I don't have one .Can't use garage in winter.Do you guys have any ideas I know it's not safe with out a paint booth but I don't paint often and use only water base paints. A fan with a window open perhaps? thanks rambo1..AND HAPPY NEWYEAR TO ALL.
I know some modelers who claim that once you are dealing with water based paints, anything goes and no special precautions are necessary. I suspect the better view is that some precautions are wise.
If you do not use solvent based paints then your primary needs are to protect your lungs from the particulate matter that all paints emit. A simple "paper" mask is not as good as you can do, but better than nothing. Respirators are available at many good hardware or big box home project stores. Some are suited even to solvent based paints (which of course does not help others in the household, including pets) while others are less sophisticated yet adequate for water based paints.
Protect your eyes and glasses with safety goggles. Protect your hair with a cap or painter's cap. I'd wear latex or similar protective gloves as well even if the paint is not per se harmful. Ventilation is useful even if it means opening a window in winter.
The other need is to protect your surroundings from overspray and there spraying into a cardboard box might be sufficient. For certain purposes I saved a really large kitty litter jug (same plastic as milk jugs) and cut away a side to create a movable little booth. I use it to touch up the weathering on my track.
The fact is guys use airbrushes or rattle cans AND solvent based paints to paint and weather track and other such situations where a spray booth simply is not practical or possible. Ventilation and a respirator are maybe not the absolute ideal in protection but appear to be sufficient. After all check out your average auto body shop sometime!
Dave Nelson
Is there a cheap way to make a booth?
Dave Nelson's advice is spot on. The risk is inhalation of so called sub pm10 particulate. These are the particles that are less than 10 microns in size and stay inside the lungs for long periods. A good half face respirator designed for painting will provide adequate protection as long as the respirator has a good fit to your face. Half face respirators do not fit properly if you have a beard or have not shaved recently.
if you can open an outside window and install a window fan exhausting from the room, it is a good idea, also. So called water based paints still contain some organic compounds albeit a lot less hazardous than xylene formulated paint such as the old floquil solvent based paint line.
Dave makes some good points, but there's no reason why you can't have a spray booth for occasional use. I made mine using a 3/4" plywood base. The sides and top are Masonite, assembled using aluminum corner trim (for aluminum siding) and pop rivets. I installed a floor register plenum and some 4" aluminum duct for the exhaust, and installed a motor/fan from an airhockey game in the base of the plenum. Some 1"x2" strips form a filter holder to keep the majority of the particulate matter from reaching the fan - it's sized to accept one-half of a standard size furnace filter - I use the fibreglass type, not the more expensive (and restrictive) pleated paper ones.For in-house (or in-basement) use, cut a sheet of plywood or similar material to fit a window opening in the room in which you plan to paint - it need be only big enough to hold a dryer vent exhaust cap with an integral flap and to cover the remainder of the opening of the window. If you have a sliding window, vertical or horizontal, open it only enough to accommodate this assembly.
In the photo below, there's flexible dryer hose for the exhaust - not the best choice, but it worked well for over 30 years. I used two permanently mounted desk lamps for lighting, but for a temporary set-up, clip-on ones might be more practical.For my set-up, I had all the components on-hand except for the plenum, which cost only a couple of bucks at Canadian Tire.
The set-up shown is separate room in my basement workshop (models only), but a couple of years ago, I moved it out to my garage. This is a separate building about 100' behind the house. A former house, it's used for storage (not cars, though) and as a workshop. In the shop area, I built a small room, about 4'x7', sheathing its exterior in plywood (to keep the critters out) and the interior in drywall. I also included a subfloor, as the concrete floor is neither level nor, especially in the spring, dry. The dryer hose was replaced by aluminum duct, but otherwise, the set-up is the same as shown. When I wish to paint in the winter, there's a small, portable electric heater - I run it for an hour-or-so prior to painting, so that the room is at a comfortable temperature. Using my regular compressor, the heat from its operation keeps the room comfortable, but if I use a more portable compressor, I leave the heater running (it's thermostat-contolled) to keep the temperature reasonable.If your garage has enough room, you could use a similar solution if you get to the point where you're painting more often. I did painting for a LHS and for several friends, too, so mine has always been well-used.
I initially used only solvent-based paints, and always wore a two-stage respirator - one stage removes the paint particles from the breathing air, the second stage removes the harmful chemical vapours (and their odour). Even nowadays, using water-based paints, I always wear the respirator.
