Painting booth for the space challenged

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

 

I very occasionally use the airbrush, this is due to lack of painting booth (not much space) and allergic to airborne solvents - a suitable painting booth and appropriate face mask would solve both problems. At the moment, I wait until a warm dry day, don the face mask and use a old cardboard box perched  on the Workmate on the patio.

 

Can I ask for recommendations for both?  A certain auction website is overwhelming with its choice of painting booths, has anyone bought one by going online? 
 

Thank you and Stay Safe

 

 

[88C]

I bought one from Squires recently and have found it really good. It came with a hose which I put the end under the garage door to extract the fumes. The whole lot fits back into its box when not in use so does not take up a lot of space. 
 

Hope this helps.

 

Brian

[Tony Cane]

I have had one of the cheap fold up units for about 3 years with out any problems. Filter easy to remove clean and replacements readily available. I am fortunate enough to have room to allow the unit to be permanently setup as per the pictures.

While the fold up feature save space, and I did at first use this, care needs to be taken when packing and unpacking, as the plastic used is rather brittle. Once set up the booth is sturdy enough.

 

The unit I purchased appears to be the same as this one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Airbrush-Spray-Booth-Kit-Craft-w-high-density-Filter-AC100-240V-0-7-1-7m-Hose/274459151015?epid=12033721675&hash=item3fe70a4aa7:g:rwQAAOSw66RfNidS

[Mick Bonwick]

Beware.

 

To be effective a spray booth has to be sufficiently powerful to remove all paint particles from your head area so that you don't breathe them in. The spray booths mentioned and shown above would need to be used in conjunction with a properly specified face mask in order to keep you safe.

 

What you use depends on both your budget and the importance you give to your health.

 

I suggest (and it is only a suggestion) that you consider a minimum of a Sparmax SB-88 as a safe spray booth to use. Note that none of the hobby spray booths I have come across are designed to be used with aerosol paints. These produce a great deal of paint in a short time and will clog a filter very quickly.

[tractor_37260]

I presently use and would recommend one of these. It's works extremely well for indoor use, it's reasonably quiet in operation, and it is also suitable for using with Aerosol cans. It's rather expensive, but what price your health ?  The use of a face mask should also be considered. 

 

https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product/benchvent-bv300s-d-airbrush-spray-booth/

 

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by tractor_37260
amend text

[teaky]

The Sparmax has an extraction rate of 114m³/hr, the Benchvent 355m³/hr and the eBay one 240m³/hr.

 

In an attempt to contextualise these figures: the eBay one is a little like a budget kitchen extractor hood and the Benchvent similar to a mid-range extractor hood with higher spec. hoods going on to double these rates and beyond.

 

Is there a rate at which a face mask becomes unnecessary or is that always going to be a sensible precaution regardless?

 

Would a much higher extraction rate introduce the risk of dragging airborne dust into the booth or is that a daft thought because any particles would be drawn through before settling on the model?

 

Mick - Which booth were you using when you demonstrated at the 2019 SWAG event?

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by teaky
Duff maths corrected.

[PaulCheffus]

13 hours ago, tractor_37260 said:

I presently use and would recommend one of these. It's works extremely well for indoor use, it's reasonably quiet in operation, and it is also suitable for using with Aerosol cans. It's rather expensive, but what price your health ?  The use of a face mask should also be considered. 

 

https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product/benchvent-bv300s-d-airbrush-spray-booth/

 

 

Hi

 

i would second this suggestion as there is no smell whatsoever in the house when using it. I have mine vented through the wall using a tumble dryer vent kit.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[Gilbert]

I suspect the issue with aerosols with the Benchvent ( I also have one) is the rate of attrition on the replaceable filters rather than their ability to catch the particles.

Chris

[Mick Bonwick]

15 minutes ago, teaky said:

The Sparmax has an extraction rate of 363m³/hr, the Benchvent 355m³/hr and the eBay one 240m³/hr.

 

In an attempt to contextualise these figures: the eBay one is a little like a budget kitchen extractor hood and the other two similar to a mid-range extractor hood with higher spec. hoods going on to double these rates and beyond.

