Do I REALLY need a spray booth?

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

 

Reasoned

Depends

 

  

A dehumidifier DOES NOT remove humidity in the air. Only dampness. I agree with Tojo since he has HVAC experience.

 

To clarify, I was replying to the original question.

Maybe they should call it a de-damp-ifier then.

Reasoned

Depends

 

A dehumidifier DOES NOT remove humidity in the air. Only dampness. I agree with Tojo since he has HVAC experience.

A dehumidifier in a room with sufficient air conditioning is redundant,an air conditioner dehumidifies as it cools.Also remember a dehumidifier puts heat into a space.Just use the right BTU A/C for the space and that will do the job.

A dehumidifier is for damp spaces where there is no A/C running.

Take it from an ex-HVAC man

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

 

 

Crimm

 

 

K4BeeTee

 

 

keavdog

but consider humidity.

 

 

 

 

This raises a good point - where I am in Townsville, summers get really hot and humid. The model room has aircon and so on, so I can run it on the "dry" function, but - what do I need to keep in mind on those especially humid summer days?

 

 

 

 

 

Would having a dehumidifier (or two?) in the room help? I've never used one so I don't know how effective they would be. 

 

 

 

 

No. A dehumidifier is used to remove dampness in the house. I have two in my cellar. That’s why there’s a bucket to hold excess water drawn in from the dampness in the air.  It will not help remove humidity or dry, hot air in the room. 

 

Right, but if you stick one of those portable dehumidifiers in the work room won't it prioritize cutting down the humidity in THAT room? Obviously it won't do anything for arid air, but isn't its whole purpose to make humid air less humid? And they mentioned having particularly humid days.

Crimm

 

 

K4BeeTee

 

 

keavdog

but consider humidity.

 

 

 

 

This raises a good point - where I am in Townsville, summers get really hot and humid. The model room has aircon and so on, so I can run it on the "dry" function, but - what do I need to keep in mind on those especially humid summer days?

 

 

 

 

 

Would having a dehumidifier (or two?) in the room help? I've never used one so I don't know how effective they would be. 

 

No. A dehumidifier is used to remove dampness in the house. I have two in my cellar. That’s why there’s a bucket to hold excess water drawn in from the dampness in the air.  It will not help remove humidity or dry, hot air in the room. 

K4BeeTee

 

 

keavdog

but consider humidity.

 

 

 

 

This raises a good point - where I am in Townsville, summers get really hot and humid. The model room has aircon and so on, so I can run it on the "dry" function, but - what do I need to keep in mind on those especially humid summer days?

 

Would having a dehumidifier (or two?) in the room help? I've never used one so I don't know how effective they would be. 

Read the instructions on the products you use, if they say use in a well ventilated area, as most do, then build a paint booth or risk the permanent harm the fumes may cause if you don't.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

You can get a spray booth for under $100 at tcp global.

But.... spraying a test piece or small part into a kitchen trash can? My wife would NEVER allow that. I don’t think any wife would. 

 

Sorry about that ! I just do it, usually she is reading in the living room or sleeping in upstairs. There is a liner in the trash can, I open that up, hand hold what ever I'm spraying, psss psss, it's done, I clean the airbrush in the kitchen sink and thats that. Close the liner back up or the trash will stink the house up. It's just acrylic paint. I think nothing of it. Big jobs go to my booth.

Some of you guys are too hemmed up ( hey I can be too just not over that subject, she finds other little sticklers is all).

You can get a spray booth for under $100 at tcp global.

But.... spraying a test piece or small part into a kitchen trash can? My wife would NEVER allow that. I don’t think any wife would. 

For acrylics I use the booth I built and general hardware store dust masks. Unless as I mentioned, it's a little test piece or a small part, then I just shoot it into the kitchen trash can. But for more extensive painting and my wifes ceramics clear coats I go with my booth.

If you're going to shoot solvent paints regularly I suggest a respirator as others have mentioned and all the more so a booth or some form of venting outdoors. For years I used an exhaust vent shrouded into an old window opening, it would clean the room out in about 10 minutes. But the shrouding is the important factor of a fan in a window, especially on a breezy day.

keavdog

Off topic: you guys made me order a respirator - made me nervous!

 

Off topic: you guys made me order a respirator - made me nervous!

here is a link to the booth I built

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/general_discussion/f/9/t/177122.aspx

There is no down side to a spray booth other than cost. If you search the fourms here and the web there are a plenty of homemade designs. You can even use cardboard or foamboard. 

