Hello all! Anyone have any experience with the Paasche HSSB-22-16 spray booth? These can be had for about $200 out the door and seem to be the best deal going on a spray booth. The Model Expo portable booth doesn’t have a mounting flange to exhaust fumes outside and if it did, the wimpy 106cmf fan wouldn’t get them out anyway! I’ve researched building my own, but have yet to find any plans that I find to be acceptable in performance. The Model Railroader Paint Shop spray booth (January 1988 issue) is a great booth, but would cost more than $200 if built by today’s prices. The MR August 1983, RMC December 1995 and September 2004 issues all have articles on building your own, but I have yet to find these issues on the used market. Any input would be great! Thanks! jt burke
JT,
I bought one a few years ago for the same reason you are considering, i.e. price. For the money, I don’t think it can be beat. I think it might be overkill for some folks, but mine has worked flawlessly. It’s both heavy and loud, but does the job well. I’m not sure what the motor is rated at, but its been effective at exhausting the paint fumes. I have mine connected with ordinary flexible clothes dryer ducting to the outside. My opinion is that it’s an excellent value–will probably last my lifetime and then some!
I just got my 22-16 a couple of weeks ago!!! I looked a lot of the different ones out there and decide it was best for me.
The only thing is when I put it together as instructed there were several unacceptable gaps in it for me. I talked with the seller and the guys at Paasche about it. I went ahead and assembled it as it looked like it should go together not as instructed. I did have to drill some new 1/4" holes in it.
I took some kitchen and bath caulk and put a bead around the inside on the back panel on the top, bottom and both sides. I also put a bead around 6" to 4" reducer in the back to get a good seal. I also skipped the charcoal filter to get a better draw and I vent to the outside. It has good ventilation, is quiet and works for me. There is enough room for HO trains and most structures.
I added a cheap lazy Susan and clip light from Wal-Mart.For me, it was the right choice.Let me know if there is anything specific you where looking for. Check your PM for where I got it
ratled
How did you guys duct them to the outside? I built a home made one out of foamcore board and a ventilation fan I had but now that I’m using a lot more solvent based paint I am not sure about using a fan without an explosion proof motor.
I had simply taken out on of the pains of glass in the basement window and cut a piece of 1/4’ plywood and cut a dryer vent into it.
Mine is in a shed outside, so I just went to the local Home Depot, bought the duct work and an exhaust vent, drilled a 4" hole in the wall, and that was about it. I didn’t occur to me to seal the pieces with caulk, but that’s probably a good idea.
You can save yourself about $175 by easily building your own. This set-up is perfect for acrylics.
Google Sketch up link. http://tinyurl.com/yfj8ogu
I’ve been trying to find one to look at. I have seen and heard a Micro Lux (Artograph) in use. I’m wondering how important the exhaust direction is. Some people say that back exhaust like the Paasche bring more dust from the room across the painted surfaces and the gravity down exhaust versions don’t. What do you owners think? Been trying to find a Paasche to see in person N. of Seattle, WA but no luck finding a dealer, etc. Lastly, are you using yours IN the house rather than in a shop or garage or basement? I’ll need to. Wondering about scents in the house. EVERY time threads are started asking about specific brands they always turn into the DIY thread!
I use mine in the garage. I do make a point to turn OFF the space heater while painting enamels and stay away from the water heater and HVAC just in case.
The 22-16 has the 6” to 4” outlet that points up so I just run a standard dryer duct up to the upper vent in the garage. I run the hose through a piece of cardboard that seals the whole vent and tape that off. I wouldn’t use anything that was $25, including the fan, but that’s just me. I haven’t seen a DYI booth that was worth it for me. The cost a good fan just doesn’t make it worth while to me. My favorite ones I saw used either a cardboard box or the tub (I do like the tub idea though) and use several computer fans in the back.
As for where the draw comes fro
Sorry Pal, but there have probably been a few thousand new forum members that didn’t read your LAST post on this subject. Why shouldn’t someone, considering purchase, have the option to save a great deal of time and money on a DYI project as simple as this?
This forum is for everyone, don’t forget that.