 

 

I'm not sure how different manufacturers measure their extraction rates. Before or after the filter/filters/fans? There may be an industry standard, I don't know. My observations are based upon common sense, experience and understanding the environment that I'm in when using the things.

 

As an example, when helping with a weathering workshop several years ago I saw a cloud of paint particles surrounding the head of a workshop participant who was using the spray booth illustrated above. The person sitting next to him was using a Sparmax SB-88 for exactly the same exercise and there was no cloud over him. There was a BenchVent A300S in the same line of booths (6 in total) and that had no cloud around it either. The situation was deliberately recreated so that I could be sure that there was no mistake.

 

 

15 minutes ago, teaky said:

Is there a rate at which a face mask becomes unnecessary or is that always going to be a sensible precaution regardless?

 

Would a much higher extraction rate introduce the risk of dragging airborne dust into the booth or is that a daft thought because any particles would be drawn through before settling on the model?

 

If the budget spray booth is being used then I would strongly recommend that a properly specified face mask is used as well. From the SB-88 'upwards' (in cost terms) then it would not be necessary unless the user is having respiratory problems in general.

 

53 minutes ago, teaky said:

Mick - Which booth were you using when you demonstrated at the 2019 SWAG event?

 

 

For both personal and workshop/demonstration use I employ BenchVent spray booths. At home I use a BV300S-D, which vents to the outside, and for workshops/demonstrations I use BV200S and BV300S models. At SWAG 2019 I brought a BV200S with me.

 

Everybody is entitled to their own opinions. These are mine.

[boxbrownie]

I made one from a very large plastic storage box and a high quality Xpelair extractor fan, it is then vented out a window when in use.

 

I only spray acrylic paint with the airbrush and the occasional solvent aerosol, I get absolutely no smell in the room after use.

[Mick Bonwick]

5 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

I suspect the issue with aerosols with the Benchvent ( I also have one) is the rate of attrition on the replaceable filters rather than their ability to catch the particles.

Chris

 

Aerosols do not seem to be catered for in BenchVents current recommendations for usage with their lower priced models, except for the BV300S-D which vents to the outside.

 

When seeing spray booths that have been used for protection against aerosol paints, it seems to me to be a combination of both. The filters may cope with the first full-on blast, but I question their effectiveness subsequently.

[Mick Bonwick]

19 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

I made one from a very large plastic storage box and a high quality Xpelair extractor fan, it is then vented out a window when in use.

 

I only spray acrylic paint with the airbrush and the occasional solvent aerosol, I get absolutely no smell in the room after use.

 

David,

 

It is not just the smell that you should consider. The paint particles are just as damaging to your breathing apparatus. If you are happy with your spray booth then that is perfectly fine, obviously. My words of caution are just that.

[Mick Bonwick]

There was an article about spray booths in the November 2016 issue (No. 113) of Hornby Magazine. Worth a read, but I'm prejudiced.

[57xx]

I have one of the booths of the type shown by Tony Cane above. It works very well and using the external vent pipe I get no odours or mists in the room, even using a quick waft of a Halfords spray can that would normally stink the room out. I noticed this the other month when doing a quick undercoat and forgot to put my mask on. The LED lights around the edge are very good for seeing what you are doing too.

Mine came from https://bartsharpairbrush.co.uk/product/airbrush-spray-booth-exhaust-kit-led-lights/

 

I normally use this mask, which has a separate particle filter and a 2nd filter rated for spray painting and organic vapours (e.g paint thinners/white spirit), suits me fine for doing a wagon every month or so.

 

23 hours ago, teaky said:

The Sparmax has an extraction rate of 363m³/hr, the Benchvent 355m³/hr and the eBay one 240m³/hr

 

 

Actually the Sparmax is the worst of the lot. According to it's own website, the max flow is 68CFM which works out to only 114 m³/hr, less than half of the so called "budget" booths. This puts it at the bottom of the league in, the type shown by Tony above will be more effective at drawing fumes through, so if a mask is needed for them then you'll definitely need a mask for a Sparmax SB-88 too.

http://www.sparmaxair.com/product_detail.php?id=3&r=34

Edited September 8, 2020 by 57xx

[teaky]

Thanks for correcting my duff maths, Ric.  I really ought to have done a sense check before typing.  I'll go back and correct my post to avoid it being misleading.

