Air brush painting questions

[oplholik]

Just bought an air brush compressor at Harbor Frieght, so will begin practicing and learning how to use the air brush. I have a Paasche Single action external mix airbrush. I will be using to begin with, the Folk Art acrylic paints from Wal-Mart that I have. So my first question is, for painting plastic, other than making sure it's clean, is there any other prep to the plastic to do for painting the plastic?
Next question concerns making a box for a small spray booth and what fan to use in the back of it that won't cause a spark and an explosion if I'm using paints and thinners that are flammable. I have a portable air filter that would be perfect for my uses(pic below), but it is clearly labeled not to use near volatile paint fumes, so, so much for that.

 

[Charles Smiley]

Google "brushless fans for paint booths". Brushless fans, if sealed right, are sparkless - according to what I've read.

If you have a Grainger or McMaster Carr store for industrial supplies near you they can be a good help to pick something with the right safety ratings. It shouldn't cost that much to buy the right safety fan. I wouldn't trust something from a regular hardware store.

And -- good move thinking about that safety concern. Some don't and pay the price.

 

[Charles Smiley]

Here's a nice write up.

http://pages.interlog.com/~ask/scale/tips/booth.htm

And now that I think about it, the on/off switch for the fan should be sealed (sparkproof) as well. Running it on a switched outlet far from the booth might be OK. Plus the lighting is a concern for explosion safety if a bulb pops. Maybe LED lights?

I do all my airbrushing outside. Nice SoCal weather makes that possible. The only time I don't paint is when it's raining (rare). You could always put that booth on wheels.

 

[oplholik]

Here's a nice write up.

http://pages.interlog.com/~ask/scale/tips/booth.htm

And now that I think about it, the on/off switch for the fan should be sealed (sparkproof) as well. Running it on a switched outlet far from the booth might be OK. Plus the lighting is a concern for explosion safety if a bulb pops. Maybe LED lights?

I do all my airbrushing outside. Nice SoCal weather makes that possible. The only time I don't paint is when it's raining (rare). You could always put that booth on wheels.

Thanks Charles. I will most likely do most of my painting outside also, but where I live, past mid morning it's pretty breezy, so still need something to protect from the wind.

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

If you do a search here. There is quite a bit of good information on this.

 

[SRN]

True spark proof blowers tend to be very expensive. However, some squirrel cage blowers put the motor outside the air stream, which can provide a large safety factor. I recently found one on Ebay that is destined for my as yet unbuilt spray booth.

Don't use any axial (in-line) fan, unless it is marketed as spark proof.