commercial spray booth experiences.

First, let me welcome you to the forum family, Striker! Hope you enjoy your stay.

1. I looked at the Badger, and all they listed was the rpm rating of the motor. CFM is determined by fan design and speed, which they failed to comment on. Be cautious if Badger is on your list (The booth may be perfectly OK). A phone call to the maufacurer may be in order.

2. The Artograph looks to be a pretty good unit. From the pictures on their site, it appears the booth is a downdraft unit, instead of the typical motor/fan located in the back or top of the booth. Downdraft exhaust is more efficient in my estimation, and doesn't require the pull of a conventional booth, because the vapors from spraying are heavier than air. Downdraft exhaust simply captures the vapors as they fall. What's interesting is that the 185 cfm rating exceeds the minimum requirements for downdraft exhaust velocities (based on my ciphering). Probably has to do with getting the air through all that filter media--lots of resistance. The other nice thing about the Artograph is that it has a charcoal filter that apparently is designed to adsorb the organic vapors so that external exhaust venting is not absolutely necessary. External venting, of course, should be predicated on how often you plan on painting, and how much and what kind of paint you are going to be spraying at any given time. Lots of spraying with lacquers or enamels may tend to use up the charcoal filter rather quickly, particularly if rattle cans are used. From where I sit, the Artograph looks to be a pretty good buy. Make sure to replace the filters regularly to prevent build-up of paint residues, and to keep exhaust velocities at optimum efficiency.

Just my $0.02. Hope this helps.

Gip Winecoff

I agree with Gip.

Many airbrush artists use the Artograph units and they have been recommended more than any other brand that I have seen.

Mike

I am at the moment using the Wave Super Booth, but thinking of going for the Tamiya one don't like the look/feel of the Gunze one.
The Wave has served me well for the last 3yrs and no complaints, very quiet, quick filter change. Takes a bit of assembly over the other 2 but you can get it up and running very quickly.

All 3 seem to work well and retail for about $130~$140 + shipping.

In addition to the new spray-booth I will also add the Gunze Dry-booth to the shelf .

Thanks for all the responses. I plan on doing mostly acrylics but may do enamels so it would have to handle both and it's getting vented outside. As for frequency that varies, sometimes a burst and sometimes not for months. I've got a lot of 20,6, and 25mm figs to paint for wargaming so that takes time away from models and spraying. One other thing though, for those who vent it outside do you use the hard metal duct or a mix of flexible metal and hard? I have hard in a straight run about 6' but have flexible metal going around a beam and to where it will meet the wall. On the otherside of the wall is where the booth will sit and go up 90 deg for about 4'.

Hard or flex duct is much preferred over the vinyl dryer hose-type exhaust ducting. One word, though: The length, diameter, and number of bends (particularly right-angle turns) in ducting all adds up to increased resistance and decreased duct transport velocities, something that a small 185 cfm motor may not be able to handle--hence the reason behind the charcoal filter. If you have a fairly long run of ducting wth several bends and a four foot vertical run, I would strongly consider getting the booth with the highest rated fan. Since the booth is already equipped with a charcoal filter, I would give consideration to refraining from venting it outside until or unless you have reason to believe the charcoal filter isn't adsorbing vapors quickly enough.

Gip Winecoff

Congratulations - someone else getting smart. Keep the vent tube runs as short as possible and if at all possible keep the 90 degree bends to a minumum. When I put my spray booth in, I needed a 90 degree bend but decided to put 2 45 degree bends, one at the outlet of the booth and one at the exterior vent with a straight tube between them. Little more expensive (3 bucks I think), but more effecient.

Another thing I would reccommend is a good protective mask. The origional idea for a paint booth was someplace that would remove overspray and keep it from landing somewhere it wasn't wanted. I did some experimenting when I first installed my booth and discovered that it did a great job of removing overspray. However, once in a while, I would catch a whiff of the paint fumes. It wasn't a problem (my wife can walk into the room 30 seconds after I finish and not smell a thing) but I spent enough time working in the aerial application (spray planes) to know that if you can smell something, even intermittently, you have the potential for some serious problems. So I invested 20 bucks in a 3 M respirator at my local auto supply and wear it any time I'm airbrushing.

Good luck with your spray booth and let us know how you like it.

I've got an AOsafety mask with dual filters and I've given it some tests with spray cans and it works great. So the flexible duct (shiny but thin and flexible like the vinyl dryer kind) will handle it? I'm stuck on the distance due to the basement layout and the room that I have, but could do some 45 turns if they are that much better. It needs 8' straight run outside, then go under an I beam and up (like a U), then 3' to the wall corner where it will meet the hose from the booth which is 5' below the opening and it sits on a table. My biggest concerns are not blowing up the house (gas furnace/heater) and fumes so I'm not really keen on just venting straight out into the room if at all possible.

I forgot 1 other thing. Has anyone used spray cans in their booths? It seems to me that the Testors Dullcote and Tamiya colors put out an awful lot of paint than other cans I've used. Will a booth be able to handle this volume or will it blow back out of the booth?

I have done it, but over here in Japan we got a small little trick to cure that one.

We insert a 5-yen coin under the nozzle, this coin has a hole so it fits nicely.

I may have some of those around, spent 2yrs in Okinawa.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Striker I may have some of those around, spent 2yrs in Okinawa.

For the guys that don't have those simply take a sheet of thickish platic, cut a disc and a hole in it.

Hi Striker,

I see you're new too. I've haunted the forums for a while, but this is actually my first post.

I've also been very concerned about paint fumes, both from a safety and an annoyance point of view. I've read extensively through these forums looking for the ultimate answer. There's tons of good info, but not surprisingly, everyone's got their own opinion based on their own experience.

I did find one link that I thought was extremely useful. It was in this forum, but I can't remember who posted it. The link is http://modelpaint.tripod.com/booth2.htm . It's a good description of how to do the math related to paint booth construction, especially when it comes to fan strength and ducting, which looks to be one of your main problems. It should apply whether you build a booth or buy one.

I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it sounds right. If it is, the length of your ductwork and all the turns you have will end up requiring a fan that would be so enormous as to be completely impractical. I would strongly suggest reading through the web page before you invest any money.

I have similar problems to yours, and I've been very frustrated. I've just gotten back in the hobby after a hiatus of some 30 years (!). I was getting ready to start airbrushing my first model when I started researching all this. I've ended up doing a test spray with acrylic, and the fumes seem non-existent compared to enamel. I'm still going to pick up a respirator, but I think my solution is no paint booth at all. Acrylic paints, a fan running on low to keep the air circulating, and a respirator. My workshop is half of my entire basement, so fortunately there's a lot of air available for dilution!

The main issue is safety. The problem becomes how to be safe without becoming pathalogical about it! And I guess the only answer on that one is that everybody has to draw that line for himself. I think I've struck a reasonable compromise, but I'd be happy to hear from anybody who thinks differently.

Good luck with your situation!

Joe

Just an update. I got the Artograph booth and ran metal duct work. So far all is well, the fumes make it out and the duct work is sealed nicely. I do get some blowback from spray cans (dullcote, Tamiya sprays, etc) but the airbrushing fumes get sucked away. Thanks for all the input and ideas.