Mike, As you know, I stopped posting on airbrush related forums 5 years ago, and I prefer to stay in retirement, it gets too addictive. I will write my opinion here, and you may post this entire diatribe on the forum. You may also share whatever part of my bio that you wish if you need to establish my credibility with this opinion. You know where I've been, what I've done, and how long I did so, as well as anyone. 1. No commercially made airbrush spray booth comes equipped with a hazardous area fan. 2. All commercially made airbrush spray booths are total BS. 3. Any finely atomized material will ignite if the surrounding temperature is appropriately hot. Even water vapor! 4. The chances of a spray booth explosion or fire are about ten million to one regardless of the material. When it happens it's a momentary flash, but as was said, it will take out eyebrows and eyelashes....been there, done that in a full size booth, lol. 5. If you want an effective booth, build it yourself. a. Construct the box out of metal or heavy plywood that is lined with metal. b. Make sure it has a door that allows it to be a fully enclosed cube when finished with each spray procedure. d. Install an intake filter on the top (furnace filters work nicely. e. Install an exhaust filter in the floor (again, a furnace filter works nicely). f. Forget the fart fan, install a fan from a range hood under the floor filter (range hood, that's the thingy over Mom's stove, the fan is made to be in a semi hazardous environment). You can buy replacement fans for range hoods at any home improvement center and they're cheap. They also come in two and three speed models and put out far more CFM than a fart fan. g. Securely attach a flexible exhaust duct or pipe to the fan enclosure and seal all seams. Run it outside, don't exhaust it into the house, garage, or basement. h. Build a turntable on a base that straddles the fan, and place items on it to be painted. i. Paint with the door open and the fan on low speed. When finished with each coat, close the door immediately and then turn the fan on high to clear the booth. Turn the fan off if you can't avoid having to admire your work too soon, let the airflow stop before you reopen the door. Keeps the dust factor down. j. Always wear a NIOSH rated respirator, long pants, long sleeves, and gloves. All solvent based paints can damage your lungs and your nervous system, and the offending chemicals can enter your body through your lungs AND the pores in your skin. Don't let yourself end up with lungs like mine. I might even have a touch of dain bramage, not sure. You've just built a state of the art downdraft spray booth for under $30 if you did your shopping and scavenging effectively. Ask any professional painter, downdraft is the best flow characteristic for any spraybooth. All of the posts I read on your thread have merit, and all make very valid points. None of you are wrong, just covering all of the bases. Listen to each other, agree to disagree, exchange ideas and you will all get better and better. You seem to be a great crew, and models can take you anywhere. I started with model airplanes and then on to model cars, real full size show cars, show bikes, etc.. In the process the airbrush overtook my soul. It took me around the world many times, to the top of the world, and also to the bottom. The possibilities are endless! Scooter www.scooter-graphics.com |