peekay Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) My models attract dust etc when I'm spray painting them. It looks like this is caused by a static charge which I assume builds up while sanding the parts. Any ideas about how to prevent this happening - or how to release the charge? Edited July 15, 2015 by peekay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf15 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 If you are painting on a concrete floor , wet the floor down before you spray . Plastic walls , booths , etc , already have an electro static charge built in . The slightest movement resets it . Carpeted floors are also a big no no in a spray area . Move your work table away from your painting area also ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillyb1 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 It would be nice to know how to do this. Discharge the static from a body, that is. Is there any easy or certain solution to the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I found a tip here on the forum that works for me. It's a tip that pinstripers use. Mix 1 part alcohol to 4 parts distilled water in a spray bottle and spray the parts with it. Blow dry with compressed air or a hair dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_G Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Running water will drain off a static charge, or you could use a Zero-stat gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 just about any time you rub/scrape two surfaces together, at least one of them will develop a static charge if the materials are not plain glass or ceramic (I'm sure there is a big list but I'm not going to list it here). plastic items are the worst, the human body can carry a static charge of 40K volts and not even know it till you discharge onto a grounded object and you feel that SNAP. car painters tricks work for models...wet down your work area if you can, I see my painter buddy wet down the spray booth as prep before painting many times. don't wear anything polyester when prepping to paint or cleaning. don't work near an AC vent or fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my80malibu Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Ground strap from your paint surface to a grounding rod, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Rick Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Walmart - Anti-static / Tack cloth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks very much to all of you for the helpful tips. I just thought I'd add a coupla pics of my paint booth, which I built under a staircase. The door is sealed when shut and there are fine screens in it to filter incoming air. Ventilation from 4 small fans seems to work well. I lined the walls with a plastic-ish floor covering - perhaps that was a mistake. About wetting the walls and floor - would this not create humidity problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 actually, a little humidity cuts down on static charges but it's not good for porous materials like unsealed wood and drywall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks Mike C. I will definitely try the wetting idea but I can't try out any of the suggestions at the moment -"it's too darned hot"! Here's an idea: if I place an object with a very strong static charge in the cabin, but away from the line of fire, would this divert airborne dust away from the model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTallDad Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Take a used softener sheet (clothes-drying type) and lightly wipe the body down. Dryer sheets help prevent that "dreaded static cling" you see on TV ads. I stress used; a fresh sheet may leave a residue behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Take a used softener sheet (clothes-drying type) and lightly wipe the body down. Dryer sheets help prevent that "dreaded static cling" you see on TV ads. I stress used; a fresh sheet may leave a residue behind. Now THAT sounds like good advice. Good thinking Ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10thumbs Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I used to have big problems with really hardcore small dust particles in paint. The only thing I do now is wet the sanded surface with a thick soft brush using a distilled water / alcohol solution, 1 part alcohol, 9 parts clean water. Dry it off with compressed air. No more problems! I have a sandblaster in the room, an open door with sometimes windy conditions coming in (I live on a hill with a big view), there's metal dust in the air, so on and so forth. No more problems! Guaranteed. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Ray, I don't really know what a softener sheet is but I'll check it out. Michael, I'm intrigued by this idea and will certainly give it a go. Any idea WHY it works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillyb1 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Take a used softener sheet (clothes-drying type) and lightly wipe the body down. Dryer sheets help prevent that "dreaded static cling" you see on TV ads. I stress used; a fresh sheet may leave a residue behind. Now I feel like an idiot. I'd forgotten that I'd seen this advice from you before and even took a bunch of used dryer sheets upstairs to the model zone to use in this capacity. Then I found myself asking, "Why did I bring up all these used dryer sheets?" Mystery solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10thumbs Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Hi Peter, The surface is positive charged after manipulation, or depending on the environment, positive charged from just sitting around. This simple solution neutralizes the object, so nothing ( I mean no junk!) gets on the surface except paint. This works. It's easy and cheap and foolproof. Do it just prior to painting. Your paint dust problems disappear. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thanks again people for your time and input. As soon as it cools down a bit here I'll have another crack at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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