I have a cheap but descent airbrush from testors and all I do is use Acrylic paint with it.
I guess I haven’t been paying much attention to the warnings about fumes and stuff, but recently it caught my attention. Will using acrylic paint in an airbrush be harmful??? If so will a ventilation mask fix this problem??
I need a way to airbrush inside safly but not too expensive. See I can’t afford a ventilation booth or anything of that nature. any solutions if acrylics can be harmful???
Spraying ANYTHING is harmful to your health. Even if there aren’t any carcinogenic chemicals in the paint (which there are with most hobby paints), do you really want the cilia in your lungs covered with a nice layer of paint particulate matter?
ALWAYS use a spray booth with plenty of ventilation to the outside. Have a fan blowing on your back to help force the particulate matter out the vent. And always wear at LEAST a basic filter mask. Spraying outdoors (in this decent weather) is a viable alternative too.
I agree with Ray. I use all kinds of finishes on models and like lacquer for fast drying but use enamel and acryl also. They are all bad for you. Up in Washington State I got my hands on an old pellet stove and tore it all apart to salvage fans and the frame. For the cost of a switch, some dryer vent, a furnace filter and a few rivets and small bolts (total $20.00) I made a paint booth that works really well. Took about 8 hours of time. Here in Arizona in the summer I just walk out into the back yard and check the wind direction. When it cools down I’ll hook up the booth again here.
Be really careful. I lost my wife to cancer last year and she didn’t paint or smoke. There are enough ways to get sick without going out of your way. TARP.
I use acrylics almost exclusively, partly because they’re non-toxic. Still, dried overspray can cause some discomfort, much like other dusty materials do. There also are alcohol fumes from most acrylic thinners (aside from Distilled Water, of course) to be considered, although that’s only a worry when I’m spraying large amounts of heavily-thinned paint, such as weathering multiple models at once.
I have a 3M 2-element respirator with dust filters that I generally use when I’m painting in any amount. It cost about $CAD 30 at the hardware store.
My booth isn’t ventilated as of yet, but I recently got the stuff to do it. The important thing to consider if you’re planning to “roll your own” ventilated booth is to make sure that the fan motor is not in the airstream. If it is, you risk igniting fumes from any flammable thinners you may use in the future (including alcohol).