair of a compressor 20 years ago which is still going strong. I used a piece of K&S brass rod bent around the shaft of my Binks compressor to take up the "slack" between the shaft and the piston bearing race when the original shaft wore out. I expect it will fail one day, but so did the original steel shaft.
VR, Russ Bucy