Hi everyone:
I originally posted this under tools and then found out it was the wrong place.
I want to build a spray booth and would appreciate any and all input from those of you who have built one.
All input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mark
Mark,
I haven’t built one but this link gives you all the information you will need.
http://modelpaint.tripod.com/booth2.htm
Mike
The link Mike posted is good. If you have FSM issue from September 2002. Look in the Scale talk section in the front of the magizine. There is a picture from Chris Mcbain. He says he built one for $20.00 using a old oven range hood and some left over lumber and a lazy susan. I hope this helps and good luck.
mark956
Spray booths should not be constructed of plain wood and range hoods. The whole purpose of a booth is to remove concentrations of organic vapors and paint residues while reducing the potential for fire/explosion. Booth walls should be constructed of fire proof or fire resistant materials, and fans should at least be of the brushless variety. The link that MikeV posted is excellent and helps you determine the cfm requirements of your fan based on the size of the booth you are construcing.
Just one thing to keep in mind is that once all the research is done, you might find it ulitimately more economical to buy a booth from a reputable manufacturer.
Just a thought…
Gip Winecoff
One of my favorite sayings “Do as THEY say, not as I do.”
I tried following Naplak’s design:
http://www.naplak.com/modeling/tips/painting_hood.htm
Except, I was never able to find the particle board box.
So, erring on the side of stupidity, [:p] I built one out of a cardboard box.
It works like a charm. (well perhaps a very ugly brown charm with “large eggs” written on it)
I do not paint a lot, so nothing has exploded or caught fire … yet…
Search around here for paint booth, you will find endless discussions on the subject.
Cardboard box, 20" window fan, pleated paper furnace filter, duct tape. Paint interior white if you want to get fancy. Install lights if you want to get really fancy. After shooting several models, I see no evidence of paint spray making it past the filter onto the fan. Fan is a three-speed model, the lowest setting seems perfect.
For acrylic (water based) paints, flammability concerns with the fan motor are a non-issue. When done, the whole thing stores away neatly (I leave the fan taped to the box). The fan’s little plastic handle can carry the whole thing with no trouble so storage is trivial.
I once made a spray booth out of an old cardboard box,with a hole cut in it for the fan.I used a exhaust fan someone gave to me,I forget what its origional use was for though,and a piece of duct like you would use for the exhaust of a dryer or something.A piece of wood with a hole(for the exhaust duct)goes between the window and windowsill.
it wasnt the prettiest but it took a few minutes to make…I was also able to crush it up and throw it away when it got too old.
So youd propably be better off making one out of a better material but you can try cardboard to make a test version of it.then use wood to make a more quality version when you find the design you like.
Use some fireproof paint on the wood!!!
Thanks to everyone for their input.
Mark
I’ve been casually researchin this too. I’d like to build one. The wood wouldn’t be hard. A light wouldn’t be bad. My 2 biggest decisions would be whether to make it a freestanding type unit vented OR to make a window type unit with a fan blower out the back. I think I could do the wiring.
You can pick up some melamine board and some masonite board to make up the box. Home Depot or Lowes would have all the wood you’d want. And they will cut it down for you if you can’t haul a 4 x 8 sheet in your car [;)]
Stick a little lazy susan in the bottom or make something with a dowel rod and plywood.
I keep reading that Graingers will sell to the public… they never used to when I stopped in but that was awhile back. Maybe they will now or I could buy a fan thru the company I work for.
If I do finally get it sorted out I’ll try to draw some construction drawings on CAD… unless its a total mess then forget what I just said… [:p]
I built my spray paint booth from an old fish aqarium I got from a thrift store for 5 bucks,it had a cracked glass which I removed anyways and have the opening point out a window. It still has the light which aids in painting. It cleans overspray easy with paint remover from tthe glass
PS be sure you get the glass and not plastic tank also there are many sizes I got a 20 gallon tank since I do mostly 1/72 scale aircraft
That’s a good setup there for water based acrylics.
I may do the same thing. [:D]
Mike
That’s not completely true. While acrylics can be water-based, their carrier solvents such as the alcohols, are quite flammable. In addition, if when thinning acrylics, you use isopropyl or methyl alcohol-based products, flammability does indeed become an issue. Granted, the amount sprayed, the duration of the spray, and the booth’s ability (through airflow volume) to dilute solvent concentrations all factor into the risk, and reinforce the necessity of setting up a safe system, especially in your own home. While there have been no significant reports of problems (seems like there was one not too long ago), doesn’t mean that some “unlucky” person isn’t going to be the one to roll snake-eyes at some point in time.
