Little airbrushing question

[Zophos]

Hello everyone,

I've been reading the forums for a while and recently decided to get an airbrush. Yesterday i tried it for the first time and everything went perfect except for one thing. When i woke up this morning i had a headache.

I believe this happened because i didn't wear a mask. Can you guys reccomend me a certain type of mask. My second question is if it's possible to get permanent damage from aibrushing acrylics.

Thanks in advance!

[Mooneyzs]

Ivan.... I would Highly recommend getting a respirator from an auto body paint and supply store. Do not use the respirators you can get at home depot or lowes They aren't rated for the same thing. I paid about 30 bucks for the one I have. I will take a pic of the package and respirator that I have. I will also get the part number for you and am sure you can find it on ebay.

[Swamp Dog]

man i been spraying paint for 50 years with no mask on and i highly recmend that you get one..my mind is what it used to be lol...

[Zophos]

As far as i can tell, the mask is a must, but is it possible for the headache to stay more than one day and can you get any permanent damage?

[Chillyb1]

I'm not a doctor (well, not the medical kind), but I have found that airbrushing Tamiya acrylics using their thinner is just about the safest thing available to modelers. I also use lacquer thinner, but I do so in a well ventilated painting space with a fan going.

If you are prone to headaches or have some sort of reaction to common modeling painting supplies, then anything is possible. I have never gotten a headache or had any reaction from airbrushing with lacquers, enamels, or acrylics.

[Dave Ambrose]

You may be having a reaction from the toluene in the solvent. You're not likely to get permanent damage from a single exposure.

You totally want to use a cartridge respirator. Get a couple of spare cartridges when you do. They seem to change the cartridge design, probably to induce you to buy a new respirator instead of new cartridges. You want the organic vapor cartridges. There are some with a plastic piece that go atop your head. Those are a lot more comfortable than the ones that use a single strap. Make sure it fits well to your face. You should not be able to take a breath when your hands are sealing the cartridge intakes.