Recently I began sorting through paints, thinners, air brushes, etc. that have been stored since about 1990. A surprising amount of the couple hundred or more bottles of paint were salvaged by adding thinner, stirring (battery op tool) and straining. I even dug out the respirator I bought in 1990 and never used (been in a box ever since). During all this, a couple questions arose:
How long do the charcoal filters in the respirator live? Do they have a shelf life? This particular respirator was made by American Optical in the mid-1980’s, the filter carts are rated for particle & vapors of the kind lacquers and enamels and their thinners produce, and while I was using the respirator it seems to filter out all the nasty smelling stuff (xylene, toulene, lacquer thinner, alcohol, you name it), so I assumed the filters are working. Is that a valid assupmption (no smell, no fumes in lungs)?
When straining model paint, the paint viscousity is obviously a charataristic that must be considered (lest I choose a mesh too fine to pass much paint and make a huge mess). Have any of you guys any thoughts on a particular mesh/strainer to use? I just got some Micro Mark strainer/funnels that I haven’t used yet. I’m hoping they work. But I have many different kinds of paint, ranging from Badger pre-thinned paint to some relatively thick (old) Accupaint & Floquil. They will both be thinned before shooting, but I don’t want to thin it now.
Now that most of the paint salvaging is done, I will dig out the air brushes and check them out (as I recall I have a Badger 150, another Badger (I forget the model #, I think it’s a double action) and I believe there is a third mystery model in the box too. Several years ago (anticipating I would someday paint again), I bought a Testors spray paint “booth”. It is very similar to the one Micro Mark sells now. The exhaust fan is mounted in the bottom of the unit, and it exhausts out a vent to the rear. There are th
I’d say the respirator filter cartridges are good if you’re not detecting any paint smell while airbrushing.
I’ve had good luck straining paint thru cut up pieces of nylon stockings or panty hose stretched over the paint cup or jar. The mesh size is adjustable depending on how much the nylon is stetched and a rubber band or O-ring keeps the piece attached to the mouth of the cup or jar. This method of paint filtering can be dangerous if a wife happens to see those cut up pieces of her nylons.
Yeah, I was hoping for confirmation on that. That stuff smells so bad without the respirator, I thought I was safe if there was no hint of stink with the respirator on.
I actually had a piece of wifey’s old panty hose that I tried to use. Maybe there are various types, but these were so dense (fine mesh) that they worked better as a cup than as a strainer. I’m pretty sure I have used old nylons back in the 80’s for straining though.
Funny story about that. My wife retired a couple years ago, and swore off wearing panty hose at that time. Sooo… She had a new pair still in the package, and offered them up for the greater good!
Please forgive my ignorance Kevin, what is a Contanier Store? Maybe a chain of stores that are regional? Or can you buy COFC containers there?
Yeah, I remember it as being easy to use, easy to clean and produced acceptable (considering my skills) results. I remember buying a smaller needle and head for it, and painted over 20 locos and 150 freight cars in the couple years I waws active. I look forward to getting back into it, albeit with less smelly paints than Floquil. Not sure what to do with all this Scalecoat paint I have though…
I made my own paint filters out of the brass screen from a mid '70s Chevy transmission filter. If you have any buddies who are into cars they might have one lying around. I used a spare piece of Atlas rail to make the funnel rim and the handle and then I soldered the screen on to the frame. Works good!
I also salvaged some slightly coarser screen from a coffee machine re-usable filter which would work good as well.
Your observation about the filter canisters being okay if you can’t smell the vapours is correct, I use an industrial type respirator and the filters come in sealed plastic sacks, and even ones years old are like new, and will last a long time in service. (In an industrial environment, filter life was often measured in hours.)
I’ve never seen the logic for bottom-mounted exhaust, unless it’s to sell more filters. [D)]
When airbrushing is underway, overspray tends to drop, and a few layers of old newspaper will pretty-well take care of it. The lighter stuff, mostly the solvent vapours, is easily taken away by a top-mounted fan and exhaust, and it also picks up the lighter small particles of paint
Thanx for the ideas. I had eyeballed our K-Cup reuseable filter myownself. It does look like a natural. You use of the tranny filter is pretty ingenious. Model railroaders are an innovative lot. Mike
COFC Containers might be one of the few containers they do not sell there.
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This is my “local” store. It is in Orlando about three hours away. I do not know how many locations they have, but this one is close to my daughter’s house, so I go there pretty often.
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Yes, they sell containers. Every type of container you can imagine from zip-lock baggies to trash cans to small tool boxes. Who knew this could be a success?
Ah… I lived in Tampa for many years, twice actually. Back in the good ol’ days of Chester Holley and the Happy Hobo. My folks (& all us family) moved there in 1959, and I eturned foor a few years (MacDill AFB). I did the Hobby Shops in Orlando too - That Colonial Photo, Stew Marshall’s (now deceased) place and a couple others. They had some good shops there.
Actually, I have purchased many differnet kinds of containers from various sizes of “zip lock” bags (mainly for sorting/storing hardware & train parts) to boxes to store trains in. I’ll have to check them out if they have an online presence.
