I am looking for a high pressure air compressor (<1000 psi). They are commonly found in SCUBA tank filling systems or Paint Ball refill stations. These can be bought new for $2 to 10 k. Obviously, I am looking for one available on the cheap. I don't even require it to be entire functional!

Does anyone have one or know of a salvage location that does?

-Brian

I am not sure your application but be very careful with high pressure equipment there is a very good reason that scuba tanks are filled in a concrete enclosure.

This is a fairly low volume/low energy application. I am guessing we are talking well under a liter of volume.

For background: I wish to build a cryo-cooler. Effectively, I want to replicate a Linde cycle gas liquification system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampson%E2%80%93Linde_cycle. While it requires high pressures, we aren't talking more than a meter or so of fairly .25 to .5 in tube.

If is a small vol of air, maybe a pneumatic cylinder arm could provide you with the needed pressure.

That is most likely how it was done when Linde made his machine.