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From: Tim Wescott on 11 Nov 2009 12:00
(splatting this across multiple groups in hopes of finding someone who
knows)

The Problem:

I want to set up a small paint booth for painting model airplanes. I'm
cheap, so I want to start collecting equipment for it bit by bit as it
comes up for sale on Craigslist &c.

This will be for model airplanes, so the actual spraying will be far more
intermittent than for (say) a car -- in fact, the worst-case painting job
would be if a fender from a car project accidentally found it's way into
the booth along with some primer (I dunno how _that_ would happen :-).

I used to work at a shop with a paint booth, so I know all the
procedures. But I was just a peon, and it was a long time ago, so what I
_don't_ know are things like what capacity compressor do I need, do I
really need an HVLP gun, what sort of exhaust fan is recommended, etc.

Currently I'm only planning on using airplane dope, which is basically
butyrate lacquer that's formulated to stay flexible so it won't crack
when it's painted on fabric. I may eventually branch out to multi-part
paints, but I doubt it -- I really like dope finishes, and I don't like
the amount of hassle necessary to dodge toxicity with the fancier stuff.

I'm thinking that I want to get an automotive touch-up gun (a regular-
size automotive gun is way bigger than necessary). But what capacity
compressor? It's looking more and more like I need something
significantly bigger than what you get to go with an air nailer -- is
this correct? Do I want to look for anything special (beyond explosion
proof) in an exhaust fan (I have a room in mind, and am planning on just
poking a hole in the wall for the fan)?

Thanks.

--
www.wescottdesign.com
From: Ecnerwal on 11 Nov 2009 12:19
In article <SbidnUNjTcIDcGfXnZ2dnUVZ_jFi4p2d(a)web-ster.com>,
Tim Wescott <tim(a)seemywebsite.com> wrote:

> I want to set up a small paint booth for painting model airplanes. I'm
> cheap, so I want to start collecting equipment for it bit by bit as it
> comes up for sale on Craigslist &c.

Depending on the size of your models, would an airbrush make more sense?

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
From: Ed Huntress on 11 Nov 2009 12:40

"Tim Wescott" <tim(a)seemywebsite.com> wrote in message
news:SbidnUNjTcIDcGfXnZ2dnUVZ_jFi4p2d(a)web-ster.com...
> (splatting this across multiple groups in hopes of finding someone who
> knows)
>
> The Problem:
>
> I want to set up a small paint booth for painting model airplanes. I'm
> cheap, so I want to start collecting equipment for it bit by bit as it
> comes up for sale on Craigslist &c.
>
> This will be for model airplanes, so the actual spraying will be far more
> intermittent than for (say) a car -- in fact, the worst-case painting job
> would be if a fender from a car project accidentally found it's way into
> the booth along with some primer (I dunno how _that_ would happen :-).
>
> I used to work at a shop with a paint booth, so I know all the
> procedures. But I was just a peon, and it was a long time ago, so what I
> _don't_ know are things like what capacity compressor do I need, do I
> really need an HVLP gun, what sort of exhaust fan is recommended, etc.
>
> Currently I'm only planning on using airplane dope, which is basically
> butyrate lacquer that's formulated to stay flexible so it won't crack
> when it's painted on fabric. I may eventually branch out to multi-part
> paints, but I doubt it -- I really like dope finishes, and I don't like
> the amount of hassle necessary to dodge toxicity with the fancier stuff.
>
> I'm thinking that I want to get an automotive touch-up gun (a regular-
> size automotive gun is way bigger than necessary). But what capacity
> compressor? It's looking more and more like I need something
> significantly bigger than what you get to go with an air nailer -- is
> this correct? Do I want to look for anything special (beyond explosion
> proof) in an exhaust fan (I have a room in mind, and am planning on just
> poking a hole in the wall for the fan)?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> www.wescottdesign.com

Experts probably have a better solution, but here's what I used for
painting...um...maybe 30 Pinewood Derby racers.

My spray rigs were two airbrushes -- a cheap Badger "spray can" for laying
on primers, and a double-action Badger airbrush for finishes. I sprayed
inside of a cardboard box about 2 feet on a side, with big windows made of
Saran wrap taped to the sides. These were for shining a couple of desk lamps
into the box, and for viewing the inside. I used Saran wrap because the
paint makes a mess of them pretty quickly. Keep the roll of Saran and the
masking tape handy to replace them.

I sprayed the inside of the box with two coats of lacquer to settle the
dust. Then I took an old hair dryer, the kind with a separate hose, and
stuck the hose through a hole in the box to keep a positive pressure inside
the box. I taped an air-conditioner filter over the hair dryer's intake.

Cut two holes in the box for your hands, and tape two oversize rubber gloves
to the holes. I used some orange ones I got from Home Depot, extra-large so
I could get my hands into them.

I was going for cheap and effective, rather than efficient. <g> It worked
great; I completely eliminated dust motes in the paint, although you have to
run it a few times to work the dust out of the dryer, etc. I still use it
from time to time. It's gotten as stiff as plywood from all the paint. I've
had to replace the rubber gloves when they got too stiff.

You wind up with some paint spray leaking out with this setup, so I lay out
a lot of newspaper around it. But if you just let in enough air from the
blower to barely keep the pressure positive, it won't blow around too badly.

