SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

home built spray booth question

3111 views
22 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: cabot,ar
home built spray booth question
Posted by wolverine119 on Saturday, March 1, 2008 11:34 PM

im new to all this airbushing stuff and ive been reading a lot about using spray booths to be able to paint all yr round. so my question is if i was to build my own spray booth would it be a bad idea to use a fan like the one they use in the bathrooms and just add some type of filter to the exhaust of that or do i need to use something else. i know ive seen a few home built ones were people have used the fan over top of the stove as a vent system. i live in a small apt with my girlfriend and our cat and dog so i want it to be as safe as possible. thanks

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: The flat lands of the Southeast
Posted by styrene on Sunday, March 2, 2008 9:13 PM

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

I would suggest doing a search on this forum.  Spray booths have been discussed exhaustively (pun intended).  If you still have questions after doing some research, ask away; we'll be happy to help you out.

Gip

1882: "God is dead"--F. Nietzsche

1900: "Nietzsche is dead"--God

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Sunday, March 2, 2008 9:53 PM

Yes, Bryan....Sign - Ditto [#ditto]....go back into these threads a page or two.....we've discussed this alot lately.

It's all here. 

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Monday, March 3, 2008 10:38 AM

You just can't use any ordinary bathroom fan. Most are basically useless, they make more noise than they move air. Do read through the posts, but you'll be looking for a fan that moves at a minimum 100 CFM but try for as much as you can afford. I like these fans because they are quiet and have no means for the fumes to leave the casing except up the exhaust end.

Here's mine:

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: S.E. Michigan
Posted by 2/20 Bluemax on Monday, March 3, 2008 11:27 AM

Gerald, where did you get your blower? I'm thinking of using a bilge blower from West Marine

Jim 

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Southern California, USA
Posted by ABARNE on Monday, March 3, 2008 2:00 PM

I googled "Spruce exhaust fan" and found the manufacturer's site as well as at least one retail site for Hawkeye's Blower.  I'm looking into redoing my spray booth arrangement, and this fan is an interesting new twist from the usual assortment of blowers.

Andy

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Monday, March 3, 2008 2:07 PM
Or the parent corps website. I have a son who works for a company that is a dealer for these...so if you can't get one I can put you into contact with them.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Left forever
Posted by Bgrigg on Monday, March 3, 2008 2:25 PM
 styrene wrote:

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

I would suggest doing a search on this forum.  Spray booths have been discussed exhaustively (pun intended).  If you still have questions after doing some research, ask away; we'll be happy to help you out.

Gip

Listen to Gip, he's not just blowing air!

<groan> 

So long folks!

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Monday, March 3, 2008 4:45 PM

hey Bill!

Groaning also....Atilla the Pun lives!

Wolverine

Gerald has chosen a very nice air mover! They come with 4, 5 and 6" inlet/outlet sizes. 6" will move 100 cfm.....5", about 65 cfm.....4"....is for venting shower steam.....or helping dryer lint along. Those are the facts.

If Gerald recommends 100 cfm, I'll stand behind that.....but it must be 6" pipe to move it.

I'll look it up later, but those are not cheap units.....so you need to research some things.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: The flat lands of the Southeast
Posted by styrene on Monday, March 3, 2008 6:35 PM
 HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

You just can't use any ordinary bathroom fan. Most are basically useless, they make more noise than they move air. Do read through the posts, but you'll be looking for a fan that moves at a minimum 100 CFM but try for as much as you can afford. I like these fans because they are quiet and have no means for the fumes to leave the casing except up the exhaust end.

Gerald and namrednef,

The total cfm should be governed by the size of the booth face, air moving through the duct on the positive side of the fan, and a few other variables.  Unfortunately, a 100cfm fan is never going to be enough airflow to adequately capture, move, and exhaust the organic vapors generated during painting, even for the smallest of booths.  I agree with you that bathroom fans (and range hoods, too) do not make good booth fans.

 

 

Hey, Bill, I resemble that remark!! Big Smile [:D]

 

Gip

 

1882: "God is dead"--F. Nietzsche

1900: "Nietzsche is dead"--God

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: cabot,ar
Posted by wolverine119 on Monday, March 3, 2008 10:58 PM

i plan on using the NuTone QTRN110 bathroom exhaust fan. it does 110 cfm. the duct is 4". its 1.5 sones. which is like listening to a souped up fan on your computer. i think thats pretty powerfull. i plan on making the box about 12"X12"X24" maybe bigger. if anyone knows of something that does better it would help a lot. thanks

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 7:56 AM

My 100 CFM unit just barely handles my painting needs. I have to work in short sessions, my plans are to mount a second unit (I have on hand) or just upgrade to a larger capacity unit.

