How To Make a Paintbooth?

[chubbs36chambers]

This might be a dumb question but does anyone know how to make a paint booth? If someone does know ccan they show instructions and show pictures of there booths?

[dag65]

http://modelpaint.tripod.com/booth2.htm

[dashotgun]

not a dumb question I built one from some leftover plywood froma construction site and old hamster cage fan. The only expense was for a flouresent light came out great.

[ratdat]

I just made myself a spray booth over christmas. I made it from some 6mm MDF, an old kitchen worktop, some low voltage lights, an old battery charger, a car heater fan and some trunking from a clothes dryer

I dismantled the charger and used the transformer to power the car heater fan (from a Nissan). I split the heater fan casing and mounted the fan part behind the booth so it draws air through a hole in the back wall. It blows the air out the cloths dryer hose which I can dangle out of the window behind where the booth sits. There's about a three inch gap in front of the back wall then theres a proper spray booth filter material supported by some steel mesh. I got the filter stuff from a friend who works in a proffesional paint shop.

I'd like to add some better lights to it eventually but it'll do for now. Ideally it would be great to have a small flourescent tube on each side as well as the lights above. I may also paint the inside of it white to reflect the light around a bit. The heater fan really shifts a lot of air..possibly too much. If that's the case I'll vent the gap behind the filter with some kind of adustable vent to create an air leak. I haven't had a chance to use it yet as I only finished it today

Here's some pictures of it...





With the filter out...



The fan (the clamps are just holding it together while the glue dries)....



The pipe hanging out the window...

[DiGiTaLEcLiPsE]

:e ek2::eek 2:<<SPEECHLESS

[AE86er]

Nice to see a spray booth made with care for a change. You built this with the same attention to detail as you build your models.

Looks great!!!

[Bangai-o]

Will that fan protect the model from dust? It seems pretty exposed otherwise, could spoil a paint job.

[ratdat]

Originally Posted by Bangai-o

Will that fan protect the model from dust? It seems pretty exposed otherwise, could spoil a paint job.

There isn't any way for a fan to protect the model from dust contamination... it's just there to extract the paint fumes. If anything the presence of a fan would actually make dust contamination more likely. It's not really possible to make a paint booth that will protect the model from dust ..well, unless it's totally enclosed and big enough for you to stand in with

The only way a booth can limit dust contamination is that after painting, once the fan is off falling dust can't settle on the fresh paint ..but if the air is disturbed there's nothing stopping dust from entering the booth from the open front.

The main reason I made this booth is to extract paint fumes and over-spray. I have never had any real problems with dust in the paint even without a booth, especially as I use car laquers which flash off and dry very quickly.

I'll try it out today so I'll find out how efficient it really is (or not )

[Flea]

would it work having a hinged front that has a filter in it? ... that way when you are done spraying you can close it up...

i have always just placed a plastic container over a model (and parts) when i am done painting them while they dry ... but now i have a place to build a shop so to speak ... so looking into the options for painting the bodys ...

[chubbs36chambers]

[quote=Flea]would it work having a hinged front that has a filter in it? ... that way when you are done spraying you can close it up.../QUOTE]

I think that would work cause the filter would filter out all the bad air particles. Nice idea man....

[ratdat]

Originally Posted by Flea

would it work having a hinged front that has a filter in it? ... that way when you are done spraying you can close it up...

i have always just placed a plastic container over a model (and parts) when i am done painting them while they dry ... but now i have a place to build a shop so to speak ... so looking into the options for painting the bodys ...

This wouldn't neccesarily be a good thing. I find that if I do get dust contamination it occures whilst painting...rarely afterward. A door on the front of the booth is a good idea but to have the fan on after you finish painting is not a good idea. If you had a filter in the door any particles of dust that accumulate on the filter element while the door was open would then be sucked accross the booth to the rear by the fan.

The best thing when you stop painting is to turn off the fan and shut the door. Still air in an enclosed space will be least likely to cause dust problems.

Like I said before though..with laquers the problems of dust contamination after painting are greatly reduced as the drying time is so fast. There's not a lot you can do about dust during painting but as it's not been a problem for me yet I'm not too concerned about it. The odd little bit of crap in the paint is easily polished out with micromesh

[Flea]

i could notice a small difference between covering up the body after painting and leaving it exposed ... but up till my last two models i never polished the paint out after painting it ... so the difference showed ...

my booth i am making (designing) right now ... won't be quite as tall as the one pictured .. but a little bit wider and deeper ... with a rotating peice out of a microwave at the bottom of it for easier turning of the part being sprayed ... i will likely have a cover for the front of it when not in use ... do not know yet if that cover will have a filter on it or just a scrap peice of plexiglass so i can see it...

[ratdat]

I will be adding a door to mine eventually. The microwave turntable thing is a great idea

[CZ-R]

Originally Posted by chubbs36chambers

This might be a dumb question but does anyone know how to make a paint booth? If someone does know ccan they show instructions and show pictures of there booths?

Definitely not a dumb question! I had planned on posting the exact same thing after this weekend. It's WAY to cold outside to paint anything, so I wanted to see about building a booth for indoor use!

[Flea]

Originally Posted by ratdat

I will be adding a door to mine eventually. The microwave turntable thing is a great idea

hehe that was the cheapest thing i could come up with that rotates around ... they have other items that are in the household items (lazy susan i think its called) ... but broken microwaves are cheep (free)