Air brush booths

[ChevelleSSguy]

How many have a commercially made paint booth and how many have a booth they made themselves? I am considering and ill build one if its consideringly cheaper then paying a few hundred bucks. I have found several web pages with guys showing how they built thiers. Im curious to know how many of you have a commercially made booth and how many made thiers. Been googling for booths and come up with prices all over the place and several do it yourself articles.

Here is one of the more creative booth ideas I have seen. However, for some reason the download doesnt work for me. Does the download work for anyone else?

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=b531ede7ae9638751211856323403f6a

 

[wheeler1963]

Chris, that link works for me just fine. I guess I'm the odd guy out. I use a 20" box fan with a furnace filter taped to it. I never even smell paint fumes when it's on high.

 

[UP2CSX]

Chris, the link works for me too so I suspect you need to clear your browser cache. As for paint booths, I've had everything from a fan like Jerome describes (only more deluxe, with a cardboard shroud ) to a pretty expensive Paashe booth when I was doing a lot of custom painting and making a part-time living from it. The advantage of a booth for me was that the air flow was higher right over the model so your paint was drawn to the model surface and any excess was trapped in the filters. It was easy to keep clean and dust free, something that's hard to do with a workbench arrangement. However, having seen Jerome's work in person, he's obviously able to produce high quality work with his basic setup. Aside from the paint quality issues, you need to consider your health. If all you spray are acylics, most of these health issues don't exist. If you are using solvent based paint, having a way to paint a model and not breathe in fumes is vital, since the ingredients are toxic to bone marrow and can lead to diseases like leukemia 20 years down the line. If you're spraying in an otherwise well ventilated area like a garage with an open door, a fan and filter combination may be all you need to keep the fumes under control. If you're spraying in a confined space, having a paint booth that draws in the fumes and either vents to the outside or has filters that can be changed frequently are a small expense compared to the cost of treating bone marrow diseases and an early death. You can build your own booth and save some money or buy a ready made product. Either way, having one will help protect your health when using solvent based paint.

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

I should have been more clear on the link. The link itself has always worked just fine. But the file doesnt open for me if I try to download it and then open the file. All I get is a message that says its unable to find the program that created the file.

Update. Now I tried to download it again. And I keep getting asked to download the file over and over. Keeps rotating back and fourth. I dont understand why I cant download this file.

 

[UP2CSX]

Chris, you need to download and install Google Sketchup from http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/product/newin7.html. That will allow you to see and manipulate the downloaded model.

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

You would think I would have been prompted to download that software first I guess. But you were right UP, need to download that first, which I did. Then went back and found the file and had to install it from there, after that, it all worked.

So, back to our regularly scheduled program. What is everyone take on a commercially available unit or building something like this instead. Im impressed with booths like the Artograph booths. But this cheap way seems like a good option. The problem is, I dont think that one has enough filteration, one furnace filter isnt going to cut it is it? It doesnt matter to me what kind of paint I use, I would like to have enough filteration to be safe should I decide to use the solvent based paints. Im really just after the final finished product. Which ever type of paint gives me that over the other. Im flexible.

 

[UP2CSX]

Furnace type filters are what's used in commercial paint booths so they should be fine for DIY project. The really important thing with a paint booth is the shape. As is shown in the drawing, you want a steep slope angle on the top and end so it operates kind of like a funnel. A fan in the rear of a paint booth creates a slight negative pressure in the paint booth and draws the paint and associated fumes and small particles to the rear, where they pass through and are trapped by the filter. The DIY model draws the paint downward, which isn't as effective as a rear fan model, but still fine for a casual painter. What's not clear to me in the drawing is the surface the model will rest on while it's being painted. It looks like top of the storage container is just a cut out. The best material for a painting deck is some heavy windows screen mesh. It will allow the air to pass through to the filter but hold your model steady. When it gets too gunked up with paint, you can just cut out a new piece. I'd add some furring strips with bolts and wing nuts to hold down the screen but make it easy to change out.

The most important part is the low voltage fan. When using solvent paints, the voltage is low enough that you are unlikey to have any explosive potential. Do not use a 120 volt fan. It looks like they are suggesting the use of a salvaged computer desktop fan. I'm not sure just one is has enough power to move the fumes down into the filter. Look for a fan that can move at least 100 cubic feet of air a minute. You want that furnace filter to be really sucked down and held in place by the moving air.

 

[Cjcrescent]

...
The most important part is the low voltage fan. When using solvent paints, the voltage is low enough that you are unlikey to have any explosive potential. Do not use a 120 volt fan. It looks like they are suggesting the use of a salvaged computer desktop fan. I'm not sure just one is has enough power to move the fumes down into the filter. Look for a fan that can move at least 100 cubic feet of air a minute. You want that furnace filter to be really sucked down and held in place by the moving air.

Jim;
Many of the newer bathroom exhaust fans have sealed motors, or even brushless motors, and are relatively cheap. I believe that this is due to the "conditions" of the bathrooms they are designed for. Bathrooms have extremely high moisture content and the fans are designed for this atmosphere to prevent shorting of the motor. This works well with solvent fumes as they can't get to the motor as well.

 

[AndrewC]

Lets try this again.

A number of years ago our group came up with the el-cheapo spray booth. Basically its just a clear plastic storage tub, 12v fan, and some dryer hose.

Recently I've built a new one and posted its construction on the UK based RMWeb forums.

So I present the £20 spray booth. (you should be able to do this in the US for around $20

First hit the dollar store for a nice large clear plastic tub. Clear works as it lets in some light and makes painting a bit easier.

Next cut a hole in the top toward the back for the fan. I've used a common cabinet fan that cost around £10 for both the fan and 12v wallwart.

Attach a length of dryer hose.

and voila, one el-cheapo spray booth.

A couple of notes to remember.

1: mount the fan on top, not on the back or bottom. You want to draw the air away from the model and not across it. This reduces dust contamination.

2: you don't need a hurricane blowing. All that is needed is to create a low pressure area within the booth to keep the particulate and fumes from escaping.

3: if you want to filter the extracted air, a chunk of furnace filter or even a 'Bounce' dryer sheet will work well.

4: Keep the lid of the tub and use it to cut down the dust on the model while its drying. You can also use the tub to hold your air brush and bits when its not in use.

Lastly..... the first kit to come out of the new booth.

Hope this helps and is of use to someone.