I'll be building a small airbrush station as part of the expansion for my new layout. I plan on using a good exhaust fan and filter to keep the fumes and paint dust down.
The question I have is about the exhaust set up. I currently have a clothes dryer duct which runs along the length of one section of my layout. Would it be advisable to tie into this duct or should I have a dedicated duct for the paint station with its own exhaust? A possible fire hazard jumps straight to mind due to the paint fumes and dust particles mixed in with the heat from the dryer, however I was thinking about tying it in at the very point where the exhaust from both "appliances" goes out side. The distance of the dryer from the exterior wall is about fifteen feet. The paint station would be about half that and would have its own duct work right up until the point at which the exhaust goes outside. We are talking maybe a foot at the most. If its a dumb idea just say so and I'll do it the hard way...which is probably the right way and be done with it.
Shane, definitely use a dedicated duct, and make the run as short and straight as possible. When I built mine, I placed it right beside an exterior wall, so it goes up about 2', then turns and goes outside 2' later.
I also made a filter holder that accepts one half of a standard furnace filter - the filter/holder/outlet duct are all located in the top of the booth, so no paint spray is directed at the filter, clogging it prematurely - most booths that I've seen have the filter at the back, but I see no reason to place it there and plenty of reasons not to.
For lighting, rather than fix it in the booth, I use two desk lamps on pantograph-type arms, one on either side of the booth. It's easy to adjust the lights' positions to suit the painting task at hand, and the bulbs don't get covered with the overspray, either.
Go with a separate duct. Think about the amount of lint and dust trapped inside a dryer vent that could be blown out on to a freshly painted whatever, or paint getting sent into your dryer full of cloths. There are one way traps available for exhaust duct, but they rarely work .I change out the motors on exhaust fans and find all kinds of stuff that gets past the one way doors. On a side note you should change or clean out the vent on your dryer once a year to help guard against a lint fire.
My other car is a locomotive, ARHS restoration crew
Yeah...I totally agree now gents. I was trying to be economical, however once I got to thinking about it more and bounced it off of a couple of other folks it was pretty unanimous and easy decision to make. Now I get to go rent a 4" inch bore hammer drill combo from the Home Depot! Giddy up!
Shane, are you sure that you have to go through the concrete wall of the basement? If the basement ceiling is open (joists visible) you can bore through the sill plate header (centre the hole vertically). A hole saw or jigsaw will work, and if the exterior is brick, a masonry bit in a regular drill will allow you to drill around the circumference of the proposed opening. Then, simply use a hammer to knock out the centre.
You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money to create a spray booth. The base of mine is part of the plywood top of an old table, while the sides and top are 1/8" Masonite. I made all of the corner joints using a length of wall angle meant for a suspended ceiling - simply drill holes and pop-rivet it together. I had most of the other materials laying around the house - total cost was under $5.00, as I recall.
doctorwayne Wrote:Shane, are you sure that you have to go through the concrete wall of the basement? If the basement ceiling is open (joists visible) you can bore through the sill plate header (centre the hole vertically). A hole saw or jigsaw will work, and if the exterior is brick, a masonry bit in a regular drill will allow you to drill around the circumference of the proposed opening. Then, simply use a hammer to knock out the centre.
These old homes in Scarborough are all brick and block construction. I've used the tool before to drill out a hole for a dryer vent in another home years ago. If you drill a pilot hole from the inside centered in between the joists it helps keep all the duct work above the ceiling height. Then you can bore the hole from the outside. It makes a nice clean bore and is miles easier then trying to knock out a hole with a small bit. The convenience, ease and speed of the right tool for the right job out weighs the costs as far as I'm concerned. I've also used the method you suggested and swore I'd never do it again...nothing but a pain in the arse!
is a 4" duct large enough for a spray booth? I guess it depends on the blower size,
but the booth I had set up in Miss. (it's in storage just now, unfortunately) had a
10" circular fan venting directly out into an attic storage space with no duct at all.
The fan was a surplus unit, I probably would have gotten something a little smaller
if I had to pay for it, but too small and too long an exhaust duct might cut down
your airflow considerably.
Is the 4" duct what other folks are using?
Are there any windows in your basement?
The first paint booth I built was built in a window.
I removed one of the pieces of glass, mounted a 10" fan in the window frame with a sliding door to close it off when not in use.
A duct was built around the fan that ran to the booth that was just to the right side of the window.
My current paint booth has a 10" vent with fan in the ceiling and has doors to close it off when not in use.
If you're using a 10" fan, then the larger duct is practical. My duct run is only 4', so the 4" duct works fine, but you're right: if the run is too long or includes multiple elbows, the smaller duct will restrict the airflow. There's a trade-off between duct size and fan capacity, too: a small capacity fan will have as much trouble moving air through a relatively short, large-diameter duct as it will with moving it through a long 4" one.
I have found this particular article to be of some enlightenment in designing my station. FYI - I haven't started building yet.
It goes over the various duct sizes, how to measure extra distance using elbows and 45's, and the strength of fans/blowers required to safely remove fumes. Thought it might be good to share.
I am starting to build one and I might have unique Idea. I am going to use an old plastic storage bin. put a heater filter in it about 6 inches from the bottom. drill a hole in the bottom sized to attach a shop vac hose. I think you can figure out the rest. and as far as noise goes I have a long hose. Sump pump hose, It works great in my wood shop. What do you guys think?
Les
Les
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Lester Perry Wrote:I am starting to build one and I might have unique Idea. I am going to use an old plastic storage bin. put a heater filter in it about 6 inches from the bottom. drill a hole in the bottom sized to attach a shop vac hose. I think you can figure out the rest. and as far as noise goes I have a long hose. Sump pump hose, It works great in my wood shop. What do you guys think?
Les
If you are spraying water base paint you may be ok.
However, If you are spraying solvent based paint, fumes may be ignited by the sparks from the brushes of the shop vac motor causing the shop vac to go off like a bomb.
Be carefull!
Lester Perry Wrote:I am starting to build one and I might have unique Idea. I am going to use an old plastic storage bin. put a heater filter in it about 6 inches from the bottom. drill a hole in the bottom sized to attach a shop vac hose. I think you can figure out the rest. and as far as noise goes I have a long hose. Sump pump hose, It works great in my wood shop. What do you guys think?
Les
This also does not solve the problem of getting said fumes OUT of the room. You are filtering solids (particulates) with the heater filter, but not the fumes/VOCs/etc. Without the equivalent of a respirator's cartridge, you are simply spreading the fumes to somewhere else.
As Ray says above, if you're using water-based paints exclusively with compressed air, you *may* be ok. However, remember that even acrylic or other water-based paint in a spray bomb is using flammable butane for a propellant...! Same goes for some of the cans of propellant to use with cheaper air brushes. Even if the paint is water-based, the propellant can still be dangerous!
I am new at this airbrush stuff. I have a good airbrush and trying to use badger model flex paint. It will not cover anything. It supposedly needs no primer that didn't work so I tried it with primer. no better. Am I missing something here? Oh yeah as far as the booth thing I am working on that, I had planed on using water base paint. Now I am not so sure.
Les
Les
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