Commercial Spray Booth Question

PontiacRich wrote:

Jesse - thanks for the input.  This Paasche model seems the cheapest of the metal booths I've looked at.  I still wonder why sheet metal, fan and filters needs to be $200!  Anyway, how quiet is the fan...reasonable for someone to watch TV while it's running?  What did you do to solve the lighting issue? Scott - thanks for the encouragement, but I haven't built a model in a year either and one of the big reasons is that I don't have a spray booth!  I know it's the ol' Chicken-and-the-egg syndrome, but I'm determined to rectify that this year!  The other issue that I have on building a booth is that I work at a boatyard in Maine and we work 4-10 hour days and I just don't have the energy to work on a big project when I come home at night and my day off seems to get filled up with all the other things I didn't get done during the week, so I need to make model building as easy as possible to fit in with time/energy constraints. Anybody else care to weigh in on this?

As far as the lighting goes, I put in 3x 12" floresent lights that are used in the kitchen under cabinets. They plug into each other and provide more than enough light. I originall put 2x in the booth, but my hands kept casting shadows so I got a third and put it put top in the front, pointing towards the rear of the booth. I also just used a bathroom air fan to vent ... just sounds like "business" when it's paintin' time... 

Thanks everyone for your input. 

I purchased the Paasche 16x22" spray booth today along with a how-to DVD.  I purchased through Chicago Airbrush Supply Co.  they were cheaper than Amazon or anywhere else.

I'm sure this won't be the end of my questions, but I'll try not to Badger you all! 

Rich,

I got your email yesterday.  I replied but instead of sending it to you, I sent it back to FSM.  Oops.  I resent the email today.  Hope it helps.

Jesse

I built mine for the cost of the fan I had the sheet metal and 1/2" square tubing Cut and mitered the corners,tig welded it all together the skinned it with the same sheet alum. I use on full size modiefied bodies.Pays to own a buisness where I Have access to that stuff (tig welder, brake... etc...)

john

Jesse - thanks for the input.  This Paasche model seems the cheapest of the metal booths I've looked at.  I still wonder why sheet metal, fan and filters needs to be $200!  Anyway, how quiet is the fan...reasonable for someone to watch TV while it's running?  What did you do to solve the lighting issue?

Scott - thanks for the encouragement, but I haven't built a model in a year either and one of the big reasons is that I don't have a spray booth!  I know it's the ol' Chicken-and-the-egg syndrome, but I'm determined to rectify that this year!  The other issue that I have on building a booth is that I work at a boatyard in Maine and we work 4-10 hour days and I just don't have the energy to work on a big project when I come home at night and my day off seems to get filled up with all the other things I didn't get done during the week, so I need to make model building as easy as possible to fit in with time/energy constraints.

Anybody else care to weigh in on this?

I have Paasche's HSSB.  I've had for 5 years and I think it works great.  The only problem is the lack of lighting but I've solved that.  Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/PAASCHE-HSSB-22-16-Paint-Spray-Booth-Airbrush-Gun/dp/B001CTC6FK

Jesse

Rich .... Dude! ... Take the time to build your own. I took about an hour to think up a plan, an hour at the store, and then the afternoon building. Now I've got a MONSTER booth (big enough to put Monogram's 1/48 B-17 on a turntable and still have room) that only took me about a day and only cost me about 100 bucks.

Do yourself the favor ... seriously. I didn't think that I had time either, so I just took the "booth build" to be a side modeling project.

My 2 cents. Good luck!