Ventilation

[nosirrahkcaz]

I just got an airbrush for Christmas. Can you use it inside without a ventilation hood if your only using acrylic paint? or do I need to take it to the garage? Thanks

 

[eyewantyourskull]

Take it to the garage and wear a mask!

 

[nosirrahkcaz]

I messed around with the brush a little bit tonight. I just shot some water through it and practiced. Which leads me to the next question. When using paint like GW, Vallejo and Reaper for clean up is just water okay or should I purchase a "cleaner"?

 

[Mastahh B]

You really dont want to breath any of that paint your spraying do you? Unless you have some sort of paint booth with a filter, you will be better served heading to your garage to do major jobs. The problem you run into there is climate and finding a dedicated spot to do your work. If you're doing detail work on a piece I think you could get away with painting inside, just make sure you have adequate ventilation.

 

[nosirrahkcaz]

The climate issue is why I was hoping to stay out of the garage... too cold. Looks like I might need to purchase a space heater.

 

[Chrome]

as long as you have a dedicated area inside it really shouldn't be a problem if you're using GW paints and the like. spraying with them doesn't smell as long as you don't use some aerosol propellant. So, unless you use an aerosol propellant you could just use it on your workbench and be happy. But then again, using aerosol inside isn't much more different than the missus using hairspray in the bathroom, you never see them ventilate there when they spray do you? Or see them head out to the garage...

 

[Einion]

I just got an airbrush for Christmas. Can you use it inside without a ventilation hood if your only using acrylic paint?

The simple answer is yes, but it's not that simple unfortunately.

You should ideally protect yourself from the atomised paint both at the time of spraying and afterwards - if you spray heavily indoors you can see the paint dust that has settled on surfaces all over the room. So during spraying, without a spray hood, you really do need to wear a good dust mask at least. But when you're done if you can run your finger over a shelf and pick up coloured dust then I imagine you'll be easily convinced about the need to do this in a room outside your home or directly into a spray booth.

Which leads me to the next question. When using paint like GW, Vallejo and Reaper for clean up is just water okay or should I purchase a "cleaner"?

Cleaning is touched on in many of the prior threads on airbrushing. I think basic instructions on making your own spray booth can be found in a thread here too.

You'll use water to shoot through and do a primary clean (it'll get rid of most or all of the still-liquid paint) but you will need to use something to dissolve any paint that has dried. You don't need a proprietary airbrush cleaner to clean up dried paint; with paints of this type you can use screenwash (if it contains methanol, like it often does over here) or a window-cleaning spray that contains ammonia, straight ammonia if you can get it, as well as isopropyl alcohol which I guess is commonly available where you are.

I messed around with the brush a little bit tonight. I just shot some water through it and practiced.

Good way to start BTW.

Einion

 

[Einion]

as long as you have a dedicated area inside it really shouldn't be a problem if you're using GW paints and the like.

Oh really?

spraying with them doesn't smell as long as you don't use some aerosol propellant.

That's the danger with water-borne paint, the lack of an obvious smell is equated with "Oh there's no danger", like you just did.

You can't smell cadmium selenosulphide in one paint versus naphthol carbamide in another but one is a lot safer to spray indoors than the other.

So, unless you use an aerosol propellant you could just use it on your workbench and be happy.

Yeah, you could be happy... but would you be safe? Answer is no.

But then again, using aerosol inside isn't much more different than the missus using hairspray in the bathroom, you never see them ventilate there when they spray do you?

This has a grain of truth but for a start the volumes are likely very different - I've never seen anyone spray their hair off and on for an hour or more... more importantly there's no pigment in hairspray, plus any of a number of other ingredients I mentioned just previously in another thread.

Einion

 

[Chrome]

@Einion: I agree with you totally. Do notice that I didn't say you are completely safe. It will always be the best solution to keep airborne particles isolated and as far from your living area as possible. A face mask should be a part of standard equipment when spraying. But given the situation I would rather have a dedicated area I would need to clean often rather than crystallized paint due to a cold environment. And the hair spray might not contain any pigments but the list of chemicals that are in there do make it more dangerous than common acrylics.

But I believe you and I have been here before in a previous thread and I think it might be nice to not hijack this thread as well, I believe we could go on for ages otherwise.

 

[Rugne]

You could just get one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPRAY-BOOTH-E...Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH?hash=item45f013314d

Marc

 

[airhead]

I've built a couple of setups for indoor painting.

Usually starts with a 20" box fan.

Put a decent (not the fiberglass, but the pleated paper) furnace filter in front of it.

Set it where it will pull air and over spray away from you.
I prefer to put it in the window and send that stuff outside, but with a decent filter, you will pull the paint dust into the filter via the fan.

Combine that with a decent dust mask and you should be ok for acrylic paints. NOT for anything with a solvent in it other than water.

