for 40% off at Hobby Lobby. That should lower the hurt of the compressor a bit. I am thinking about building a spray booth out of plywood and old computer parts. I have an old power supply and a bunch of case fans I could use. Since I have never actually seen a real spray booth I am only guessing what to make.
RMax
Some years ago Model Railroader published an article about building your own spray booth out of simple materials and was almost immediately bombarded with letters about how that particular booth was highly deficient on a safety basis for use with solvent based paints. I no longer recall the particulars, and whether the issue was the amount of air it would move, the venting, the electrical issues (you don’t want sparks) or what. It might have been both venting and wiring that caused the ire of readers in the know.
The consequence was that MR then commissioned a second article about how to build a spray booth that did not have the environmental issues. I wish I knew the issues because you sure do not want to follow the advise in that first article.
But since that time there has been even more information and now you see guys who use solvent based paints not only use the most modern spray booths, but use personal respirators specifically built for chemical and solvent (as opposed to merely particulate) uses.
Most likely, some of the simple commercial spray booths of my younger days – Badger made a small plastic cheap one as I recall – would by today’s standards also be found wanting. And while I know guys who insist they have been painting for years and all this safety stuff is overblown, I also remember the letter to MR (in the Russ Larson era) from the guy who’d been a custom painter for modelers but had to give it all up when he developed a cancer or melanoma that his doctors attributed to solvent based paints not being vented properly. In a subsequent issue his death was announced.
If you think you will use only acrylic paints in that paint booth, then the main (but not only) concern is particulate matter in your lungs and eyes and in the air. If you think you might use solvent based paints (including spray cans) in your booth, I’d study up on what is really needed and, frankly, my tendency would be to go with the best comme
I don’t know much about spray booths, but I would like to comment on the compressor part of your post. I wouldn’t waste your money on an “air brush” compressor. Just go to sears or something and get a two gallon compressor. You can use it for your air brush but also other needs like tire inflation, floaty toys, or other small needs. You can get them for around $75.
I believe it was January, 1988. I built a booth using that article.
Just a suggestion here but have you tried the “Search the Community” feature located on the right side of this page? Try entering “spray booth” in the search field and you’ll see quite a few links on this subject from the past.
Filtering before the fans is important and not too much airflow, nor too little.
I have a 25 gallon tank,6HP compressor with filters and dryers. Use it for a lot of things. If you buy something that you may want to do more with, consider looking at the air consumption. The new automotive air guns are hi-flow(CFM)/lower pressure types for environmental reasons. That strategy can in some ways be used for your hobby gun too, if you’re concerned about environmental/overspray issues. The newer guns are much more efficient.
Richard
RMax - I would use a bathroom exhaust fan instead of the computer fan’s due to a higher air flow. Also as stated earlier use a cheap furnace filter as you will probably need to replace them if you are planing on doing a lot of painting. I would install the under cabinet floresent lights around the front for plenty of lighting( one trick - wrap clear plastic food wrap around the light covers to keep over spray from ruining the covers ) Otto
Thanks everyone. I will be using the booth most of the time on the back patio. I have been using spray cans for a long time. I have been reading Cody’s articles for a while and give the techniques a try. I bought the Aztek 9 piece resin airbrush. I need to get a few things for it like the instruction book and video. I think that most of the time I am going to use Floquil acrylics as I have had good luck with them and they clean up easily. I have a project I want to use it on coming up. I have a Bachmann Santa Fe GP40. The loco is numbered and decorated incorrectly. Should be a good starter project.
RMax
Hi,
The thing about a homemade spray booth that would particularly concern me is the possibility of sparks from an exposed motor setting off a flash explosion of sorts. I know that most motors are totally enclosed and this danger is minimal, but some fans - particularly those used for other purposes - may not be.
While I am not an “expert” on electrical motors, I am pretty knowledgeable about fire - so please be careful and use the proper fan motor component.
I have a home-brew spray booth I use that has a bathroom fan in it. I paint almost entirely with acrylics, but I know other guys who use home-brew spray booths and solvent based paints. Maybe the key is the concentration in the air. I have never heard of anyone having a fire or explosion with one of these. If you’re that concerned, you might be able to get some sort of inline fan with an induction motor or something that doesn’t have open, exposed brushes.
I also use a respirator. Some may deem that overkill, but my theory is that if I can smell the paint fumes at all that I am probably breathing some of them in, and so it’s best if I just don’t take any chances. A replaceable cartridge respirator will set you back about 20-30 USD.
I found most of what I need at Harbor Freight including a nice compressor. So in the mean time until I get everything will be doing a lot of reading.
RMax