rb wrote:

My trusty old air compressor has died a horrible death. It's the old main
machine that I use for everything in the world around the house. The good
news is that it is so old it is definitely repairable. The bad news is that
I have idea who originally made the thing. It is approx '70s era Craftsman.
They no longer support the thing, so now I'm on my own. So, I'm trying to
find out who might have made the unit, and, if they're no longer in
business, who a modern day successor might be.

This unit is sort of unusual. It's a small, four cylinder inline
compressor, driven by a true 3/4 hp motor. The pistons are small---probably
about 1-1.5" bore. Seems to be a simple beast, and some of the parts might
be standard; i.e. bearings, gaskets, etc. If I'm really lucky, all the
stuff inside will be off the shelf items for something. Anyway, anyone out
there have any idea who once made these kinds of units?
i got a 1 hp. craftsman air compressor.. bought it in the early 70's..
if you look on the metal that is welded on the tank i the front if i am
not mistaken then you will see the name Devilbliss... that is who made
mine....what is wrong with your air compressor... i got generic parts
for mine when needed... like the check valve, unloader valve. and had to
use copper tubing to replace the aluminum tubing that was there before i
broke it....

"Frank K." wrote in message

If you can find the patent number, you can search for the maker at
http://patents.uspto.gov

Frank

Not really, though you can luck out. Edison held the lightbulb patent but
is he the manufacturer? Tens of thousands of patents are issued to
individuals who then license others to do the manufacturing, or even to
companies that will license the patent to other companies.

Not to mention that the compressor may not even be patented.
Ed

Well, mine doesn't have any identifying marks anywhere except the Craftsman
stickers. Sears does still show the unit, and has the parts breakdown, but
doesn't provide parts any longer.

My compressor has chrome tubing coming out to the air manifold.

I think something is wrong inside the compressor. I can't turn the
compressor drive wheel past a certain point. Once I hit that point, I can
reverse it, and it hits the sticking point again going the other way.

I had hoped it would be an unloader or check valve. Universal ones of those
are readily obtainable. And, they may be repairable themselves.

However, I think I'm going to find something wrong inside the compressor.

I'll try Devilbiss and see if they can ID it as being one of theirs.

Thanks again for writing.

"rb" wrote in message ...
Well, mine doesn't have any identifying marks anywhere except the
Craftsman
stickers. Sears does still show the unit, and has the parts breakdown,
but
doesn't provide parts any longer.

My compressor has chrome tubing coming out to the air manifold.

I think something is wrong inside the compressor. I can't turn the
compressor drive wheel past a certain point. Once I hit that point, I can
reverse it, and it hits the sticking point again going the other way.

I had hoped it would be an unloader or check valve. Universal ones of
those
are readily obtainable. And, they may be repairable themselves.

However, I think I'm going to find something wrong inside the compressor.

I'll try Devilbiss and see if they can ID it as being one of theirs.

Thanks again for writing.

It sounds like you have a broken connecting rod to the piston. The unloader
on that type of compressor is in the check valve, most likely, and wouldn't
cause the flywheel to stop from rotating 360 degrees continuously. Like I
said before, check out Campbell-Hausfeld!

Op --former compressor mechanic (home, commercial, and industrial)--