17 replies to this topic

[Alchemist]

My Brethren,

 

How do you paint your slot car bodies, especially when it's cold or rainy?

 

I've been either going outside opening the trash bin and painting above the bin.

 

When it's raining I have a cardboard moving box positioned by the garbage leaving the garage door open about 2 feet; though if it 's windy and rainy I have to close it to about a foot for ventilation.

 

Unfortunately, even with that attempt to contain the fumes it still seams to permeate the air in the garage and sometimes I forget to shut the door leading into the house my wife yells "Are you painting again?!?!?!??!"

 

So I did a search to see what was available that was ready for use and came across this unique portable air brush station on eBay:

 

 

I've watched videos of people using this in their workshop and it seems to work for them.

 

My concern is that my work table is in the garage with no windows and the garage door is 20 feet away.

 

I also noticed how slow (to me)  the vacuum draw is from the fans of this paintbooth, and I want to contain the overspray as to not circulate in the garage area (especially not allowing the fumes to enter the house

 

I also did not want to speed over $100!

 

So, I looked at quite a few YouTube videos of home built table top airbrush paint booths and what caught my attention was a few people using plastic storage bins, which I thought had potential for my use.

 

I foraged through all my stuff in the garage and did some imagineering!

 

This is what I put together:

 

I started with a transparent 12 gallon folding lid storage bin as the booth, that way the light on top of my work table will penetrate the bin and allow me to see what I am painting.

 

I had a extra vacuum attachment that I mounted to the side of the bin.

 

I'm using a mini shop vac to draw the fumes into the vac which has a bag to contain any vapor and exit the exhaust port.

 

I made templates to mount the attachment, of course I had to cutout the side of the bin and ensure it had a tight seal - no vacuum leaks.

 

Here is the evacuation port from the inside:

 

Evacuation port from the outside:

 

Here is a view ready for use:

 

You can see the yellow paint filter mounted on the evacuation port:

 

After spraying a coat of paint I can close the lids so that any overspray will remain inside and evacuated:

 

Here is the vacuum hose attached:

 

Here is the 2.5 gallon/2HP shop vac connected:

 

After everything is done I can put the booth away.

 

Here is a view of how everything is packaged inside the storage bin and ready to put away:

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Ernie

 

 

 

 

 

[mreibman]

Brilliant.

If you had a long vacuum hose, you could vent the vacuum exhaust port out the garage door Justin case.

Where did you get the evacuation port?

[Bill from NH]

The airbrusher who goes by the name Barbatos Rex on YouTube has done a couple interesting videos on spray booths non-vented to the outside. It sounds like you're all set now & happy with your current setup. I once used plastic tubs like yours in the photos when I moved office locations.

[Bill Breck]

The airbrusher who goes by the name Barbatos Rex on YouTube has done a couple interesting videos on spray booths non-vented to the outside. It sounds like you're all set now & happy with your current setup. I once used plastic tubs like yours in the photos when I moved office locations.

 

Lots of great tips and product reviews on that YouTube channel. He has a nice video where he explains how to set up a sealed bucket as a collection trap for overspray.

[Alchemist]

I did come across some videos of people showing the vent tube going into a 5 gallon bucket filled with water and a lid with holes to vent the air pressure and a filter, which I presume is to prevent water blowby.

 

I found those videos informative and  interesting but I did not want to have so many items filling up my very small work space.

 

I would have felt like a pin ball in a pin ball machine!  LOL

 

"Brilliant.

If you had a long vacuum hose, you could vent the vacuum exhaust port out the garage door Justin case.

Where did you get the evacuation port?"

 

Mike R,

 

I purchased this small shop vac at Lowe's for $25 and it came with some attachments which this particular attachment was used for my exhaust port.

 

The plates for the exhaust port I fabricated out of Phenolic G10/FR4 sheet that I have lying around.

 

I didn't have enough green G10 sheet to make both plates as a sandwich, that is why the outside has a green plate, while the inside plate is black.

 

I really don't need to vent the exhaust out the garage door because the paint vapor is trapped within the shop vac bag and the air being evacuated has no paint fume smell.

 

Now, my wife cannot tell when I'm painting!  LOL

 

Thank goodness for that!

 

Thanks for asking.

 

Ernie

[Alchemist]

Hi Bill B,

 

Lots of great tips and product reviews on that YouTube channel. He has a nice video where he explains how to set up a sealed bucket as a collection trap for overspray.

