After many years I'm starting to look at building kits where filling would be needed, and that means the putties on the market. Question: how do people handle fumes & safety, especially those working in enclosed places like basements? It's winter in Wisconsin so going outside is out. I do have an outdoor venting spray station on the other end of the room (about 6' from the workspace), will running that while wearing a cartridge respirator be enough? I'm sure others are basement builders and have little to no outside airflow, are they alive or am I being overcautious? I thought about putting an vent over the workspace but that isn't practical at this point (maybe in the future). This question has kept me from building anything with resin after reading the warnings but I'd love to paint some resin figures or use aftermarket sets. I'm using small amounts of putty for seam filling if that matters. I don't doubt the safety warnings, just trying to figure out how others manage to use them practically. Thanks in advance.

About a year ago I moved my model bench into a 11' X 11' room, dedicated to modeling. Plenty of space and lighting. I built a 600 cfm, 36" X 22" downdraft spray booth, vented to the outside. Everything seemed fine. I had been using a corner of my office on the drafting table prior to this, in the same basement, but spraying paint out in the workshop, a separate building.

A couple weeks ago I was working with my grandson on a balsa wood bridge for the Science Olympiad, a school project. After a day long marathon build, using just balsa and CA glue, we both started coming down with a "cold". We recovered in two days. Then we did another day long build. This time it was worse. The boy recovered in about 3 days, but grandpa didn't. I required a visit to the doctor's office. Turns out, we both had an allergic reaction to the CA glue. Who knew. I've used the stuff for years with, I thought, no effect. Mostly in very small quantities though. The doctor said the vapors from it can react badly with the mucus membranes in your nose, throat and esophagus, even reaching the lungs. AND, the effects are cumulative and repeated exposure makes it more severe.

Living in Michigan, I have the same concerns about basement room ventilation, especially in winter when I can't even open the tiny basement window. The spray booth pulls a lot of air, but is kinda noisy and distracting. I'm looking into a bathroom ventilation fan. One with lo-sones so the noise level is very low. I'm not gonna take another chance. Proper ventilation is now a priority for me.

EJ

I don't spray, inside. However, after working at a mill and using their safety equipment, I find that the simple paper masks with basic filter work fine. I do work with various solvents, thinners and other chemicals in a 10"x8" office. No ventilation and I rarely even need the mask. The only thing I don't do, inside is spray. To help with putty dust, try Mr. Dissolved Putty. You should not need to sand it. For smaller gaps, white pva glue works great. And, again, no sanding required. I use lacquer thinner for a variety of purposes. I do wear a mask, if the exposure time is more than a few minutes. As far as the spray booth goes, it depends on what type of paint you are spraying. Solvent based paints would likely require a mask. The one you are talking about should be more than capable of preventing any detrimentary effects. The spray station should filter most of the atoms. An accessory to consider would be to set up a box fan, so that it blows the paint fumes away from your bench. It all depends on your safety standards.

Since you're asking specifically about putty and fumes, I'll put this out there as a fellow Upper Midwesterner (Minnesota) modeler. I use Mr Surfacer 500 for my seam filling needs. It works well, and I can apply it with a small brush or toothpick. I have a 20' x 15' section of our basement to work in, so fumes are rarely a problem; however I fixed up a small window opposite from my work bench with a small actuator and remote control to open without having to get up from the bench. It's close enough to draw the fumes out but far enough so I don't cool off much, even on a night like tonight at 8°F.

For inhalation protection I use a standard 3M filtered paper mask and also standard DeWalt eye protection (for resin dust) when I'm cleaning up resin figures, etc. I should also note that I only work in acrylics (spray and paint) and oils for my models. For my custom airsoft gun painting that requires enamels and heavier duty paints (Krylon, Rust O Leum, etc), I only do that between April and October outside. Most of the time I have to use MEK and other strong stuff that the rest of the family would rather NOT breathe in.

Again, just my 2C.

Thanks for the replies. I may have found something, I'm waiting for a quote. It would supplement the airbooth (artogragph/testors/micromark model) and it looks small enough to fit in my room.

http://www.sentryair.com/200-SKY-sky-sentry.htm

They also make a desk and floor model.

Very interesting. Will be looking in to this further. Thanks for posting.

EJ

Just an update: I didn't hear back from that mfg but poking around on the net gave me similar models, each with a $1,000+ price tag. I did see some blower types (to vent outside) and they make rigid hose arms. I also came across nail salon versions that are stand alone like the one I was looking at, with a hose that comes up from the unit to where your workspace; those came in around $680. Pretty pricey but about 1/2 the price of the other model. I'm tempted enough to pick one up and test it. It uses a pre-filter (HEPA type) and then activated charcoal for the fumes. The details say it's made for nail & hair solvents and fumes which I'm guessing is going to be close to what we deal with.