 

[boxbrownie]

6 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

David,

 

It is not just the smell that you should consider. The paint particles are just as damaging to your breathing apparatus. If you are happy with your spray booth then that is perfectly fine, obviously. My words of caution are just that.

Mick, very true......I spent decades using an A2 filtered recirculating booth with aerosol glues, very similar but bigger to the Benchvent type, it was all approved by our H&S nerds, I often complained about the smell even though it ran through the carbon/particular filter, but all I got was it’s fine just aromatics. I did point out I am asthmatic but got the same reaction, but regardless in actual fact the “smell” never affected my chest......just my nose 
 

As one of the H&S nerds once said...after a good session spraying, blow your nose and see what ends up in the tissue, that’ll show if the extraction is working......I didn’t like him! 

[Torper]

I've been using one of the cheapo ones for years - its model identifier is HS-E420 and you'll find it under a lot of different brand names or none at all.  I think it's probably the same as Tony's (see above). I've been very happy with it; it has a motorised extractor which, when I'm using an airbrush, expels fumes, smell and presumably particles out of a window through the 5ft hose that came with it at a rate of 240m³/hr.  It's also quite roomy.  I think in fact it's the very same as this model - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voilamart-Airbrush-Portable-Extractor-Artwork/dp/B07DPF7Q9W/ref=pd_day0_60_1/261-6938576-5620814?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07DPF7Q9W&pd_rd_r=e94f8d9a-edbe-4d86-ab55-13de3f5e62bd&pd_rd_w=F4q3m&pd_rd_wg=gEl8D&pf_rd_p=f880bf58-d829-4efb-a43e-c98bd864761a&pf_rd_r=CP5WF0EEMQXA16XEQXAD&psc=1&refRID=CP5WF0EEMQXA16XEQXAD)

 

It's less happy with rattle cans which deliver a much greater volume of paint - I rarely use rattle cans but when I do the smell does linger.  However, whether I'm using an airbrush or rattle can I still always wear an appropriate mask.  I do, incidentally, rather like that booth with the LEDs!

 

DT

Edited September 8, 2020 by Torper
Clarification

[Kylestrome]

I'm not in a situation where I can easily place an extractor hose through an open window. For this reason, the idea of a re-circulating desktop spray booth seems worth considering.

 

https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product/benchvent-bv260s-re-circulating-spray-booth/

 

Does anybody have any experience of using something like this?

 

David

Edited September 8, 2020 by Kylestrome

[ColinK]

I’ve got one like that. It was recommended in the Hornby Magazine article, although I paid much less than that for it.  It does work well, but you are supposed to replace the filter every 6 months which adds to the costs. I don’t use mine very often so I replace The filters less often.

 

One thing you have to remember to do is keep the spray close to the machine including when you are cleaning your airbrush.

 

With that plus good mask you should be well protected. Even better if you use acrylics rather than enamels.

[57xx]

2 hours ago, Torper said:

its model identifier is HS-E420

 

The model number on mine is HS-420DC, it runs off a 12v DC power supply instead of having the integral mains cable. Have a look at the top right and left corners by the filters. If there is a 3.5mm power socket in each corner, you may be able to get the LEDs for yours. I guess it depends on whether they use different AC and DC fans in each model as to whether there is 12vDC available for the LEDS.

[Mick Bonwick]

2 hours ago, Kylestrome said:

I'm not in a situation where I can easily place an extractor hose through an open window. For this reason, the idea of a re-circulating desktop spray booth seems worth considering.

 

https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product/benchvent-bv260s-re-circulating-spray-booth/

 

Does anybody have any experience of using something like this?

 

David

 

David,

 

See my post 12 or so before this one. The BV260 sits between the BV300 and BV200 models, that I use, in the BenchVent range.

 

I have plenty of experience in using both of those, so if you need more information than is published here  please feel free to send me a PM.