Just a kinda crazy question, but will your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance cover a fire resulting from an inadequately built and installed piece of equipment?
Seems to me that if anyone is going to the trouble to build a spray booth, it ought to be done right. Maybe water-based acrylics are what’s used now, but what about when it’s time to spray that nice lacquer-based metallizer, or maybe that nice acrylic lacquer clear coat everyone is foaming at the mouth over. It could be that spraying for 5 minutes on a 1/72 scale aircraft could change quickly when it’s time to paint that nice 1/350 or 1/196 scale ship that you’ve wanted to sink your teeth into; now you’re spraying for about 30-40 minutes at a sitting. Risk increase? Absolutely.
All I’m saying is that conditions change, and as they do, the booth should be able to just about handle them all and do it both safely AND efficiently.
Maybe I’m over-reacting, but I’ve seen the downsides to cutting corners to save a buck or an hour, and I don’t want anything to happen to anyone in my forum family.
OK, rant’s over. Feel free to flame away…
Gip Winecoff
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by styrene
Um, that was a pun right? [:D]
Just out of curiousity, when the fumes cause flames, what are we taking about here, a Hollywood-grade explosion?
Or can you get away with an extinquisher nearby?
ngc7293,
Wow. Good pick up. Had no idea there was a pun there.
Actually, it can be anything from a small fire that can be effectively extinguished with a small fire extinguisher, to a rather large conflagration/explosion depending on what you’re using, how long you’re using it, the type of fan in use, and a lot of other variables. Obviously, airbrushing an acrylic camo job on your 1/72 Floxnard is going to be a little less risky than spraying a lacquer rattle can onto your 1/196 USS Graxflop. In either case, however, a good extinguisher close by is a good idea.
Gip Winecoff
As the one who originally posted about the cardboard box idea, I agree - all due caution should be taken to understand the materials you’re using. Simply put, don’t spray flammable materials into a potential ignition source.
That said, I’ve tested my own solvents (windex, water) by spraying into an open flame (propane torch). Neither is an issue. My own acrylic paints behave similarly. I couldn’t even get methyl-alcohol based windshield wiper fluid to ignite, though I don’t use it to thin, only for cleaning in a little cleaning tub (never sprayed). I will never shoot flammable solvents through this particular booth. In all likelihood, I will never shoot such products, ever, as I just don’t have the need to do so. Those who do, or may do so in the future, be sure your booth is doesn’t present an ignition source.
If you’re at all unsure, either test it out carefully before proceeding, or don’t do it at all. Use some common sense.
As to the insurance issue, insurance is precisely intended to cover those things that one fails to predict. Unless specifically excluded in the policy, the general nature of renters/homeowners policies is that accidents will be covered. Insurance routinely pays for things that are the “fault” of some person’s incompetence or negligence. One could well argue that it is one of main purposes for having insurance at all! Of course, I am absolutely not advocating actually being incompetent or negligent just because somebody might be there to cover your rear.
limd21
Glad to know you’ve thought it out, and your points are well taken. And you’re right: Common sense goes a long way.
I just have one question out of my own curiosity:
How did you know that the methanol mixture didn’t flash/ignite/burn since the flame would be invisible?
Gip Winecoff
Great point. I’ll need to recheck this (under safely controlled conditions, of course [8D]! It may have been luck or it might have been that the particular bottle of WW fluid that I have has abnormally low concentration of methanol. Or it could’ve been the fact that the ambient temp when I tried this was in the low 20’s, making ignition a bit more difficult. I’ve been around car racing circles and methanol fires are one area where I’ve some rudimentary safety training, and I didn’t notice the telltale heat “shimmer”. In any case, I don’t advocate spraying an alcohol solution at an ignition source.
Good points Gip.
I may build a simple booth as was mentioned for acrylics and use the Comair/Rotron 10" fan that I bought off Ebay several months back.
It is this model here and it is a brushless motor so I am hoping that would eliminate any potential of igniting isopropyl alcohol.
This fan is rated at 550 cfm by the way which is pretty impressive for a 10" fan.
If I need to spray enamels or lacquers then I will do as I do now and wear my Comfo Elite dual-cartridge respirator and open the side door of the garage and spray that direction. It’s a pain to paint this way but I have no other choice as I don’t own this house and can’t go cutting a hole in the wall for a spray booth vent. [:D]
Mike
Only a suggestion to prevent a fire…
Build a filteration system in between the fan and the booth. It could be a wall of cotton or an element such as the automotive air filter. That should trap the excess paint and preventing it from reacing the motor thus preventing fire.
Just a thought from a non-technical man