Air Compressor

I'm not sure this is going to end well.

How large (volume) are these tanks that are being filled?

I think the tanks are about 80 cu inches

The enthusiastic paintball guys that use HPA (high pressure air) will fill a large diving cylinder, take it to the game area and periodically refill their gun tanks from the large cylinder. Is that not possible for you here?

You'll shoot your eye out!

Sorry, you're on your own here. Too much risk of personal injury for my taste.

I would ask these guys. You won't build your own safely.

Can you find any drawings for the girandoni gun and pump that Lewis and Clark used? There were many web pages dedicated to this during the bicentennial. I find it amazing they could produce such a weapon in the late 1700's.

http://www.topairgun.com/girandoni

No, a bottle jack uses o-ring seals which for viscus oil works, but they would leak air.

I think you should make a trip to the local scuba store and talk to the guys that fill the tanks and hear all of the stories of tanks exploding and people getting killed by them. After that if you still want to go forward on this project order a compressor that is used to fill the tanks and get trained on the use of it. Remember safety first, this is surely not worth dying over.

These tanks need to be hydrostatically tested and certified periodically, and must be filled by someone trained and certified to do so.....the metal does fatigue over time from the expansion and contraction of high pressure...the tanks must be cooled during filling process...Do not attempt to fill high pressure tanks without the training and certification required.

http://www.leisurepro.com/1/4/scuba-tank-compressor

Must be something like this:

http://www.ammoland.com/2012/12/benjamin-marauder-pellet-rifle-review/#axzz2Wf70C4Qs

Now, not only will OP "shoot his eye out", but OP will also blow up! Maybe blow up will shooting out the eye?

Seems like a lot of fun to me!

I followed your link. I'm surprised the Benjamin Marauder only gives a muzzle velocity of 900 fps. using 2-3,000 psi. In the 1960's, I had a Sheridan Blue Streak 0.20 pneumatic rifle (hand pumped) that gave 770 fps. I can't believe the pressure got anything like 3,000 psi! There's a serious discrepancy here.

I have a copy of: "Smith's Standard Encyclopedia of Gas, Air and Spring Guns of the World" by W.H.B.Smith. Very interesting and informative - you might be staggered at some of the guns that were made many years ago. If interest, please contact me via CR4.

Back in the '60's, Popular Science (if I recall correctly) published plans to build a 3000psi compressor, utilizing a surplus 3-stage compressor that was originally used by the military for some aircraft-related purpose. Since purity is not an issue, this is a very simple conversion, because you can eliminate the activated charcoal filter that was included. My dad and I built one and it was used to refill my 72c.f. Scuba tank. You may be able to still find the plans for this project. I am neither recommending nor suggesting that you do this - FYI only.

I have seen the after math of a compressed air tank when the air compressor did not shut off at the set point of 100-150 PSI. It was about 1,000 gal. It ripped out of its steel enclosure blew through a 5 layer brick wall leaving a 10-20 ft hole and flew around like a balloon till it ran out of gas. Fortunately, no one was in either room because they would have died. I have a few more where people died.

Thats why air compressors are supposed to have one or more pressure relief valves that are set well below the rupture pressure of the tank.

To me a tank getting pumped up to the point of explosion means some idiot was stupid enough to defeat remove or adjust the safety relief system to a point where it should have never been.

"... means some idiot was stupid enough to defeat remove or adjust the safety relief system..."

As you are a sponsor of The Darwin Awards, I would have thought that you heartily supported such activities.

I only sponsor idiots who may kill themselves.

When they kill others with their stupidity that's a whole different issue with me.

3000lb air is really scary and dangerous. We used 3000lb air in the big Navy Guns I used to maintain as "Recuperators" (CR4 dictionary does not even know this word...), these are the cylinders that drive the gun back out after firing a shot.

The air pressure could remove your head, hand foot if you weren't careful!!

Be very careful and as long as you still have at least one hand and your head, tell us how you get on...

Why do you want to make such a powerful air gun....?

While following a link from someone else, I came across this pump which may prove interesting for you:-

Hill Pump

please video your testing, we like disasters around here.