Airbrush Spary Booth

[thegrayson]

Am getting a little fed up spraying into a cardboard box and wearing a mask, so I have taken a look at some spray booths. I have the smallest room in the house set up as a home office/ work room and don't really have room for a fixed booth. I've seen the AB500 Spray Booth available on a number of websites but can find only one review of it. Has anybody here seen or used it? Feedback would be nice. It would make a good solution for the space I have to work with.

 

[RuneBrush]

I've never used one, but have seen somewhere on the internet a home made one from a plastic 'space saver' type box, an electric extractor and a piece of tumble dryer hose...

When using my Iwata I tend to just do it on my dining table which I cover in newspaper and haven't had any go up the wall or cover anything (yet).

 

[airhead]

lol - yet - lol.
I had a clog, put my finger over the needle to send pressure back through the cup. Painted the ceiling and walls a nice speckled blue pattern.

Simple overspray eliminator: Box fan and A/C filter over it with large rubber band. Set it where it pulls air away from you, through the filter then through the box fan. Don't place the box fan close to and pointing at the wall. Any overspray that gets through the filter will be shot on the wall.

Even better is to mount the box fan where it pulls air out of a window.

this is not good for solvent based paints. i.e. rattle cans.
A dust mask is still a good idea.

 

[Valander]

I built my own using a clear plastic tub, which I set on its side and screwed onto a piece of spare wood. I cut a hole in the side, and attached a bathroom exhaust fan there, screwing it down onto that piece of wood that I'd left overhanging. I sealed up the connection using some caulk. It pulls a decent amount of air, and it's got a filter in the front of the fan and a dryer hose type tube that I can drop out the window.

I don't spray with anything but acrylics, so fumes aren't as much an issue for me as particulate is. If you do use solvent-based stuff more, you'll want to investigate other fans and filters to make sure they have enough draw.

I checked a few different spray booths out before I built mine, and really, considering mine cost less than 50 bucks all told, I couldn't justify spending 300+ on some of the other booths I saw. Plus, since I kept the lid, I can put all my materials inside, close it up, then stash it under the counter.

 

[thegrayson]

I made the mistake of priming some models with my airbrush and some vallejo polyurethane primer without wearing a mask last weekend, my throat and sinuses still feel like crap. This weekend will be spent building or buying a spray booth of some sort.

 

[Einion]

I made the mistake of priming some models with my airbrush and some vallejo polyurethane primer without wearing a mask last weekend, my throat and sinuses still feel like crap.

I'm sure most of us have done something similar! It's not ideal when this is the kind of thing that works as a wakeup call but it's better than low-level exposure over long periods, which can have who-knows-what kind of ill effects?

Einion

 

[airhead]

I made the mistake of priming some models with my airbrush and some vallejo polyurethane primer without wearing a mask last weekend, my throat and sinuses still feel like crap. This weekend will be spent building or buying a spray booth of some sort.

Ureathanes require Organic Vapor Respirators.
Even better would be supplied air.
Dust masks won't do.

Watch what you thin/clean the gun with to get it all out.

 

[thegrayson]

Thanks Airhead, I'll bear that in mind. What about regular acrylic airbrush paints, what is needed for them?

 

[airhead]

Thanks Airhead, I'll bear that in mind. What about regular acrylic airbrush paints, what is needed for them?

You SHOULD wear a dust mask when you paint acrylics. Lots of AB artists do not, but lots of them have studios that exhaust the overspray. I tend not to when shooting model paints/acrylics. I also mine some wonderful technocolor boogers the next morning.

 

[Einion]

Ureathanes require Organic Vapor Respirators.

Isn't that really for two-pack?

Obviously a respirator would be a good idea anyway without exhausted air, since breathing any VOCs is something to minimise (avoid, ideally), but I don't know that it's a requirement for water-borne urethane/acrylic mixtures.

Einion

 

[airhead]

Einion, you may be right. I've not played with water-based urethanes. Everything I've used in that is single stage (heavy and needs to be reduced with the proper thinner that is not good for your long term health) or two-stage which also requires stuff like lacquer thinner or automotive reducers.
I've always associated the urethanes with the reducers as being nasty to breathe.

