Hi Blaine,
Thanks for your thought provoking questions. As always I find this valuable.
Here is a picture of the five Air Cylinders I currently have.
The unit on the top is the one I was thinking of using.
The next two down are as you mentioned, one-way “Spring-Loaded” IN.
The fourth down is One-Way “Spring-Loaded” OUT.
The last is just too small for practical use in this application.
All spring-loaded units require 12 PSI to overcome the spring pressure, which shouldn’t be a problem.
I did give some thought to using a spring-loaded unit but couldn’t come up with a good way to address the cylinder vent. Each has a small vent hole drilled in the stainless steel cylinder that allows air to enter or escape as the piston operates.
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