 

I'm pleased to report that I do not have any overspray concerns with my setup.

 

It works exceptionally well and I'm happy that it DOES work!  LOL

 

When it's cold in the garage and I need to paint a body,  I have a small table top heater that I direct the heat towards the "booth" about 1 foot away.

 

Thus far it seems to work, providing a warm ambient booth temperature conducive for painting successfully.

 

Thanks.

 

Ernie

[Pablo]

I have one comment and one question:

 

-If you're NOT venting the hose to the outside of the house, you are merely collecting fumes and re-distributing them elsewhere.

 

-Is it safe to suck flammable paint through an electric powered device?

 

Me, I use a cardboard box for acrylics indoors during bad weather - no fumes - water cleanup.

Warm but windy weather I use a trash can with lacquer rattle cans in the garage, a la dc-65x.

Perfect warm days w/ low humidity and zero wind, rattle cans on my back porch deck.

 

If I had a totally vented enclosed dedicated spray booth indoors, I'd shoot bottled lacquers and enamels.

[Alchemist]

Hi Paul!

 

Good to hear from you!

 

I have one comment and one question:

 

-If you're NOT venting the hose to the outside of the house, you are merely collecting fumes and re-distributing them elsewhere.

 

-Is it safe to suck flammable paint through an electric powered device?

 

Good question and comment.

 

Pardon me please, but let us look into the basics of how a shop vac works. 

 

A shop vac, particularly a wet/dry shop vac, works by using a motor to create suction, pulling air and debris into the canister.  

 

This suction is generated as air is drawn through the hose, increasing its speed and creating a pressure difference. 

 

The debris is then separated from the air within the canister, and clean air is expelled through the exhaust port.

 

 

The concern of an electric motor being exposed to combustible vapors is rightfully valid.

 

Shop vacs typically draw air for motor ventilation through a dedicated port or vents, often separate from the main intake for suction.

 

These vents are designed to facilitate airflow and prevent the motor from overheating. 

 

As we all have experienced when vacuuming up dust and debris, the motor filter becomes clogged to the extent it will no longer have the ability to create vacuum - if you wait that long!

 

If you use a collection bag, which is installed inside the canister at the inlet port at the end of the vacuum hose, there is no longer a need to clean the motor inlet dust filter.

 

As an example, the motor isn't exposed to any dust/debris when you vacuum dust off your work area, and you have a collection bag in your shop vac.

 

The dust is drawn directly into the bag and is not circulated in the canister; the proof of this is the dust/air filter does not exhibit dust collection/clogging (No need to clean it).

 

I have tested this by spraying paint into the booth housing and evacuating the paint fumes with the vacuum hose.

 

The fumes do not pass through the motor housing at all because it is directed into the collection bag and ends there.

 

So, my shop vac is located below and away from my paint booth.

 

It isn't exposed to any ambient residual fumes that could be drawn into the motor housing thus causing concern.

 

I want to also share that I have encapsulated the paper collection bag with a plastic trash bag so that the collection of fumes is as hermetically sealed as it can be.

 

There isn't any traces of paint fumes to smell.

 

I really appreciate the input, Paul!

 

Thank you for your inquiry.

 

Ernie

[Mark Onofri]

I'm at a loss on how the plastic bag comes into play. Must be a mental block or something.

[Alchemist]

I'm at a loss on how the plastic bag comes into play. Must be a mental block or something.

 

You're not having a mental block Mark, I was overthinking the process.  LOL

 

I initially applied the plastic bag over the dust collection bag believing it might act as a secondary collector just in case, but realized it isn't necessary so I've removed it.

 

It works fine containing the fumes in the shop vac bag by itself.

 

Thanks for bringing that up!

 

Ernie

[Dave Crevie]

I have one comment and one question:
 
-If you're NOT venting the hose to the outside of the house, you are merely collecting fumes and re-distributing them elsewhere.
 
-Is it safe to suck flammable paint through an electric powered device?
 
Me, I use a cardboard box for acrylics indoors during bad weather - no fumes - water cleanup.
Warm but windy weather I use a trash can with lacquer rattle cans in the garage, a la dc-65x.
Perfect warm days w/ low humidity and zero wind, rattle cans on my back porch deck.
 
If I had a totally vented enclosed dedicated spray booth indoors, I'd shoot bottled lacquers and enamels.

