To Mask up or not to Mask Up

Back again with another question. I use an Airbrush with Acrylics only I work in a well-ventilated room. I have no plans to use Enamel paints as I don’t like the smell. So my questions are about masks. I currently use an FFP2 (N95 in the USA) mask when airbrushing is this sufficient or should I consider buying a respirator? If so which one should I purchase?

It’s really depends on how you manage the smell, when I do primer (more in cans) I prefer the respirator the smell still high. When I do a simple task, i wear a normal mask just to reduce the number on paint I eat :slight_smile:

I usually don’t use spray paint or any airbrushes. But when I use Plastic Glue or Tamiya Extra Thin Cement I ventilate with a fan at the door. I’m wondering though, do you guys wear masks with an airbrush? And do you use it because of smell or to be sure you’re not breathing in paint? I’m debating purchasing one, and I am wondering.

I am using Vallejo Primers which are thinned accordingly so none or little smell. I must admit I don’t mind the smell of the Tamiya thin cement and fortunately neither does my wife. I am sure she comes into my workroom just for a quick sniff. Anyway my room is really well ventilated.

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Personally the smell of Tamiya extra thin doesn’t effect me either. Thanks for the info.:grinning:

I’ve been modeling for nearly six decades, airbrushing for about five of those, never worn a mask, and never had any health-related issues (at least so far…knock on styrene).
Back in the old days when I would spray my Revell hotrod models with spray cans, I ALWAYS sprayed outdoors - first at parental insistence, then because it made perfect sense. When I graduated to airbrushing, I always did so into a large cardboard box – think spray booth, without the ventilator fan – to limit where the (minimal) overspray went, but ALWAYS made it a point to work in a well-ventilated space, most often with two windows open and a box fan in one of those blowing out. This worked for both enamel and acrylic paints, though I have used acrylics pretty much exclusively for the last three decades, primarily for the lower odors involved.

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I wear a respirator when spraying lacquer or Tamiya acrylics. Respirator is cheap compared to possible asthma and cancer.

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Thanks, everyone for your input, at the moment I will stick with my FFP2 masks when airbrushing. Let’s see what the summer brings when the temperature hits 35+ Degrees C (95+ Degrees F) here in Cyprus as windows and doors will stay closed. Fortunately, I have a good Air Con and Solar Power to run it. I do have a cardboard box which I use for airbrushing. Mostly to save me from being nagged by my wife if I accidentally over-spray.

Always use a mask of some sort when you spray, especially if you’re spraying paints. Last thing you need is a slow buildup of acrylic resin and pigment inside those precious lungs.

Nearly any sort of mask will pretty much catch airborne paints. I like leftover COVID masks. Unless you’re spraying the (fantastically hazardous) urethane paints, you need no fresh-air respirator.

When I started airbrushing in middle school, my dad told me I needed a respirator. I didn’t think it was a big deal, as I painted outside and “held my breath when I sprayed”. But one day after painting an F-4E Phantom, I went inside to blow my nose, which produced wonderful SEAC camouflaged snot.

My dad took me to Sears that week and bought me a proper respirator and NIOSH filter cartridge. Like others said, a respirator is cheap compared to a new set of lungs.

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I’m a pretty safety-minded person, but I sprayed acrylics with no protection for a few years. Then after one long-ish priming session I had the same experience as @RealG when blowing my nose. Bought one of the cheap amazon spray booths after that, and it made a difference. I’ve since built a custom downdraft booth from plywood using a 110v computer fan and replaceable furnace filters. I neglected to change the filter for a year… check out all that particulate that would have just been… in the room? In my lungs? Who knows? … if I wasn’t using the booth.

Edit to add: when I replaced the filter the other day, I was amazed all over again at how good the booth works. :rofl:

I also have a half-face 3M respirator with organic vapor cartridges for when I’m spraying lacquers or enamels or cleaning my airbrush with harsh solvents. Everyone has to make their own choices… but all the talk about “odors” in this thread… a lot of those “odors” go along with chemical compounds (volatile organic vapors, aka "VOC"s) that are bad for you in various ways.

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