Here is one nice homemade I found

https://vent-works.com/blogs/the-ventilation-blog/15945741-diy-hobby-spray-booth

Rob

Even though I spray mostly acrylics. I built this for myself to exhaust out the window

damouav

I would also suggest using nitrate gloves to reduce skin contact.

 

I second what Damian said. Forgot to throw this in my previous post.

Hey Bt,

I think this about covered, but from my perspective using 98% acrylics I implment a extraction spray booth. I use strong solvents to thin and cleanup the paint, and as such I use a respirator with my spray booth.

I would also suggest using nitrate gloves to reduce skin contact.

Enjoy.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

 

 

John 3:16 KJV

When I airbrush, I go outdoors... Do I need a spray booth in this case? In any case, are there any cheap spray booths for 1/48 and 1/35 modeling?

 

 

 

 

You're outside aren't you? You're spraying in open air. I spray in my garage with garage door open (no spary booth) during summer months as long it's not humid out. There's are no standard size spray booth for 1/48 scale and 1/35 scale model kits. 

The only time I spray outside is when I'm using a rattle can on top of a cardboard box. Afterwards, I immediately bring it in the garage to dry. 

 

 

Thank you, BlackSheep. 

Tojo72

IMHO, basement or garage spraying no- house or apt yes.

I use a respirator for enamels or lacquers,and I really don't spray excessively 

 

I do not use one cause I paint in my garage. I open the big door, put my folding table near the entrance and turn on my floor fan to push the fumes out. 

Like Tojo, I use a respirator for Alclads. Regardless of what you spray, if indoors use a well vented booth and don't forget about having good lighting, preferably daylight bulbs. 

John 3:16 KJV

When I airbrush, I go outdoors... Do I need a spray booth in this case? In any case, are there any cheap spray booths for 1/48 and 1/35 modeling?

You're outside aren't you? You're spraying in open air. I spray in my garage with garage door open (no spary booth) during summer months as long it's not humid out. There's are no standard size spray booth for 1/48 scale and 1/35 scale model kits. 

The only time I spray outside is when I'm using a rattle can on top of a cardboard box. Afterwards, I immediately bring it in the garage to dry. 

When I airbrush, I go outdoors... Do I need a spray booth in this case? In any case, are there any cheap spray booths for 1/48 and 1/35 modeling?

Also, I prefer to use enamels....do I need something else besides the eye protection?

I see nothing worng with using a spray booth as long as you have a ventilation hose to a window. 

Jon_a_its

... will get this paint/dust moving away from you/your household/pets & into a trap.

It's not just the fumes... you are putting very fine (wet) dust particles in the air, some of which will dry & go further than you imagine, which your lungs cannot easily get rid of.

If for no other reason, a spray booth (lots of recipes using squirrel fans & furnace filters online) will get this paint/dust moving away from you/your household/pets & into a trap.

If you build one with a front door/flap, you will now also have somewhere to put your freshly painted models.

This will greatly help with domestic harmony.

K4BeeTee

 

This raises a good point - where I am in Townsville, summers get really hot and humid. The model room has aircon and so on, so I can run it on the "dry" function, but - what do I need to keep in mind on those especially humid summer days?

 

My house is very dry in the winter and dry (flash off) times pick up substantially in the dry air if the house is well up to temp. I've noticed with acrylics now that humidity has picked up some and the heat basically not running in the day, that they are slow to flash off or slower to flash off. So I use a hair dryer between coats which picks the flash off right up.

Don't try to spray lacquer in humid weather it will blush. And actually, if you have a hobby room as you mentioned and it's within your normal living area ( apartment or house) then the spray booth becomes more of a concern if you use solvent based paints in general. Back in the 1950's and 60's, we or at least I, thought nothing of spraying them even in my bedroom but lets just say as a society we have come to know better now lol. Don't try to spray lacquers and enamels at your work station and not vent it outdoors somehow is my suggestion.. Today there are many options from portable, even folding paint booths, if the room is dedicated to hobby use, in due time consider a booth for it. Now with acrylics and painting small parts you can find me spraying those into the kitchen trash can as well as using the booth. But not lacquer or enamel.

Enamel is especially forgiving about not blushing in humid weather by the way. But really when it gets like that I'm generally not painting anyway, I switch to tying flies in the best air conditioned room in the house for our annual trip to Maine in the fall salmon fishing.

Then yes,I would try to get something.