Found object engineering - how I built my paint booth

Start with one of these:


It packs into a nice small box so you can keep it for your next RV!



From here:
http://www.shelterlogic.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=449309c0-5c72-457c-a797-9e05009b4661

I ordered the enclosure kit too
http://www.shelterlogic.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=f8c4e43a-d922-417e-b7ca-9e0501007097

Tape all of the seams with gorill tape - add a plastic dropcloth floor and intake vents:



For venting to the outside - I used this fan/hose set from Northern Tool

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200007174_200007174

2 sets of hose
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200324669_200324669?issearch=177773



One connects to the booth wall


With an exhaust vent inside


The other out the hangar door


As much light as you can afford


This setup works perfectly - moves a great amount of air. The hangar remains overspray and fumes free. The furnace filter at the exhaust must be changed for each session. Inside is mist free.

I solved my fish eye problem today too - it was the syringe after all!

As long as your paint products are not flammable, I guess you won't need explosion proof light fixtures and an explosion proof motor in the discharge fan. Many garage fires are caused by the gas water heater located in the garage and spray painting in the garage.

Please check out the Question & Answer (Product Q&A) section for your fan.... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200007174_200007174

Expensive insurance...... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200460089_200460089

spray

I have a somewhat similar setup except 4 20" box fans OUTSIDE the booth blowing air thru furnace filters into the booth. No fan on the outlet side. All lights are outside the booth. Almost zero overspray outside the booth unless the wind is blowing hard in the wrong direction.

Why didnt I think of that, great idea!

Dangerous

I'm with Gasman. I think it is very dangerous to be sucking solvent fumes through a cheap radial fan. Big chance for catastrophe there.

I did something similar, except I used an old swamp cooler (sealed motor) to draw the air out and I ditched the covering that came with the car cover. I completely wrapped the frame with 7mil clear plastic sealing the joints with spray on contact cement making a floor, walls, and ends all glued together, like one big bag. Since it was clear I didn't need as much light and better yet most of the lighting was outside the booth, except for a couple drop lights on the floor.

Thanks for the tips - my safety rationale

Sorry for the delay in commenting - I have been making painted parts out of non-painted parts!

Thank you for the good comments regarding safety - ALL of them were considered prior to selecting my parts. Now the usual disclaimers.

I have analyzed my stuff and am comfortable with the risks. This does not mean you should use anything here and certainly don't if you doubt the safety of it. (Like everything on this forum )

My booth construction was constrained by the fact that I share a hangar with a white aircraft. I could not exhaust into the hangar and could not place my paint booth where I could exhaust outdoors - thus the need for some kind of tube. Also, my hangar mates are around a lot, have been while painting and I need the hangar to be fume-free. So far, both are satisfied. Hangar mates plane is still white and they can be around when I paint.

As I selected components, I read a lot of automotive sites, here and anywhere I could find to see what others have done including Randy's excellent site - note his exhaust fans http://www.romeolima.com/RV8/Paint.htm. He blew paint through hardware store AC fans!

A 2-pole AC induction motor generates no sparks. It does not have brushes. It simply passes current through a wire. It MAY have relay start circuit as these motors won't self start. Basically this kind of motor is no more of an ignition source than any other current carrying wire in your workshop. It IS important that they do not over heat due to ingesting paint. The motor in the fan that I show above is COMPLETELY sealed - it looks like the hazardous environment fan also linked to above. Yes, the mfr does not recommend it for fumes - our throttle cables have labels indicating not for aircraft use. Again, do your own analysis, make your own choices.

Fluorescent lights in the booth - with potted solid state ballast, these are again not sparky sources of ignition. it IS possible to break one, and I do have one on wheels, but I deal with that risk procedurally. So again, I'm OK with these lights operating in the environment that they are in as I don't start the fan or the lights in paint fumes and I only move the wheeled one thoughtfully and carefully.

Finally, there are 2 other sources of risk (other than health) that I worry about.

First is the risk of spontaneous combustion. I use a lot of solvents and at the end of a paint session have a furnace filter solid with paint particles. I make sure that all paper towels, paint mixing containers - anything is safely located outdoors before I enter the paint booth and I deal with all vapor and paint trash safely and daily.

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/refinish/en/safetyhealth/Documents/PDF_spontaneousCombusitionFAQ.PDF

Secondly and the one I worry most about is ESD (Electro-Static Discharge), static electricity.

My booth and floor are plastic, my shoes are rubber, my shoot suit is polyester and my fresh air mask is rubber! I am dragging rubber and plastic hoses about on a plastic floor as I paint! This is very real scenario where spark discharges can occur. I have a number of ground wires in my booth. One for the gun, and a couple for things I'm painting, Doesn't help with fiberglass parts, but these are relatively few. What little overspray I have paints my invisible shoe prints first - not due to contamination, due to charge!

So those are my thoughts on safety risks in the paint booth.

Meantime, I am through to clear-coat on lots of parts. It is my first time spraying base and clear-coat and they are spectacular! (At least to me).

I have had a great experience working with Woodway Signs on the concept and will have paints masks painted soon. I'm waiting for Woodway to give me a concept that is watermarked so I can post it and do some progress updates!


As always - make your own choices. Stay thirsty my friends...

fans

Ray Stits, in the era when he owned polyfiber, said take a cheap box fan, put it in a clear area outside, turn it on and blow some laquer thinner thru it. If it doesn't blow up you're good to go. His opinion of brushless motors was that they are virtually zero risk. Ray is still walking among us so it worked for him.
The static risk is much greater for fabric airplanes than for metal. The greatest danger in the early stages is cleaning the surface with solvent. A friend burned himself and the airplane this way and after hearing his story I have become much more concerned about static electricity. I keep the larger parts grounded at all times.

i just hung a bunch of plastic in my basement to keep the fumes from getting out and held my breath

You guys are scaring me, I should have blown up by now. But honestly I used florescent lights and a large port o cool swamp cooler for ventilation.

Use water based paints

I used Stewart Systems paints in a Jed Clampet booth with no fear of fire or explosion!

Hey great idea, I will be stealing it, the fans should work great, I just would not be starting them while working, but onec running I dont see a problem with them. I noticed you said you once in a while break a bulb, so immediatly thought of these, available at the big orange airplane store, and any electrical shop worth anything. they may not stop you from breaking bulbs but will help keep the hot glass and powder off of everything. hope this helps.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/4-tube-guard-t8/972647