Paint booths,which & where

I have been very pleased with this booth.  And the amoire is great.  I would suggest it to anyone.  As for light, I just tip a flexible light from the top over the edge and instant lighting.   

Very simple, actually-  @ HD, they have a 2'deep amoire they sell; something like ~ $60-80 or something.  You get an extra shelf, cut the back as you need to, a voila! 

I haven't had a lot of problems spraying from cans in this booth if needed, but as you see, I have to remove some of the filters, so I get better airflow, with certain types of paint.  I spray mostly acryllics, and many times didn't even use my booth.  I'd work in the area right underneath it, and could load a brush and use it right in my work area.   

Inquisitor wrote:

Here's a shot of the paasche booth-  fits well in the top.  Poked a hole in the back, so the motor could stick out and I could vent it.  Right now the filter is not in it, I think because I was spraying and there was a lot of overspray.  It vents well, but this decreases with the filters.

I have the same Paasche booth - picked it up on EBay last year for just under 200, and it is HUGE by most booth standards.  Most booths are too small for my likes, and this one can fit pretty much anything.  Sturdy, made out of steel, and collapses nearly flat, and takes simple filters.  It can be used unvented (which I do), or vented like above.

Oh yea - I added a light on the interior of the booth.  The upper lid is just large enough to fit your own light.  Picked one up at Home Depot and it provides plenty of illumination. 

I love the idea of the "hobby armoire"!  I'm gonna have to build one of these.  Great idea.  I like having the booth at eye level (when standing).

Check out the Paasche if it's still available online.  Great buy, IMO. 

Thanks - Jon

http://www.pacepaintbooths.com/pace/

Check the ones made by Pace industries.  Several sizes, a little on the pricey side but well worth it.  I have the Peace Keeper, the largest and love it.  Built in lights, variable speed fan, built in outlets and a work table that clips on the front.  Also uses standard furnace filters.  You owe it to ourself to check these out before you decide.

 HTH

Chuck B.

I have the new Badger one and really like it.

It is not as big as some but it is big enough for a 1/48 F-15 to be painted in. 

:)  Yea, I had to make something that worked well, so I could see the various paints that I use.  I have transferred many of my paints to dropper bottles as well, which works well for measuring, so something like that made sense. 

hehehehe... outside compressor.  That reminds me of my grandfather's old compressor, you know... the kinds with the belts and big cog-like gears?  The thing was so loud that you'd about shat yourself if you were anywhere in the vicinity of it going off.  One reason that I moved to a silent compressor- to have it inside, and not bug the neighbors. 

Like the booth.  I had a home-made one before this- made it out of a plenum, with a heating unit motor inline- that thing could move air, without any probs!  Stuff would dry so quickly when in my booth too; I miss that! 

I went with the window mounted vent b/c didn't want to do anything drastic to the house (we're prob moving in the next year or so...).   

Inquisitor,

I like your setup! Mine's homebuilt and a bit large. I vent it directly through the wall using a laundry vent. I snake my compressor hose outside as well, where my garage compressor lives in a little shed I built for it. 

When the spring comes I'm planning on rebuilding it to make it a tad smaller and easier to move. I see you have a similar shelf setup for your paints...

If you've read any of my other posts, you'll see I like giving out information.  This is because there's really precious little of feedback on these tools and how they work.  However, they can make ALL the difference in your enjoyment of the hobby.   

Well, here's some other info-  with pics!  A bit about my spray system.  I have been very pleased overall with my set up.  I wanted something that I could have in the house, so I didn't have to freeze in the garage, nor be in a dank, dusty or dark basement (all of which I have done.).  So I came up with the hobby amoire-  From home depot, I think.  Got another shelf and split it into three sections.  Its a mess right now, but works pretty well.  I was trying to make the center section my main work area, but it was too cramped. 

Here's some shots closed and open.  Wife hates the crap on top and on the sides, but you can't see most of it.  I'm planning on putting most of it in the closet. 

Here's a shot of the paasche booth-  fits well in the top.  Poked a hole in the back, so the motor could stick out and I could vent it.  Right now the filter is not in it, I think because I was spraying and there was a lot of overspray.  It vents well, but this decreases with the filters. 