***
As far as cleaning, a quart (liter) jar with a good squirt of dish soap is good.
Empty the gun into a wad of paper towels in a trash can;
squirt some water into the intake port (top feed?)
get an old paint brush (soft) and swirl the paint out of the cup.
Empty again.
Repeat until clean.
.
(Make & model of the gun would help...)
Take the tip of and loosen the needle.
Pull the needle forward (watch the trigger)
clean the needle
Rinse the cone under running water.

Re-assemble, leaving the needle pulled back from the cone.
When you get ready to shoot again, adjust the needle to the cone.

 

[Einion]

But I believe you and I have been here before in a previous thread and I think it might be nice to not hijack this thread as well, I believe we could go on for ages otherwise.

It's not hijacking to post disagreements/corrections to another reply; it makes no difference whether the same ground was covered previously by the two respondents.

Einion

 

[nosirrahkcaz]

Well I finally took out the airbrush and laid down some paint. What a cool experience. A different skill set but super fun, like painting my first mini with a brush all over! I would have purchased one long ago If I knew I was going to have that much fun. On the safety side I took the airbursh set up out in the garage with a mask. I found a space heaters alot cheaper than a spray booth! Thanks for all the help and information from everyone.

 

[Eggroll]

Well I finally took out the airbrush and laid down some paint. What a cool experience. A different skill set but super fun, like painting my first mini with a brush all over! I would have purchased one long ago If I knew I was going to have that much fun. On the safety side I took the airbursh set up out in the garage with a mask. I found a space heaters alot cheaper than a spray booth! Thanks for all the help and information from everyone.

Hey! congrats on getting the airbrush. What kind did of airbrush/compressor did you get? I bought myself one too this boxing day (Iwata Revolution BR and a 3 gal tank/compressor). Like you said, it's tons of fun and amazing how much time it takes to apply smooth coats vs doing it with a brush. I'm still getting adjusted to the dual action trigger though and trying not to do too much overspray.

I built a small spray booth after I got the brush which is basically a cheap cardboard box with a hole cut out and a table fan. From the hole I've connnected a 7" vent duct (the kind you use for a clothes dryer) and when I'm about to paint, I just take the other end of the duct and put it outside my window. Works well and as long as you're using acrylic paints, it shouldn't be an issue (maybe metallic paints might be more hazardous). For cleaning I bought a small bottle of iwata cleaner but I heard you can use Windex (window cleaner) to clean it just as well.

 

[Dedwrekka]

Well I finally took out the airbrush and laid down some paint. What a cool experience. A different skill set but super fun, like painting my first mini with a brush all over! I would have purchased one long ago If I knew I was going to have that much fun. On the safety side I took the airbursh set up out in the garage with a mask. I found a space heaters alot cheaper than a spray booth! Thanks for all the help and information from everyone.

Just be careful with the space heater in the garage, there's a whole other set of dangers that come with that. Even with it there with you, I'd suggest cracking a door, window, or garage door. It's nothing specific to an airbrush, but with any potentially explosive fumes that tend to build up in enclosed garages

Hey! congrats on getting the airbrush. What kind did of airbrush/compressor did you get? I bought myself one too this boxing day (Iwata Revolution BR and a 3 gal tank/compressor). Like you said, it's tons of fun and amazing how much time it takes to apply smooth coats vs doing it with a brush. I'm still getting adjusted to the dual action trigger though and trying not to do too much overspray.

I built a small spray booth after I got the brush which is basically a cheap cardboard box with a hole cut out and a table fan. From the hole I've connnected a 7" vent duct (the kind you use for a clothes dryer) and when I'm about to paint, I just take the other end of the duct and put it outside my window. Works well and as long as you're using acrylic paints, it shouldn't be an issue (maybe metallic paints might be more hazardous). For cleaning I bought a small bottle of iwata cleaner but I heard you can use Windex (window cleaner) to clean it just as well.

Haven't used and airbrush, but I use HVLP and Air Assisted Airless guns all the time. Isopropyl alcohol can be used as a good solvent for not-quite-dry paint that's in the gun, either in the pot or in the gun itself. I don't recommend spraying it through the gun (especially with a heater nearby), but you can mix it with the paint, use it to wipe an area or soak parts in it.

 

[Mastahh B]

Eggroll has the right idea for making a spray booth/filter. A good comparable sized box fan furnace filter combo attached to a large HP printer box is the way I made mine. I'll take some pics this weekend and post them to show my setup.

Einion has the right idea as well. You really dont want to inhale any of this stuff. A decent respirator with replaceable filter inserts will cost you next to nothing from Lowes or Home Depot. I think I paid $10 for mine a couple years ago. If you're gonna air brush, protect those lungs!