Airbrushing - Can it be done without venting to the outside?

[Bernard Kron]

I just spent the past few weeks finally cleaning up my work room where I build my models. The entire floor was covered with boxes of kits from my last few projects and I could barely get around. Now that it's all cleaned up and ship-shape, it's time to think about setting up an airbrushing area. I have wanted to airbrush for many years. I'm convinced it will permit me to dramatically improve my overall paint quality, improve accuracy and control, and allow paint techniques impossible with rattle cans. I was even given a couple of airbrushes and went so far as to buy a compressor. But I never got to it because there is no obvious place in our home to do it. Finally, with this clean-up I had a window exposed through which I could vent the spray. But it turns out it may be permanently painted shut! I've noticed that airbrushing has very little overspray. Is it possible to spray without venting to the outdoors? Are the spray booths that come with filters adequate for this purpose?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanx,
B.

[Art Anderson]

I just spent the past few weeks finally cleaning up my work room where I build my models. The entire floor was covered with boxes of kits from my last few projects and I could barely get around. Now that it's all cleaned up and ship-shape, it's time to think about setting up an airbrushing area. I have wanted to airbrush for many years. I'm convinced it will permit me to dramatically improve my overall paint quality, improve accuracy and control, and allow paint techniques impossible with rattle cans. I was even given a couple of airbrushes and went so far as to buy a compressor. But I never got to it because there is no obvious place in our home to do it. Finally, with this clean-up I had a window exposed through which I could vent the spray. But it turns out it may be permanently painted shut! I've noticed that airbrushing has very little overspray. Is it possible to spray without venting to the outdoors? Are the spray booths that come with filters adequate for this purpose?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanx,
B.

Bernard, the short answer is, "Yes, you can airbrush indoors without any venting to the outdoors."   However, you will have the odor of paint, and you WILL  have overspray because that is inevitable, unavoidable when spraying paint, no matter if it's a spray can or an airbrush.  Airbrush overspray is much finer than the heavier droplets of paint that come out of the nozzle of a rattle-can, and  in my experience, far less of it as well--given the much smaller quantities of paint used in airbrushing.  BUT, it will travel in the air in your home, and certainly a lot of it will land on horizontal surfaces in the room or area you build models in.

Art

[StevenGuthmiller]

Bernard, the short answer is, "Yes, you can airbrush indoors without any venting to the outdoors."   However, you will have the odor of paint, and you WILL  have overspray because that is inevitable, unavoidable when spraying paint, no matter if it's a spray can or an airbrush.  Airbrush overspray is much finer than the heavier droplets of paint that come out of the nozzle of a rattle-can, and  in my experience, far less of it as well--given the much smaller quantities of paint used in airbrushing.  BUT, it will travel in the air in your home, and certainly a lot of it will land on horizontal surfaces in the room or area you build models in.

Art

I concur with Art.

I airbrush in a separate room in my basement without venting.

It produces much less overspray, dust & fumes than a rattle can will, but it will still produce them.

 

Steve

[Snake45]

I can't recommend that YOU do it, but...I do it and have for decades.

I DON'T paint when I'm running the clothes dryer, though, or if I WILL be running it later that day. That heating element scares me a little.

[bobthehobbyguy]

You can do it as long as you aren't going to be painting for hours. Another option is water based paints which don't have the same issues.

[High octane]

Yes it can be done but not recommended, and be sure to wear your respirator while painting.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The primary question, in MY mind, is how sensitive are you to the fumes of the solvents, and how much do you care about your lungs and health in general?

Granted airbrushing produces less overspray and noxious stuff in the air, but it still produces SOME, and it's too much for me to want it inside my living area (even though I'm exposed to similar stuff on a daily basis, I try to avoid inhaling ANYTHING toxic these days...if reasonably possible).

Even "water-based" paints produce some fine particulate or atomized matter, and I'm just entirely over the idea of using my lungs as an air filter.

[peteski]

I have sprayed aerosol paint and airbrushed without using a spray booth with exhaust fan, but I always had open windows for some cross ventilation.

An option would be to paint your models outdoors. Many modelers do just that.

I also think that a window that is painted shut should not be an excuse not to ventilate your workshop (even if you don't install a spray booth).  You should be able to get the window unstuck and then at least put a fan in it to move the air in the room.  I have opened stuck windows and in my experience the paint sealing the window is neat the surface and can be broken by wedging an putty knife in where the gap between the window and the casing should be.  Do this repeatedly and eventually you'll be able to open the window.

[1930fordpickup]

Some people vent the air from the paint booth through a bucket full of charcoal before releasing it back in the room. Not sure how safe or good this works but it has to be better than nothing for the smell. 

 

[Psychographic]

Of course it can be done, but as said already, how sensitive to solvents are the occupants of the house?  Other than urethanes and epoxies, an airbrush is less harmful than a spraycan. I'm sure no one is buying a little spray booth to paint a lawn mower part or something similar when using a spraycan.