Here’s the lighting set-up I used when my paint booth was still in the basement shop. The only difference now is that the plastic duct has been replaced by aluminum:
As for clean-up of acrylic paints, I use lacquer thinner. There is no water to the garage, and I find that it’s not as effective or as neat to use as is the thinner. I do thin the acrylic paints with distilled water, but that’s done before heading out to paint.
Wayne
I don’t know the cost of lacquer thinner but I bought a gallon of Windex for 8 bucks at Lowe’s, put about 4 ounces in a 6oz pill bottle with a screw cap, and drop in the airbrush parts or shake a used brush in it. I’ve been using the same 4 ounces for months. Wal Mart has a 4-piece set of fine mesh strainers for $1.97 in the kitchen dept. Pour the Windex through the strainer into a small pail from the paint dept, collect the parts, and pour it back into the pill bottle. The Windex doesn’t look pretty anymore but still doing the job. Final rinse in warm water.
These are both extremely helpful pieces of advice, I didn’t know about using laquer thinner with acrylics but I had also forgotten I’d read somewhere about using Windex to clean airbrush parts, so I’ll try both of them as I’ve got them both on hand. Wayne, I also like the hooded lamp you’ve got to the left of your booth in the photo, that might work better than the clamp-on work light I’ve got. At any rate I appreciate the airbrush cleaning tips for acrylics, this is a whole new ballgame for me . . . .
JimT:
Here is another option for lighting. It gives good light coverage and leaves the face of the booth fully open. There are three halogen bulbs:
Here is something else that I find handy. I don’t have to turn around and walk to the compressor to adjust the pressure:
Booth is home built.
Dave
Dave, I really like the look of that light, and it would fit along the thin piece of framing along the top of my booth. You wouldn’t happen to remember where you got it? and the regulator on top of the booth is something I’ve already planned, I’ve got another regulator, I just haven’t hooked it up yet.
do you find the halogens throw off a lot of heat? seems to me like it would almost be at eye level, and depending how long you’re painting, could get a bit warm? But I like keeping the face of the booth open.
I have used fiberglass furnace filters for many years. Yes, they do pass some of he paint solids through but last longer. Maybe once or twice a year, I will take out the filter and clean the Dayton blower impeller of the solids buildup. Jusy lightly scrape each blade with a long handled screwdriver, then turn on the blower to blow out the dust that falls to the bottom of the blower. Cleaning like this increases the blower air flow. My blower exhausts in a “non-senstive area”, so outdoor cleanup is not necessary
JimT:
I likely got the light at Home Depot, but I’m in Canada so the same fixture might not be available south of the border.
This is a similar fixture which I found on Home Depot’s US site:
Its just over 23" wide. The current price is a real bargain. Bulbs are included as is the power cord. I noted in the installation instructions that the bulbs should not be handled directly.
Heat from the halogens is really not an issue because the airflow takes it away from you. I have never noticed any heat when I have been working with the booth.
Dave
The story I heard at first and keep hearing once in awhile about the early Badger paint…
…several gallons …maybe hundreds…of unfiltered city water got mixed into the paints during manufacture…turned the paint into poop.
Somewhere along the line an employee did not have the right filter on hand and just ran the water straight into the paint mix.
thanks Dave, this is great, and didn’t think about the airflow pulling the heat away, good point.
eager to get painting for real. Have some Model Master samples (enamel and acrylic), ordering some MicroLux this weekend, and also rediscovered my box of TWENTY OR SO BOTTLES of Floquil that have been stored upside down for 20 years and still look viable. [:D] That was a nice surprise!
Jim, recently opened a 40 yr old bottle of Floquil paint and used it to paint my first attempt at a scratch built building. I was amazed the paint mixed up without any lumps or scum. It had also been stored upside down, it spent four years in an outdoors mini-rent and survived. Pretty impressive.