This is one fine example of a DIY booth that doesn’t suit my requirements for performance/quality. That wimpy 120cmf fan wont even come close to moving the air volume of the face velocity of the booth, much less ANY static pressure induced by the exhaust ducting. Pace booths use a 158cfm fan, which seems low to me. The Paasche says it has “270cfm”, but doesn’t state if that’s within the booth or the fan alone at a zero rating. The MR booth says to use a 500+ cfm fan, which follows other information I have found accurately. I dont want to spend money on a booth, diy or otherwise, that wont safely get my solvent fumes out. I can presume, with very good probability, that a 120cfm axial computer fan wont cut it.
I’ve read a good deal on this myself. I seriously considered the Artograph model as well, given that my understanding is that a downward draft booth is more efficient than a cross draft. However, I like the solid base you get with a cross draft and not having to use a piece of cardboard/styrene to set your model on, not to mention a turntable should you so desire. Working directly ON TOP of the prefilter sounds like an annoyance to me.
As for dust, I would say that if you’re experiencing dust issues with a cross draft booth, you have too much dust in your workshop and a downward draft isn’t going to help much (note that the Artograph booth doesn’t have a hood to prevent dust from settling from above). Nip your dust issue at the point of it’s origin and dont try to dance around it with a different booth design that likely wont minimize the problem. FWIW, I doubt that most of us have THAT big of a dust problem anyway, so for me, the issue of dust contaminating the booth is moot.
Neutrino, sorry if my reply sounded like a personal attack. Poor choice of phrasing while on my way out the door…so I apologize. Forums ARE for everyone but here’s what triggered my comment: I’ve been looking at TONS of sites (R.R./planes/RC) for months, trying to find user reviews of both booths and have been constantly frustrated because 8 out of 10 user reviews turn into threads about home built units or linking to plans so the original question of commercial booth use and features always gets replaced/shoved to the side of the discussion so nothing ever really gets accomplished there. This thread is the lst and best (by far, already) one that has contained useful user reviews with good detail about the Paacshe and Artograph booths and even with my apology, I’m hoping that we can focus on the Paacshe as regards the OP’s post. It’s been so hard to get the info. we all need online and finding one at a dealer to see and hear has been most difficult.
Mine was a DIY project done on the cheap, mostly used/scrounged components. The fan is a salvaged bathroom vent fan with a light, so it also illuminates my booth for working. The booth sides and top were made from plywood salvaged from shipping boxes (small crates). The only thing new I bought was the switch and box, wire, and vent tube. The fan’s output is standard 4" diameter, so I roll it over in front of our clothes dryer, disconnect the hose from the vent saver, and connect it to the booth’s fan output. The fumes get blown outside.
The concern with “explosion proof motor” seems to be overplayed. The recommendation probably comes from commercial paint booths where the painter is wearing a full air supplied “space suit.” To get ignition with the volume a modeller sprays, even with the fumes from a VOC based paint like Floquil, you’d need a concentration of paint fumes so strong, you wouldn’t be able to breathe. Start the vent fan before you start to spray, wear a respirator appropriate for the type paint you’ll be spraying, and if the “fog” from the painting obscures your vision, stop and allow it to clear before continuing.
The other claim of updraft or downdraft pulling more dust across the painted area seems doubtful at best. Airborne dust will be drawn across the painted surfaces regardless of which direction the air is flowing. The problem is solved by doing your painting in a place where the airborne dust is minimized.
I would bet that 98% of the forum readers will never have the need to buy a $200 spray booth. That may be the reason that you’re having trouble getting the response you desire?
The most color conscious proto modeler I know never uses an air brush. He paints with all the safety precautions expected and uses Scale Coat II paint, applied with a brush. His name is John Pitts.
Picture used with permission.