I also recently acquired an industrial exhaust fan from a chemical testing lab. It is a roof mounted unit with a 900 CFM rating going through a 28 x28 inch duct...I'm considering mounting it in my garage attic and run duct work to the garage workshop and down into the modeling workshop. It's too much CFM without some other major modifications. But hey it was free!

Keeping your airbrush pressure under 18 PSI also helps keep the fogging to a minimum. 

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Virginia
Posted by Wingman_kz on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 4:46 PM

Wolverine, if you could hold off a day or two I'll try to post a link to a page that may help you design your booth and determine the fan size. If there's a Graingers in your area or similar store you can get a Dayton blower with considerably more CFH for less money than the fan you noted. Gotta run for now but will get back to you.

Tony

            

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 5:26 PM

Tony that's where I go also, but not all folks can get a decent 'non-commercial customer' price.

 

Mea Culpa on a former post about air movement. In my work, 6" pipe is needed for moving 100 cfm of air. In-line units such as Gerald showed, have a much higher velocity (and therefore more noise), but can move that 100 cfm through a 4" pipe.

But now the debate about CFM shows up again. I find a 125cfm fan working nicely in a huge booth. Respirators, tastes.....lots to think about. 

  • Member since
    October 2004
Posted by gamerabaenre on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 6:24 PM
Here is my design, and what I currently use as a spray booth at home: http://www.gamerabaenre.com/spraybooth.htm
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: The flat lands of the Southeast
Posted by styrene on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 7:06 PM

Sorry, there is no "debate" about cfm requirements in a booth. 

In order to move air so that organic vapors are exhausted effectively, you need a recommended capture velocity of 80-100fpm at the booth face.  This controls vapor so that exposures are minimized/eliminated and that booth fires don't occur.  If you have a spray booth measuring 2 feet by 2 feet (4 square feet) you will need a fan capable of at LEAST 400cfm (formula = 100fpm X face area in square feet).  Economically and practically speaking, a squirrel cage (centrifugal) fan seems to be the best for these home applications.  In addition, duct transport velocities (on the positive side of the fan) should be about 2,000fpm minimum (I think) to provide enough exhaust pressure.  Depending on fan size, duct size will have to be adjusted accordingly to provide those velocities.  The rule is that as area decreases, velocity increases.  This works well until the area decrease too much.  This causes resistance, and the fan doesn't respond as advertised.  Don't assume that a particular fan is automatically going to perform well at x duct diameter.  One variable to consider will be duct length, as well.  Typically, hood designers may throw in a fudge factor of up to 25% to account for many of the variables.

One last time, stay away from range hoods, bathroom fans, and computer fans.  They simply don't and won't provide the OOMPH! necessary for the application you need.

Gip

1882: "God is dead"--F. Nietzsche

1900: "Nietzsche is dead"--God

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Ontario, New York
Posted by 12Wings on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 12:13 PM
Can I use a regular dryer vent hose for my spray booth?
... Ryan a.k.a. #12 Whoever invented soccer should be worshipped as a god!!
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Southern California, USA
Posted by ABARNE on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 2:08 PM

 Wings wrote:
Can I use a regular dryer vent hose for my spray booth?

That's what I use, but then again my booth uses a bathroom exhaust fan and probably draws no more than 75-80 CFM, so what do I know?

I think there are plastic dryer ducts available, and I would avoid those.  I use a flexible metal dryer duct.  One consideration is that flexible ducts cause more air resistance than regular ducting.  In my situation, my booth is next to my outside wall so the run is short and has some bends in it such that using regular ducts would be highly inconvenient.  If I had a longer run, I probably would use regular metal ducting.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: The flat lands of the Southeast
Posted by styrene on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 3:49 PM

#12Wings asked, "Can I use a regular dryer vent hose for my spray booth?"

You can use taped-together paper towel rolls if you want.  (Sorry, I'm not trying to be a wise guy.)

Plastic dryer ducting can be used, but you'll find that organic vapors moving through the ducting will tend to degrade the plastic rather quickly.  In addition, it's not hard for holes and tears to occur in the stuff.  You may not be aware of a leak until you start smelling what you just thought you exhausted.

I would consider using metal flex duct.  It's suited to the application.  I don't think you'll find any significant difference in resistance between the metal and plastic ducting material.  Resistance begins to become an issue as duct runs get longer, and as the number of bends increase.  If possible, try to avoid 90-degree bends in any ducting you install...