Wayne
Rambo, how cheap are you looking at? They have spray booths for as little as $55 on E-Bay that vent out a double-hung window closed down on the exhaust hose. If I had a double hung or sliding window in my basement I would buy one myself. If I buy one I have to make a pretty extensive modification to a basement window, something I still may do.
never thought about ebay but how good are they at that price?
also i use the laundery room there is a dryer vent there . Could I disconnect the vent from the booth when not in use?
With water based paints this might work, I'd not use oil base paints in there for fear of a fire.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I will agree on that broadway
what else could I do or use?
or buy one
you guys getting the snow? off topic I know
I wouldn't use the laundry room - too much dust in the dryer duct, and disconnecting it from the dryer to attach it to the spray booth will put a lot of that dust in the air.The booth which I made cost two bucks - everything else was stuff laying around left over from other projects. If you don't have that kind of stuff, visit a subdivision under construction - in Toronto, that should be pretty close wherever you're located. There'll be lots of scrap material laying around - ask before taking it, of course, but I'm sure you'll get most of the raw materials needed. Aluminum dryer duct is cheap (Home Depot, Rona, etc.) and a cheap bathroom exhaust fan will get rid of the fumes. While you're scrounging plywood, get a hunk big enough to fit into a window in the room you choose for painting - it should be as wide as a lift-up sliding window or as high as a window which slides to the side. The other dimension needs to be only 3" or 4" greater than the diameter of your exhaust duct. Cut a round hole in that plywood, sized to tightly match your exhaust duct, and when you wish to paint, open the window and insert the plywood into the open portion. It will keep the weather out while you're painting, and hold the exhaust duct in place.
I have a small air room purifier fan that has a filter in it can I start with that?
I picked up a used kitchen stove venthood (used but never 'used' so it is clean) and built a plywood box to mount it on. I haven't installed it yet but it shoud work quite well. It has a built in light and alum filter. I paid $12 for it at a Goodwill store. The wood I had in the shop. Just another method to an end.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
even better
rambo1, you have several options given to you....so I don't know what you are looking for,and I don't know what you are trying to paint, is it fixed to a layout or removeable?.
They can be had cheap {few bucks, like mine},or expensive {a few hundred bucks}.
I made a "booth" with a VERY LARGE cardboard box {A portable table saw came in it}, an old {nib, never used} bathroom fan and a "hose" {fan/dryer type venting}to the outside window with a scrap board cut to fit the window space and a large cut out hole for the hose.Cost me very little.
Like was mentioned, use PROTECTION when doing any air brushing. Also Cover the fan with a filter of some kind to help keep paint out of IT. I am asthmatic and use a good fine particle face mask.I probably should use a respirator, but I cannot breathe in one {I can barely breath in a mouth-covering type mask}. Some protection is better than none.
I have also just set everything up inside, stepped out on the "enclosed" {loosely I might add} porch and Quickly sprayed away and brought it back inside to dry.
Just beware, but be safe too.
Have fun
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
galaxy I am asthmatic and use a good fine particle face mask. I probably should use a respirator, but I cannot breathe in one {I can barely breath in a mouth-covering type mask}.
I am asthmatic and use a good fine particle face mask. I probably should use a respirator, but I cannot breathe in one {I can barely breath in a mouth-covering type mask}.
Ditto.... But if a small quick style project (rail car one color paint job) or something I'm doing in stages (two or more color scheme, but must dry first between coats) I will set up a box (no booth yet) in my garage and not wear respirator until I am going to paint, then quick shot, cleaner quick shot, leave area and remove respirator...
Try to get this done in under 5-6 minutes, that way I still protect my lungs while not agrivating my asthma too much....
Longer times and I am better off without the respirator, as it bothers me just as much. I think just because it is a little more work to be moving air through them than normal style breathing......
(Now, if only I could get through to my employer this fact.... )
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Oy oy oy.
I was thinking about starting the adventure of airbrushing and now, after reading this post, I'm all scared. More questions arise.
- Once outside from the vent, are the particles going to stick on my house's exterior walls (and stain it) ?
- What if you need to airbrush tracks that are fixed on the layout? how do you contain the particles spreading in your room's air? Do you recommend airbrushing tracks in the booth (or outside) before placing them down on the layout?
