Hello guys, I recently took up scale modelling again & have bought my 1st airbrush, now I am thinking if I need a spray booth or not. You see I will be using Acryllic paint & am I right in thinking acryllic paint to NOT be toxic, basically what I want to know Is, will I be able to use my airbrush in my spare room & just have a window open. You see my other hobby Is photography & I have found a smallish cube photography studio which I used to photograph small objects, the size is 3 foot square & made of nylon which I would re-inforce to make it sturdy. I have added a link to show what it looks like, although you may have to copy & paste it into your address bar. (see below).

http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Studio-Photography/Hama/Hama-Mini-Photo-Studio-Flap-Fix-XL

Its very similar to the one in the picture from the link. I cannot afford to buy a spray booth & am not DIY minded, failing that theres always the shed, but thats limiting to the warmer months.

Thanks In advance

Sean.

You want to avoid breathing the "dust" that airbrushing generates in any case. Though not "toxic" as such some of the pigments used can still have some negative health issues when encountered in quantity over long periods of time. The same is true for any type of dust.
Don't get me wrong, for the better part any risk would be classed as very low but you can avoid them altogether by wearing a good quality respirator with filters meant for the kind of paint you are spraying or disposable face masks also rated for acrylic paint . These can be had very inexpensively and I highly recommend using one or the other when painting.

OK, that said you really do not "need" a spray booth if you are not painting more than once or twice a month. A room with good ventilation will do nicely. You may want to get a fan that fits your window and place it so that it is drawing air out of your room while spraying.

The biggest advantage of a booth when spraying acrylics, in my opinion, is that it reduces air born dust which will otherwise settle on everything in the room and cleaning it up can be a real pain in the butt. But this turns into a real problem only if you spray a lot.

Mark

Hi Sean,
I have shot acrylics at 5 - 15 PSI for decades without a spray booth. In fact I do all my work in a corner of the master bedroom and the wife rarely smells a thing. I built myself an L shaped backstop from foamcore and that was sufficient for years. As long as you're not blowing up big clouds of overspray you'll be fine. However, I just bought this booth and it's much better - http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=HSE420

hi guys, thanks for your replies. With regards to your reply Matt & the spray booth you have, well thats the exact same one I am looking at. I can get it for £79 with free delivery as well. I am wanting to do my airbrushing in my bedroom as this is the only place I can airbrush, there is the outhouse but with no electricity or heating It dont seem like a good place to be, so all in all the spray booth should be ok to use in my bedroom, I have a respirator with the filters etc. Having read my post, do you think I will be ok airbrushing in my bedroom using the spray booth?

Regards & happy spraying, new year to everyone for 2010

Sean.

sean,you should be fine with that booth,it seems pretty good,i'm also looking at getting 1 or 2(cos they fit together)as i'm spraying in my garage/workroom at the moment and its cold!....so i've not done any spraying recently and have several bits and pieces backed up.

paul

hi Paul, do you think I would be ok spraying in the bedroom if its near the window, i dont fancy the outhouse, as I said its got no heating or electricity & only one window, so its not ideal..

Regards.
sean.

yeah it sould be fine next to the window.

paul

Hi Sean,
Here's my review of this paint booth - https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/4680.
And the answer is yes, you will be able to shoot acrylics in your bedroom without a mask using this paintbooth. I do all the time!
The booth is also compact enough to put on a windowsill and close the window down on top of the booth, venting everything directly outside.
But with acrylics, you don't even need a window open.

I paint in doors as well, in a spare room off of the master bed room. The only thing I do is to place a 20 inch box fan(about 10 or 15 dollars at Wal mart) with a cheap 20 inch filter that you use in the heating/ac units in you house taped to the side the air is drawn through. That way, even when I use rattle can paint, all the particles are caught in the filter which is good for the environment and also if the filter catches all the dust, then it dosent get in the fan motor and lengthens the lifespan of the fan.

I think you're crazy if you don't use a spray booth and spray mask with any paint with ventilation.