Gip

1882: "God is dead"--F. Nietzsche

1900: "Nietzsche is dead"--God

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Ontario, New York
Posted by 12Wings on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 6:08 PM
Thanks I'll keep that in mind.
... Ryan a.k.a. #12 Whoever invented soccer should be worshipped as a god!!
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Virginia
Posted by Wingman_kz on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 9:50 PM

Here's the link I promised: http://modelpaint.tripod.com/booth2.htm

Sometimes the page works for me, sometimes it doesn't. It isn't meant to be the last word, just help.

I'm not an expert and don't mean to sound like one. All I know is what has worked for me. I was in the same situation about 5 years ago. Except for the girlfriend. Small apartment and wanting a paint booth. Mine isn't what I would have liked to build but is the best I could do at the time. I would have liked to use sheet aluminum but no longer work in a sheet metal shop and don't have access to the tools. So, I built mine out of wood. Or rather, a friend with a work shop took my drawings and built it for me. I used white latex interior paint. If it gets too grungy, I paint over it. I don't line the walls and floor with newspaper or anything else, that's just another source of dust and lint. I built it with the fan on the back wall. Didn't want a downdraft because I wanted full use of the floor. Didn't want an updraft because then everything has to bounce off the back wall. I figured with the fan in the back I would get better exhaust. It worked for me.

I built it to use furnace filters. There's a small door on the top that I can lift and drop in a filter. Lately I've been using some industrial filters that a former employer gave me when they changed to a different air handling system. The top is a sheet of plexiglass to let in light. I added some 12" flourescent fixtures I found at WalMart that can be linked together. There's three just inside the door, right left and top. I used some small, screw-in hooks in each top corner and ran wire between them to hang things from. Bent pieces of coat hangers to make small S hooks. There's a door on the booth so when I'm done painting I can close it up keep any odors inside and dust out. Inside it's 16"T x 16"W x 14"D.

Now, the fan. I was right on the verge of buying a fan like the one you mentioned. Had it in my hands at Home Depot. When I got to looking at it I realized the frame was fairly loose construction and there was no good way to attach ductwork. There were some with a hood of sorts that would connect to a 4" pipe but they were a good bit more expensive. I waited till the next day and asked my employer if I could buy an item from Graingers through them. Then I ordered a 4C447 Dayton blower. They're basically the same price I paid 5 years ago, $64. I misspoke in an earlier thread and said I used a 365CFM blower, this one's top rating is 265CFM.

Who am I to say that someone else's set-up doesn't work. If it makes them happy, that's fine. To this point, I've used solvent based paints. Enamels and lacquers. The blower I use does a good job. If I had it to do over, I'd go with another 100CFM. Something like the 4C444. I really can't imagine anything 100CFM or less moving enough air in a booth the size of mine to clear the overspray and fumes. This booth will handle aerosols which put out a lot of overspray. So, I guess you have to ask yourself do you want something that will clear the room eventually or, something that will clear the fumes and overspray as you paint? I went with the latter...

Also, I've managed to keep the booth close to a window so I just use flexible dryer hose for ductwork. The aluminzed type, not the thin plastic. If you have to be more than a few feet away from where ever you vent to I'd suggest using rigid ductwork to reduce drag. The blower I used is a simple two wire hookup. I just used an extension cord and cut off the female plug. I used an inline rocker switch like the ones you can add to a lamp. I'm no electrician but the amperage draw on this blower is pretty low and this cord's never been a problem. It's run for hours on end and never gotten warm. It isn't loud either. Can't give you the decibel ratings but it's in the neighborhood of a bathroom exhaust fan.

So, there it is. What I did and my opinions. It works for me.

Tony

 

            

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: cabot,ar
Posted by wolverine119 on Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:02 PM
so i thought about all the ideas everyone has provided and to be on the safe side im goin to go with the grainger 4c054 i know its very powerful but i want to make sure that my girlfriend, my pets, and my self are safe. and if i decide to make a larger box i wont have to purchase another exhaust system, ive also looked back a few pages and saw some great ideas about lighting in the booth aswell as designs for hanging parts dry. if someone thinks that the 4c054 is to powerful and it will do more harm then good, i would love to hear. thanks Wingman_kz for the link it helped a lot
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Southern California, USA
Posted by ABARNE on Thursday, March 6, 2008 1:52 PM

 wolverine119 wrote:
if someone thinks that the 4c054 is to powerful and it will do more harm then good, i would love to hear.

Within reason, I doubt that you could get too powerful a blower.  As the author of the link supplied by Wingman points out, you can build your booth with a plenum between your blower and the actual paint area.  By doing so, if there is too much airflow through your painting area, you can add a small vent in the plenum to reduce the airflow.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.