I have a real life experience with this. When I was a teen, we were using mostly lacquer paints. There weren't any water borne paints back then. One of my buddies built a spray booth using an old canister vacuum to suck out the fumes. He was using it in his garage with me and another friend standing behind him, watching. He had a flash over, which burned him pretty good, and burned the other two of us a bit as well. The cardboard box caught fire, which I threw out on the driveway. So the best lessons you learn are the ones you experience first hand.

[Alchemist]

Hi Dave,

 

I appreciate you sharing your experience and letting us know of the hazards involved.

 

I would like to clarify that I am not attempting to persuade anyone to copy my paint booth, I just wanted to share my creativity of what has been working for me over the winter months with safety as the priority, always!

 

The way I paint my bodies is basically "point and squirt", and doesn't produce much overspray, but yes, solvent based spray paint will produce fumes that can be deadly and needs evacuation immediately.

 

I'm using up the remaining solvent based spray paint I still have and have since switched to water based acrylic airbrush paint.

 

I want to apologize to those that may have found my project "inappropriate" due to safety concerns but I merely wished to share the project.

 

My paint booth setup does work for me, and as I've mentioned have been using it through the winter months without any mishaps.

 

I'll sign off now but wish to share this video, as I am not the only one with a similar idea:

 

 

I appreciate everyone's input and grateful for the privilege to share my project!

 

Thank you.

 

Ernie

 

 

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

Ernie; Everything you have done is great stuff. The only thing that concerned me was the use of the electric motor (vacuum) so close to the spray booth. If you can move it, say, ten feet away from the booth, and do your spraying with at least two windows open, I'd feel a lot better. 

 

A filter over the evac. port should catch any airborne drops of paint which will add a bit more of a safety margin. 

 

I hate seeing people get hurt. In real car racing, the danger is ever present, and something we just accept. It shouldn't be in slot racing.

 

 

P.S. In the video she is capturing flammable fumes in a bucket with an ignition source sitting on top of it. 

[Alchemist]

Hi Dave,

 

I started to make an enclosure which drops over and  encapsulates the shop vac, and uses paint booth filters that are employed in actual automotive body shop paint booths.

 

I have not finished it yet, but my concern is that I cannot locate it in the garage?!

 

I hope my wife didn't throw it out!  LOL

 

A filter over the evac. port should catch any airborne drops of paint which will add a bit more of a safety margin.

 

The photo I posted of the inside of the booth shows the filter situated at the exhaust port; it's the square yellow filter inside the booth.

 

Now that I have had time to think about it,  I've decided to employ actual autobody paint booth exhaust filters for better particulate filtration.

 

The exhaust filters I've used in the paint booth over the many years of painting have a "tacky surface" on the intake side of the exhaust filter, which always did an excellent job of particulate entrapment.

 

 

Thank you for the concern and suggestions, it's appreciated, Dave!

 

Ernie

[Dave Crevie]

Hi Dave,

 

I started to make an enclosure which drops over and  encapsulates the shop vac, and uses paint booth filters that are employed in actual automotive body shop paint booths.

 

I have not finished it yet, but my concern is that I cannot locate it in the garage?!

 

 

The photo I posted of the inside of the booth shows the filter situated at the exhaust port; it's the square yellow filter inside the booth.

 

Now that I have had time to think about it,  I've decided to employ actual autobody paint booth exhaust filters for better particulate filtration.

 

The exhaust filters I've used in the paint booth over the many years of painting have a "tacky surface" on the intake side of the exhaust filter, which always did an excellent job of particulate entrapment.

 

Ernie

 

Can't wait to see what you come up with as an enclosure for the vac. Keep in mind you only need to isolate the vac  motor. Once you take the motor brushes out of the atmosphere, and any attending sparking, the chance of a flashover becomes unlikely.

 

Somehow I missed the filter on the exhaust port. Sorry for that. What you have is fine to remove the atomized paint mist. But keep in mind that there are few filters that will take out 100% of the volatile fumes. You still need to address any source of ignition.  

 

What you have done here shows a lot of ingenuity. You are using easily aquired and relatively cheap materials to build a unit that is useful for many niches of the hobby industry.  

[Mad Mark]

I sorta wanted to make a similar setup for indoors but only using water based just a box lined with a towel is good enough for me.

[Pablo]

A Bill from NH trick: buy a new compressor and use the cardboard box to build a paint booth 

[Bill from NH]

I'm using a box they ship oranges in.  But I still have my original Sears pancake compressor box for when or if I need something better.