Help! Fumes, Getting me lightheaded!

Are you sure it's just not the euphoria of reliving your youth? Ha! Seriously,ventilation. Mike

Thanks Don and everyone for your help. I stuck a much more powerful fan in the basement hatch and that seems to be working much better. Funny, is that as a 55 year old, I'm more sensitive to the stuff then I was as a kid. Don, I am using thinner now. I'm a re-beginner to scale model building and as a kid, I just painted straight up. Now I see how thinner helps flow the paint in tight areas or for detail, on the one model I'm building. My other hobby is woodworking, but that's my expensive and very time consuming hobby. (as I'm sure scale model building can be too!). I started up with this silly car model (reminder, it's this one) because I wanted to have the joy of making, but not have it take a year. I’m at the very beginning of the learning curve. For example, I’m learning how hard it is to paint rims on the tires and have ‘em look round (no chrome pieces). This model (Ed Roth’s Mother’s Worry) l has few pieces, but you can have fin painting it, and I’m learning some technique in that department. But it’s fun, and relaxing. I’ll probably stick with car models. Maybe a Ferrari next or other cars I’ll never own in this lifetime. Thanks again everyone for you help! Greg

The usual enamel thinners (turpentine/mineral spirits) are usually pretty benign.  However, one can have an allergic effect or sensitivity to almost any substance, especially organic ones.

I will second that you need ventilation, regardless of what you use.  The solvents that you can use with acrylic paints can be irritating to the linings of your airways, too.  Can you open a window?

I work in my basement, too; it's about 50'x 20' or so, and it's at the end of the HVAC system (there are registers to bring in air from the forced-air heating system), but I do have ground-level windows on three walls.  I have no problem with Testor's tube glue or enamel paints, Plastruct's Bondene and Weldene, and various enamel paints, when sitting at the bench and working with those products at close range.  But when I airbrush in the same space, I have to use active ventilation.

 

gregthec

...Can I use acrylic paint on polystyrene? 

Yes, absolutely.  I use acrylics (primarily Tamiya, Andrea, Vallejo, but also craft store brands) as well as enamels and lacquer-based paints, on styrene kits.  I apply them by hand, or by spraying with rattlecans or the airbrush. 

I recommend cleaning the kit parts first, with a bath of warm water and a couple drops of something to remove grease and de-molding agents.  Some use dishwashing liquid.  I started using the automotive de-greaser Super Clean a couple of years ago.  It leaves the surface literally squeaky-clean, and you have a good surface for a primer to adhere to.

Then I would prime the pieces, before applying your finished colors.

Hope that all helps!

Best regards,

Brad

Yeah, I have a box fan pulling air through the basement hatch but I guess I need more. What about acrylic and other less toxic paints? Has modern technology made them better for plastic models?

Thanks Don, I've just been using the paint straight up. Greg

You need ventilation... lots of it. Invest in a respirator.

I've never had trouble with fumes from using tube glue, liquid glue, painting/thinning with enamels because the key is having plenty of ventilation.

What are you thinning the enamel with?