Paint fumes

[ttdriver]

Hi Guys,

I have just been reading through the paint booth thread and it has go me thinking. I am just getting back into this hobby and never really thought about paint fumes etc.

I will be airbrushing with a compressor and plan to use acrylics as often as possible. There will be times tough when I will need to use enamel and other types of paint in the Airbrush.

My question is what precautions do I need to / should take?

I was assuming that a lot of the problems with paint fumes were down to the fact that a lot of modelers use aerosol cans and not airbrushes, is this the case?

Dave

[Billy Kingsley]

Dave, paint fumes are a major problem...My mom has asthma so I have to be especially careful. I ALWAYS work with the window open, to keep the air circulation going. Therefor, I can't work in the winter, the middle of summer (I Need my A/C!) or, if it's raining out and the rain is coming in. I also can't use Duplicolor or other genuine automotive paints, because they bother her.

I Also ALWAYS have a fan on...I have a fan on myself in the middle of winter, but even if it's not aiming at me I always have it on when I am building...It keeps the fumes moving, and it keeps them going out the window. Sometimes I will forget to turn it on or get cold and turn it off and the smell of the stuff can get to you.

I spray the bodys outside, but all the rest is done in the tried and true brush painting (engines, chassis, interiors), though I have moved some of that outside to be spray painted.

My advise: Leave the window open and use a fan!

Hope that helps, if just a little.

[MrObsessive]

Dave, do yourself a big favor and buy a dual chamber respirator! Especially if you plan on painting in the house or in a somewhat confined area outside with little breeze. It'll well be worth it in the long run!

I paint with a spray booth, and even with the fan sucking out the paint overspray and fumes I still wear a respirator.

Trust me-------the extra cost will be worth it!

[Modelmartin]

I second the motion of spray booth and respirator. The booth can be as simple as a cardboard or a home-made plywood box with cheap bathroom fan attached to it with a flex hose leading out the window. It's good for your health and controls dust in the house and ....and.... and..... you get better paint jobs in a spray booth with the overspray being controlled.

[ttdriver]

Thanks for the replies guys. I was a bit ignorant prior to reading the forum. I always thought that if a paint came out of a can it was best to work in an open environment and with a respirator if possible but never thought the same was true if spraying indoors with an airbrush.

I am going to have a look at a paint booth but in the meantime I will get a respirator and stick to painting in my open garage.

Dave

[MonoPed]

Another vote for the respirator - one of the best tools I've bought for modelling. I do my spraying in the garage, with the door open, but still use the respirator for all spraying, even airbrushing acrylics and while cleaning the airbrush. Painting can be fun, but ya gotta take care of your lungs...

[cruz]

RESPIRATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buy it anyway