Thanks.
Antoine
Antoine L. I was thinking about starting the adventure of airbrushing and now, after reading this post, I'm all scared. More questions arise. - Once outside from the vent, are the particles going to stick on my house's exterior walls (and stain it) ?
No: that's one of the reasons to place a filter ahead of the exhaust fan. It also prevents paint build-up on the fan blades and motor, if it's an in-line type, and keeps the duct clean, too.
Antoine L. - What if you need to airbrush tracks that are fixed on the layout? how do you contain the particles spreading in your room's air? Do you recommend airbrushing tracks in the booth (or outside) before placing them down on the layout?
Personally, I don't recommend airbrushing tracks at all. Brush painting requires less prep work, less clean-up, and creates no overspray, which often dries before it lands. The latter is also known as dust. However, many folks do spraypaint their tracks, and an airbrush, with its greater control, will create less overspray than most rattle cans.If you're using flex track, pre-painting it beforehand is unwise: as soon as the track is flexed (accidentally or to form a curve), the rail will move, revealing unpainted areas. Sectional track likely wouldn't have that problem.
my jobs are just for weathering or painting locos or freight cars .
another problem is that my compessor dosen't have a regulator tried to put one in did't work how important is one?
rambo1 another problem is that my compessor dosen't have a regulator tried to put one in did't work how important is one?
You really need a regulator/filter to remove any moisture in the air as well as control the pressure. You can get combo units regulator/filter or seperate ones. Don't know why it didn't work, just install it on the output from compressor and connect hose to regulator/filter from airbrush.
JAMES MOON Dave Nelson's advice is spot on. The risk is inhalation of so called sub pm10 particulate. These are the particles that are less than 10 microns in size and stay inside the lungs for long periods. A good half face respirator designed for painting will provide adequate protection as long as the respirator has a good fit to your face. Half face respirators do not fit properly if you have a beard or have not shaved recently.
Thats what I would recommend for no-booth painting to protect from particulates. (I am 40 hour HAZWOPR certified with many years of 8 hour refreshers)
The solvent based paints usually contain hazardous volatile organic compounds such as toluene, xylenes etc. which have health risks associated with them. Simply consult the NIOSH hand book or MSDS for those compounds to see what they are like.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
My airbrush and compressor are permanantly set up at the end of my workbench in the garage. I don't have any kind of spray booth...I just let the overspray head toward the garage door. When I spray a lot, I open the door and might turn on a fan. When it's something small, I may not. I've done it this way for years.
Here in Texas, it's not that big of deal to wait for at least a warmish day to paint.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Rambo--or should I call you "Sly?"--I hadn't done any painting at all since I moved into an apartment, many years ago (too busy building--and not finishing--cars and a loco) so when I moved into my curfrent apartment, I vowed I would finish all my projects before starting anything new. In my younger, more blaise years, I took a large corrugated cardboard box, cut off the flaps and one side, and sprayed Floquil to my heart's content, never realizing the danger. I knew lacquers are a lease-breaker, so I bought Polly-Scale replacements for my favorite colors and then didn't get around to painting. There's an exhaust fan/blower above the kitchen range, so I sharpened an old paring knife, cut up boxes, and made a cardboard spray booth with a telescoping chimney with a furnace filter inside it that fits snugly around the grill on the exhaust. I'm not sure I should've bothered, but as the Late Paul Larson pointed out when someone asked if he thought the powdery mold that built up on his RR books in the basement was harmful, replied, "It's not necessarily harmless to be bitten by a non-poisinous snake."
I'd even considered putting a box fan behind the "booth"--fronted by furnace filter, of course--and building a cardboard booth isn't hard. And it works!
Deano
rambo1 I have a small air room purifier fan that has a filter in it can I start with that?
Some paint fumes are combustable and some fans have open sparks. You need a special brushless fan that doesn't spark to reduce risk of fires/explosion.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
If you use a cartridge mask for spraying make sure the cartridges are marked for "mists, vapors, radons, daughter's of radons" If there are any harmful vapors created, you will not have to worry about breathing them. At one time I worked in a shipyard with some very interesting chemicals, and the respirators I wore had this type of cartridge. They are also good for asbestos removal.
herrinchoker
i'm listening ,guys rio grand you are right I have a resperator but still like other advice don't know what to do right now