Here's how I vent: I use some flexible venting hose.  Cut a piece of masonite and put the vent connector in it.  it is slightly larger than the frame of the window, so I flex it and it pops into the frame, then I put the window down, and it seals 'o.k.'

You don't get a lot of backdraft or leakage, I think due to the flow without too much pressure-  easier for everything to go towards the path of least resistance -> outside, than leak, etc.  Don't get a lot of fumes. 

Hope this helped.

I have the Artograph 1530 and it does come with the hood and the dual fans and three layered filtering system. I got mine I think, from Michigan or Dixie art. The replacement filters are quite expensive though. I've used enamels and laquers. With the enamels it doesn't leave much smell, but the laquers, Tamiya white, and Alcald metalizers ( I do lots of airliners) do still smell quite a bit. I love my paint booth, I got mine for $350.00 it was worth the money for me. My model room is a spare bedroom so it's great for that area. THe 1530 also has two exhaust ports that they suggest you attach dry tubes and vent it outside as an added precaution.

 I hope this helps.

Thanks

Neil 

I've got an Artograph 1520.  It is a good sized booth (15"x20"; a 1/48 F-14 would be a VERY tight fit if it fit at all, but I have done a 1/48 F-15 in it). The fans seem to be a little underpowered; it's OK for airbrushing, but I would not recommend opening your double action all the way at very high pressures, and using rattle cans is almost out of the question.

The downdraft aspect of it is pretty cool... basically, since both gravity and the fan are drawing the air downward, you can get away with a lower air velocity at the face of the booth. The charcoal filters are cool too in that they pick up most of the odors so that venting outside is not absolutely necessary (I don't with enamels or acrylics and don't seem to have any problems, but I'm not courageous enough to try the same with lacquers). (Other booths sometimes use furnace filters, which would be equivalent to the pre- (and sometimes middle) filter of the 1520; the Artographs are the only brand I know of that use a charcoal filter)

The booth comes with a cardboard hood, but I would strongly recommend spending the extra money to get the metal hood with the plexiglas window up top; other retailers like Micromark and Testors repackage and sell the 1520 as their own (usually with the metal hood included, though in my case it was cheaper to buy them separately; I purchased the base from Bear Air and the hood from Madison Art Shop, both in 2004). It is a bit smaller than the cheaper Paashe, but it's supposedly a lot lighter and to me fits better on a table. To the best of my knowledge, the Artograph 1530 is essentially an upsized 1520 with 2 fans, and only comes with the metal and plexiglas hood. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it

 For lighting, I used to use a clip-on desk lamp clamped to the metal hood with a 60-watt equivalent flourescent bulb, and am currently using a 18" under-cabinet fluorescent lamp that is mounted to a shelf above the booth.

I use a paasche one that I love.  Comes with fan/motor, is collapsable, and you can get it on ebay for pretty cheap, drop shipped from the factory. 

a better option might be to build one yourself.

 If your only dealing with acrylics and other non flamable chemicals then a stove top fan/light fixture (with a furnace or some other air filter) mounted ontop of a plywood box with plexy glass on the front with enough hand room underneath to increase the suction, cut holes and cover with plexy glass where you want more light, and have something like a dryer duct to vent the fumes out a window (with the end of the duct attached to a board that blocks the rest of the open window). Reason for the air filter is to prevent build up of "stuff" that can become a fire hazard or just become a problem, even dust can catch fire.

For flamable fumes such as enemals you basicly have the same setup, but do not use a stove top fan but have a bathroom type fan attached to the back with a furnace filter attached in front. Make sure the motor is isolated from vapors such as with moisture proof fans otherwise it's a fire hazard, and use a non flamable duct for ventine the fumes. Keep in mind that light bulbs can also be a igniton source so have the plexy glass with a air tight seal between the lamp and the inside of the booth.

 as for pre-built spray booths, i recomend browsing ebay, online hobby stores such as greatmodels.com, and companies such as tamiya that sell a large selection of model supplies.