Airbrush Varnish Safety

[MintFish]

When I was younger and studied art, I used to use spray varnish all the time on pastels and the rule of thumb was to use your aerosol varnish outside because the fumes were toxic. I also had asthma so even the slightest whiff of chemical fumes made me anxious so I'd often hold my breath during the entire process. Fast forward to today and I'm getting around to varnishing my first completed set of minis; since the total number is around 55 units I've decided that spraying via airbrush is the only option right now. Exactly what safety precautions need to be taken for airbrushing acrylic gloss/matt varnishes indoors?

I'm obviously going to use my respirator, since I always use it for airbrushing, but I can't really find much information beyond that. Currently I'm just using the Vallejo gloss and matt varnishes (I also have Liquitex and Windsor & Newton available) which are supposedly non-toxic but I can't find much safety information on these products beyond the basic boilerplate on the Vallejo FAQ. Can anyone shine some light on the subject?

 

[Zab]

Wear paint mask and crack a window, you should be fine. I have a desktop spray booth that I use to, but a card board box does in a pinch. Actually, if you have good control with the AB there shouldn't be that much over spray from the varnish.

 

[airhead]

The carbon element in most organic vapor masks are only rated for 8 hours (one shift). Then they are only particulate filters.

If you are using water based varnish (as I suspect) then you will not need an organic vapors mask.

Preferably, spray outdoors or at an open window with the air moving away from you.
Here in FL, the humidity controls when you can spray.
Always test on a scrap piece.