Oh, regarding going cheap -- I use a spare tire with the Badger "Propel"
valve for painting indoors. I fill the tire periodically with my portable
compressor. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.

--
Ed Huntress


From: A.T. on 11 Nov 2009 14:23
Make your own compressor and set up paint booth as described above
: refer sub section:
Airbrush tips and techniques etc

which includes amongst other items:

Airbrush Pressure - How much is required
Airbrush talk, art, painting, illustration, auto graphics, crafts
Airbrushing Tips - Golden.
Buying and Using an Airbrush
Compressor for airbrush - How to DIY ex fridge #1
Compressor for airbrush - How to DIY ex fridge #2
Compressor for airbrush - How to DIY ex fridge #3
at Alan's Hobby, Model & RC FAQ Web Links
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~atong/

regards
Alan T.


"Ed Huntress" <huntres23(a)optonline.net> wrote in message
news:4afaf718$0$31284$607ed4bc(a)cv.net...
>
> "Tim Wescott" <tim(a)seemywebsite.com> wrote in message
> news:SbidnUNjTcIDcGfXnZ2dnUVZ_jFi4p2d(a)web-ster.com...
>> (splatting this across multiple groups in hopes of finding someone who
>> knows)
>>
>> The Problem:
>>
>> I want to set up a small paint booth for painting model airplanes. I'm
>> cheap, so I want to start collecting equipment for it bit by bit as it
>> comes up for sale on Craigslist &c.
>>
>> This will be for model airplanes, so the actual spraying will be far more
>> intermittent than for (say) a car -- in fact, the worst-case painting job
>> would be if a fender from a car project accidentally found it's way into
>> the booth along with some primer (I dunno how _that_ would happen :-).
>>
>> I used to work at a shop with a paint booth, so I know all the
>> procedures. But I was just a peon, and it was a long time ago, so what I
>> _don't_ know are things like what capacity compressor do I need, do I
>> really need an HVLP gun, what sort of exhaust fan is recommended, etc.
>>
>> Currently I'm only planning on using airplane dope, which is basically
>> butyrate lacquer that's formulated to stay flexible so it won't crack
>> when it's painted on fabric. I may eventually branch out to multi-part
>> paints, but I doubt it -- I really like dope finishes, and I don't like
>> the amount of hassle necessary to dodge toxicity with the fancier stuff.
>>
>> I'm thinking that I want to get an automotive touch-up gun (a regular-
>> size automotive gun is way bigger than necessary). But what capacity
>> compressor? It's looking more and more like I need something
>> significantly bigger than what you get to go with an air nailer -- is
>> this correct? Do I want to look for anything special (beyond explosion
>> proof) in an exhaust fan (I have a room in mind, and am planning on just
>> poking a hole in the wall for the fan)?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> --
>> www.wescottdesign.com
>
> Experts probably have a better solution, but here's what I used for
> painting...um...maybe 30 Pinewood Derby racers.
>
> My spray rigs were two airbrushes -- a cheap Badger "spray can" for laying
> on primers, and a double-action Badger airbrush for finishes. I sprayed
> inside of a cardboard box about 2 feet on a side, with big windows made of
> Saran wrap taped to the sides. These were for shining a couple of desk
> lamps into the box, and for viewing the inside. I used Saran wrap because
> the paint makes a mess of them pretty quickly. Keep the roll of Saran and
> the masking tape handy to replace them.
>
> I sprayed the inside of the box with two coats of lacquer to settle the
> dust. Then I took an old hair dryer, the kind with a separate hose, and
> stuck the hose through a hole in the box to keep a positive pressure
> inside the box. I taped an air-conditioner filter over the hair dryer's
> intake.
>
> Cut two holes in the box for your hands, and tape two oversize rubber
> gloves to the holes. I used some orange ones I got from Home Depot,
> extra-large so I could get my hands into them.
>
> I was going for cheap and effective, rather than efficient. <g> It worked
> great; I completely eliminated dust motes in the paint, although you have
> to run it a few times to work the dust out of the dryer, etc. I still use
> it from time to time. It's gotten as stiff as plywood from all the paint.
> I've had to replace the rubber gloves when they got too stiff.
>
> You wind up with some paint spray leaking out with this setup, so I lay
> out a lot of newspaper around it. But if you just let in enough air from
> the blower to barely keep the pressure positive, it won't blow around too
> badly.
>
> Oh, regarding going cheap -- I use a spare tire with the Badger "Propel"
> valve for painting indoors. I fill the tire periodically with my portable
> compressor. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.
>
> --
> Ed Huntress
>


From: Tim Wescott on 11 Nov 2009 14:28
On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:19:24 -0500, Ecnerwal wrote:

> In article <SbidnUNjTcIDcGfXnZ2dnUVZ_jFi4p2d(a)web-ster.com>,
> Tim Wescott <tim(a)seemywebsite.com> wrote:
>
>> I want to set up a small paint booth for painting model airplanes. I'm
>> cheap, so I want to start collecting equipment for it bit by bit as it
>> comes up for sale on Craigslist &c.
>
> Depending on the size of your models, would an airbrush make more sense?

Too small. Didn't make that clear -- think 30 to 80 inch wingspan.

--
www.wescottdesign.com
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