Paint booth

captain shelley · Post by **captain shelley** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:05 pm

Hi everyone. My wife and I just moved to an apartment and I am wanting to start back to modeling again (I am the luckiest guy in the world because she loves the hobby

) However I am now in the need for creative ways to build a paint booth on a budget. Can anyone share some advice on the subject, I will mainly be using it just for the airbrush. Thanks again.

Ziz · Post by **Ziz** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:01 pm

I have instructions for a spraybooth you can whip together for $40 to $50.

Another guy here, Pat Amaral, built his own version of my booth and expanded on it with an indoor filter made from a 5 gallon bucket. Hopefully he'll post the instructions for that.

Beaveranger · Post by **Beaveranger** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:13 pm

There's also the range hood method. Exhaust fan and light already included.

I am currently in the process of building this one. Will post some pics as soon as its done.

One sheet of OSB - $9
Range hood - $30 (new) -- but check some local appliance salvage places. You can get an old one dirt cheap. (~<$10) Make sure its a ducted one so you can vent it out the window as Ziz does. Ductless ones just vent right back in ur face.

I'm adding some side filters on mine so I can close off the front while it dries. My work area is also shared with the washer/dryer and our cats. Not so good on a final paint job if you cant filter incoming air.

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:25 pm

Just finished my own Paint-Booth-On-A-Budget.

$ 2-1 Cardboard box from Home Depot
$15-1 bathroom exhaust fan
$ 4-1 dryer vent hose
$ 4 -4 pack filters
$25 TOTAL

I had an extention cord and I had a clip on side light.

The construction is obviose, but here goes...
cut a hole in the box for the fan.... put fan in
Tape a filter over the fan from inside of box
tape vent hose to back of fan and lead out a window

wiring.... black wire to black wire.... red wire to red wire .... green to green.

Works well for me

Pat Amaral · Post by **Pat Amaral** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:28 am

Fellow CoMMiES member, Brad "Mr. Badwrench" Guy and I prepared a
handout describing how to build your own paint booth and indoor filter rig.
I used it to give a presentation at the last Wonderfest. I've asked John to
post the .PDF in the Downloads section of the Tech Library on the main site.

Until it's there, I'll be happy to email a copy to anybody that wants one.
Just PM your addy to me.

Pat Amaral · Post by **Pat Amaral** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:08 pm

For those who may be interested, John has posted plans for the CoMMiES paint booth and indoor filter can on the main SSM site now. You can download the PDF from there if you like.

http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/pa_booth.htm

If you have any questions, PM or email me (link at the bottom).

Enjoy!

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:17 pm

And remember, the higher the CFM of the fan the better.

Beaveranger · Post by **Beaveranger** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:18 pm

http://beaveranger.blogspot.com/p/paint-booth.html

Haven't quite finished it yet, but here's mine. Waiting on some pieces to come in for venting through the dryer vent. (Y adapter and dampers. Dryer vent is the only outlet from my current workspace. The windows you see in the pics are not functional

)

Pat Amaral · Post by **Pat Amaral** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 3:35 am

I've talked to a few people since John posted the CoMMiES plans on the
main site. Most are suggesting concerns about using a bathroom fan as
this type can present a spark hazard which could ignite the paint fumes in
the airstream. While I've been using my rig for several years now
without an issue, it's important to note that a small danger does exist with
any fan where the motor is in the airflow.

One of the folks I discussed this with was Jeff Goldader who suggested
using a marine bilge fan instead. I looked at a few and feel they might
be a good solution since they're inexpensive (I priced some in the $20 -
$30 range), move a lot of air and the fan motor doesn't touch the
airstream. The only complication with this type of fan is that many run
off 12v DC at 6 or so Amps. One would have to incorporate some sort of
high current AC-to-DC conversion into the design. I haven't investigated
that yet but I think it could be somewhat expensive.

There are other choices for fans that have no spark hazard. One
suggestion in the past has been the squirrel cage blower type. While
these provide you a safety margin, they tend to be more expensive than
the others and it's been my experience that it can be difficult to select
one that's appropriate for the spray booth scenario.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that there are a number of things to
consider when selecting the pieces and parts for a DIY paint booth. My
rig has been doing me well for a few years now. Your mileage may
vary. I'm sure your solutions will be fine as long as you put some
thought into the design.

Cheers,

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:02 am

Do you not have these in the US?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QzXXcfK5KE

http://www.abcmodelsport.co.uk/shop/804 ... -FAN-.html

https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php ... e2bf55125b

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:34 am

Yes, we have them. Some of them aren't worth the $$ they charge for them.

This system is something that can be made fairly cheaply and out of found parts if need be. I've got a steel booth with a 350cfm blower ducted to the outside. Why? I had the money @ the time and like to spray lacquers. Previously I'd bought an Artograph booth and while it worked it was cramped @ times and lacquers would often overwhelm the fan.

Some people just aren't that lucky (or rich). Hence the do-it-yourself discount spray booth.

While the motor in the airstream is problematic if you're shooting strong solvent based cleaners, if all you shoot is acrylics it's not much of a worry.