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This thread has a lot of potential! To add my two bits - I spent a lot of time on SF dive teams where we had to do a fair amount of maintenance and construction. To make it easier we "acquired" a few air tools and nailguns because they made it more efficient for a couple of guys to do the construction while the rest of the team did other work. (We usually had more OPFUND than bodies and the work always had to get done.) Unfortunately the TO&E and a couple commanders without a sense of humor wouldn't support us acquiring and keeping a low pressure compressor to run the tools. Since we always had plenty of compressors producing high-pressure air for diving we used the dive tanks and dedicated an "unserviceable" diving regulator to run the tools/nailguns. It requires an investment in the equipment and a little pre-planning but its highly portable, doesn't require electricity, and saves a lot of effort when something has to be done right now. The only caution is to make sure the regulator's intermediate pressure is adjusted low enough that it won't damage the tools. Normal intermediate pressure is 135 +/- 5 psi. Most tools prefer something below 90 psi. The Conshelf XII/XIV made/makes an excellent regulator for this use because it's cheap, readilly available in pawn shops (you didn't think I was going to use my breathing regulator for this?), and the pressure can be adjusted without opening it up. There are some inexpensive adapters required to hook a 1/4" airline to the regulator but any dive shop can get them for you (got to love the IMPACT credit card!). We discovered that keeping the regulator set at factory specs with at least a 25' air hose and a mini "in-line" regulator next to the tool made for better flow rates (tools are bigger "air-hogs" than most military divers - especially if they're in continuous use). We've built a few SOCEPs in the middle of nowhere with some battery operated saws/drills and the nailgun hooked up to a SCUBA tank. Because I'm still into diving and have access to the HP air I've set up a similar system for my personal use that includes an air chuck and impact wrench for changing tires on the road. I've also used it on small carpentry jobs to run my finish nailer when I didn't want to lug around a full size compressor. The tanks support a surprising amount of work. FWIW - Peregrino
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