 

[nels0nmac]

From my experience for anything water based you can use a dust mask or similar filter, use without and it won't be fatal but long term you are probably coating your lungs with multicloured bits of acrylic- assuming it doesn't get absorbed into your blood stream. Oh and you get the boogers as described by airhead

Cellulose and enamels that require a thinning agent you are best with a respirator fitted with Organic Vapour filters - use without and you get the sore throats, etc. Long term damage includes respiratory problems as well as an increased risk of developing dementia!!

Two pack based paints - full suit with air supply. You could spray for about 5 mins and probably be OK using a repirator + filters. Longer term - say 4 hours or so without any protection and you are going down the route that takes you 6 feet under. No shit, it's nasty stuff.

 

[thegrayson]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have ordered the portable booth in a fit of laziness. I'll try it out and let you know how it goes.

 

[thegrayson]

The booth has arrived. Unpacked it, turned it on all seems to work. Sadly I seem to be busy for most of the next two weeks. I'll try it out after that, there will always be models to prime as I don't seem to have any of my grav tanks ready to for base coat yet.

 

[Kalidane]

Looks like a cool unit. Is there any chance something like this would have value _without_ engaging the extractor? Thinking only of shooting safe paint/additives so it's catching the overspray that counts. Vapours can bite my dust mask.

 

[thegrayson]

If it is just something to catch overspray you really are better off re-purposing a box or container of some sort or making one with card, plastic, thin hardboard. I just wanted a convenient solution with a filter and fan without any messing about.

 

[Einion]

Looks like a cool unit. Is there any chance something like this would have value _without_ engaging the extractor? Thinking only of shooting safe paint/additives so it's catching the overspray that counts.

A cardboard box lined with kitchen paper would do that!

Vapours can bite my dust mask.

Serious point - you're only protected from vapours by a respirator; dust masks only catch dust/airborne particulates (and only so much of those with the simple type since they fit so poorly).

Einion

 

[Kalidane]

Well that's jolly cheap then!

Oops yes I meant particulates.

Particulate 'blow-back' really isn't a problem without extraction?

I used to live with a bunch of gamers and we had a huge box in the lounge for spraying aerosols and all I recall is no one really giving a damn about vapours or particulates

 

[dbiggied]

Like many others here, I built my own booth...got a 4x8 foot sheet of construction foam (the blue stuff), cut sides, back, bottom, flanges to hold it together and to hold a filter in the back, and put it together with Liquid Nails.

Attached an hvac duct connection to the back with Liquid Nails and put a dryer hose on it.

My exhaust comes from a nice medum duty HVAC blower that I scored at a thrift store for $10...I attached the blower to a board cut to fit in my window with weather stripping around the edges, and ran a dryer hose from the booth to the blower...the whole thing ended up costing me about $25 total including filters.

The only downside is that it's made of foam...if I spray anything but acrylics, I have to put down newspaper inside to prevent the solvents from eating the foam, but it's also quick and easy to dissasemble, so it doesn't take up permanent desk real estate.

And you can get a real canister type respirator mask at your local home improvement store for about $30...well worth it.

 

[Galaxy Chief]

First post here, odd that I am amking it regarding the "health" concerns with paints.

A good friend of mine years ago was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. He was having health issues and the doc ran some tests on him. The doc could tell from the chemicals in his system that it was caused from chemicals used at work and not from drinking which is what it is most associated with. We are in the cabinet industry and all the paints, finishes and glues we used, while wearing a respirator simply was not enough. Most of it can be obsorbed through your skin. So keep this in mind as well while you clean your airbrushes if you spray stuff other than water based paints. And even while using resins and epoxy for glueing and casting you minis.

Now back on topic...

I use the box fan with HVAC filters taped to it. I use this also while doing detail sanding on some of the smaller wood projects I do at home. Anything too large and I take it to work and use the big spray booth.