An idea I am bouncing around....

Heya Dan...

Thanks-- I'll keep it in mind if I can get this off the ground.

Morning Ed...

I remember reading about it a while back- and yes- I am interested in the details if you have them...

roadkill....

Excellent idea....now I just need to find someone who knows how to airbrush LOL I've only used one for the last three models so I am no expert by any means

Mike, you can speed up drying time with a drying unit. I've posted on that before, but I'd be glad to give you specific details by email if you like. Sounds like a good idea, and may work well for you with some preparation.

John...um....Mike

I can throw some extra kits your way for the participants...

Regards, Dan

John?

Thanks guys... as I said it's just a conceptual thing right now....I'll think more on it in a couple weeks when I am done teaching for the summer....

Great idea. The problem with cleaning airbrushes isn't a problem. Provide the materials to clean them, have the user put up a twenty dollar deposit, refundable upon a passing inspection of the air brush and also have classes to show how to clean and use air brushes. As a matter of fact, make the class mandatory before the person is allowed to use the air brush.

i agree with all the above. the idea of allowing people to come in and use tools they dont have is a good one. i say go for it. if the idea is there, there is a way to do it.

joe

Just saw this....a great concept you have there, John.

Dan

very neat idea... It would be a good way to get some community involvment and also excite youngsters... Hope something comes of it...

Not to throw a wet blanket on your idea....
I worked for a large Art firm that had a small (and growing) framing operation. We did some hand finishing, based on what their sister firm did in the UK where liability laws are more relaxed concerning toxics. To comply with regulations in the US, it was considered too expensive for them, a multimillion dollar operation.
Acrylics would definitely be the way to go, but check into the insurance costs. Unfortunately today, one kid with overspray in his eye and a good lawyer may really hurt.
I also checked into running a small online shop. The vendor I contacted (you can't get direct from most manufacturers) was geared towards small start ups. They required an initial order of $20,000 and a guarantee of a certain monthly order level.
A little out of my current range and time.
Hope this helps and not discourages.

Great idea, Mike.
You could be responsile for a new generation if plastic model builders........
I remember taking a class in 7th grade - model making. The teach showed us the basics of construction and how NOT to paint a car body with a rattle can. No airbrushes to be seen back then...........
Hope it works out for you and you can figure out to overcome all the pitfalls before they appear in front of you.
Good luck!!

great idea. I'd ALWAYS wished there were a place that I could go and use an airbrush, as it was only a little while ago that I purchased one. However, this idea does come with certain drawbacks, such as cleaning, and proper maintenance. Also, I don't really know if you'd want to stick something so pricey in to the hands of those untrained on it, so you'd definitely have to run some kind of clinic to show proper use.

QUOTE: A lot of small business owners cry that environmenal and health regulations are running them out of business, and that is probably true. On the other hand, the image of a teenager happily spraying away on his model in your booth, inhaling laquer thinner all the while, seems like a legitimate health concern to me

And a legitimate concern it is. Were I you, I'd just make a decision to work with acrylics only, no enamels or other dangerous paints. You could even get non-toxic model glue.

Jeeves

It is an interesting idea, and one worthy of thinking through in all it's possibilities, but also one to consider all the potential pitfalls. The first thing you will need to do is investigate the environmental aspect of your spray area. Unlike us amateurs who paint in the garage, letting the breeze waft away the laquer thinner, you may be required to capture the solvents and overspray and dispose of them properly.

You will also have to consider the human environment and make sure there is sufficient airflow to protect those patrons using the paint booth. I would guess that you could install some sort of integrated system that pulls air rapidly out of the paint booth and passes it through a filter to capture the solvents. Still, that is capital investment that you will have to recover through the rent of the booth or markup on your products.

A lot of small business owners cry that environmenal and health regulations are running them out of business, and that is probably true. On the other hand, the image of a teenager happily spraying away on his model in your booth, inhaling laquer thinner all the while, seems like a legitimate health concern to me.

I'm not an expert in the envrionmental aspects of spray painting, but my job has enough contact with environmental issues for me to urge you to carefully investigate this aspect of your project before you put down any serious money. A "friendly" visit from the local fire department or state environmental regulatory agency could turn your dream into a nightmare unless you have complied with all the regulations.

Thanks guys....

Bruce--

I hadn't thought of the airbrush cleaning-- this is why I posted here so things like this could be brought to my attention Actually-- maybe for beginners, there could be set-ups with just brushes (obviously for the younger kids who may not be able to handle an airbrush)...and for those who want to learn-- just some average airbrushes that are low maintenance... that way- people can try them out and see what they think etc before making an investment. As far as cleaning goes, I guess I would have one of the staff (me) LOL there to clean them.

The concept has been running through my head- but was jumpstarted after reading this thread in Community Announcements:

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18668

Not to mention the fact that we just found out my wife is pregnant with our second child and she is looking for some way to stop working, take care of the kids, and earn money. She's the numbers brains of the family- so she could take care of the business end of things (taking orders, keeping the books, shipping orders, etc) and I could run the shop itself on weekends and vacations...and eventually maybe after school.

Thanks guys for the thoughts....now comes the task of finding out what the start-up involves...I am almost afraid to look LOL

Interesting...I use my wife's hobby as a counterpoint to my own. Her scrap booking stores always seem to have a room or area for people to get together and share tools, tips, and time to work on their projects. I wish I could find a similar place for models. Good luck to you!

A great idea... There's a shop in a place nearby here that is a pottery & pottery painting 'shop', where kids can go and do pottery, then spend some time painting their work. It's a very neat idea!

I like the idea.

Mike:
An interesting idea, especially since we hear from younger modelers all the time about the high cost of things like airbrushes ...

On that topic, I suppose you could have separate areas for drying so as not to tie up the booths; my question is how do you make sure the brushes get properly cleaned?

The reference library is a good idea ... maybe that could be set up in conjunction with your local library and advertised as a special attraction? That way you can gauge response without much of the risk, and you have the services of professional librarians.

In fact the local library here in my town runs craft clinics and similar things during the summer ... if you can find a way to handle the solvents maybe they can help you run a build clinic?

A couple of years ago two of us set up an R/C airplane club in town, the town provided a free meeting room. What we did was have everyone bring their planes to the meetings and discuss how to proceed to the next step of construction, and we ran clinics on radios, engines, etc.

if you do something like that then the toxic stuff stays home and people bring their models, kind of like a show-and-tell, where they can get advice and encouragement.

You might be onto something. There are do it yourself garages in town here (bring your own tools and rent the bays, lifts, and other specialty items), do it yourself dog washing places (bring the dog bring/buy the soap, use their tubs, dryers and whatnot ... the list gets longer all the time.

Best of luck, I'm all in favour of anything to keep our younger modelers interested.
Bruce