That’s all fine and dandy for Mr. Pitts. That car looks fabulous, no doubt! The SUBJECT of this thread was Paasche booths and input about THEM…thus Capt. Grimek’s comment is justified, because you went off topic. You are right that this forum is for everyone, and there are about a thousand threads on DIY booths that users can search. Someone commenting because you posted off topic committed no wrong. I, personally, am not upset at all with your input…but understand where other readers might be coming from. John Pitts does beautiful brush painting. You use a DIY booth. I handlay N scale turnouts. Should I start commenting on threads for user’s asking about Peco turnouts, because I say building your own is cheaper/better/whatever and that 98% of modelers have no need to buy commercial turnouts? (I am right, for even 100% of modelers dont need to buy commercial turnouts, but there are justified reasons for doing so, as there are justified reasons to buy a commercial booth). Your tone suggests that anyone willing to spend $200 on a booth is inferior or an idiot or wasting their money. People work in different ways. I know great custom painters who sit outside, great ones who built their own and great ones who use commercial booths. Logic in one’s mind is absurdity to another.
I just wanted some opinions about the Paasche booth. All the dude ever wanted was his rug back.
You are 100% correct and I apologize.
Regards,
Jerry Jackson
I am no expert on airbrushing but I did manage to build a homemade spray booth that seems to work quite well. The fan I used was a 16" square box fan with 3 speeds. Around the fan I built a plywood tapered box so the open side is about 30" x 20". This gives a decent amount of space to work in. I used a 24" flourescent fixture for illumination mounted just inside the top of the box. For filtration I use a 16" square furnace filter which fits tightley into the back of the box right in front of the fan. The 3 speed fan provides lots of draw and the filters seem to grab most of the overspray (but not fumes obviously). I believe it would be very easy to hook the exhaust to an outside vent if desired. The cost was dirt cheap because I had had the fan for years and the plywood was ready and waiting in the garage. The original cost of the fan was about $25 and the light was was about $20. The plywood is 1/2 inch and a 4’ x 8’ sheet will be plenty to make the box. The filters are dirt cheap too. The plywood panels were glued and screwed together and sealing all the joints was done with latex caulking. The rest of the $200 I spent on trains (and then some!). If you have access to a table saw or radial arm saw you might want to give this a try. One of the things I love about this hobby is that it challenges you to make something from scratch. Heck, the only thing I have to apply to the spray booth now is the CP lettering (joke).
Take care.
Dave
By the way, I am sorry if my reply did not address the original question which was asking for an evaluation of the Paasche spray booth. I have not been watching the forums for too long so I may have duplicated advice offered in the past about DIY booths. My goal in responding was only to show that there are other alternatives to the comercially available stuff and that you can have some fun making a booth yourself. Paasche makes good stuff. I have one of their airbrushes and will buy a dual action one as soon as funds allow. Dave
Jerry,
So then you’re saying I’m correct in your view that we are idiots for spending $200 on a commercial booth? LOL…I’m just razin’. Believe me, I am trying to find a design that I can build at a low cost that I believe will give me the results I’m looking for. I’d rather spend the extra on trains too! But I found myself spending so much time researching and wondering the hardware stores looking for parts that my time investment was beginning to offset any savings in money. I’m getting to the point where I’d just rather buy a commercial booth I KNOW will work well and get my time back to modeling. Make sense? The Paasche booth is $200, but it’s designed by airbrush professionals to safely and efficiently do the job and should last the rest of my life. So a $200 investment for a lifetime of clean, properly ventilated airbrushing isn’t so bad (it’s darn good as far as tool investments go). I used to find it difficult to invest in tools, until I did and realized my modeling quality and efficiency jumped way up!
What a lot of people neglect to realize is the difference between a booth like the O/P discribed and the home made version is the presence of an proof fan motor. When spraying acrylic’s the need isn’t nearly as great if at all if your spraying in a large well ventilated space. However when using solvent based paint IE: Lacquer thinner you have a miniature bomb in your hand the fumes generated by using lacquer paint are extremely explosive and probably have an LEL (Lethal Explosion Limit) of probably less then 4% concentration. So when your spraying and those fumes come in contact with a spark from non explosion proof motor the result can be lethal and that my friend is a fact. I have a home made spay booth for my model railroading that worked fine for spraying acrylics but now that I’m using a lot more solvent based paints I have a definite need for a booth with an explosion proof motor. Go to a place like Mcmaster.com a