A bit OT: Air dusters

I've had an aerosol 'Air Duster' for a few years, which I've found handy for blasting the dust off computer keyboards, etc.

It's just run out, and the thought occurred to me that I might be able to refill it from my compressor. I can certainly get some air in by holding the operating button down and holding a compressor nozzle against its nozzle - but that then only allows it to operate for a few seconds.

Anyone know what these things are originally filled with? Presumably some gas which can be liquefied by compression rather than air - otherwise it wouldn't hold enough to be useful.

In that case, is it likely to harmful to anything it's sprayed onto? The can (Maplin) doesn't say what was in it.

Reply to
Roger Mills
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NO!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, quite. The container will blow up long before you liquify air in it. Mine says extremely flammable - might just be butane, i.e. airosol propellant with nothing else.

In the last few years, they've all had a bitterant added to stop people inhaling them.

I did have another make which was not flammable, but made flames burn green - that was probably a CFC based one which you won't be able to buy anymore.

I buy Dustoff in 6-packs from Costco.

I used to buy Kenair (I think it was) from a camera shop, but it was much more expensive, even when buying a box of 12 cans. Haven't seen it recently.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

It's usually CO2 in them which liquifies. So air is of no use whatever.

Reply to
harryagain

That implies ~ 700 psi, too much for the ordinary "tin can" type. Sparklets bulbs and CO2 fire extinguishers are much more substantial.

Reply to
newshound

Has anyone built one from e.g. a 2l fizzy drinks bottle?

The Mk 2 version of the Zounds air horn for my push bike is just a plastic bottle with a fitting in the plastic feed tube for a bike pump and a valve to let the the air out through the horn.

So probably do-able.

I can see that a schrader valve could be fairly easily fitted to the base of a pop bottle.

The issue is the construction of the 'gun' bit to let the air out again.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David.WE.Roberts

Don't worry, it's harry.

"Dust Off" is diflouroethane.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

MSDS for a typical one:

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main ingredient

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Guess much more expensive invertible air duster has some sort of dip tube arrangement, normal air duster makes a good freezer spray inverted.

Reply to
Adam Aglionby

Well, picking one at random from the Fanell/CPC catalogue and looking at it s safety data sheet tells me that it contains between 60 and 100% of tetraf luoroethane and 5 to 10% of dimethyl ether. I'd expect that all the others have very similar composition, though another one I looked at only mentione d the dimethyl ether, statin that the other constituent(s) were not hazardo us. (I had to look at this some while ago at work).

Reply to
docholliday93

Yes Tetrafluoroethane, Which is R134a that is used in auto air conditioners and you can be fined for releasing to atmosphere in Australia, go figure, and was once used as a propellant in asthma puffers.

Reply to
F Murtz

Roger Mills used his keyboard to write :

For cleaning computer keyboards and other small stuff I use these from Amazon

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For blowing out cruddy computer cases and other bigger stuff I have a compressor out in the garage :')

Reply to
Steve

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