Airbrush cabinet with dust collector blower

[AmishWarlord]

I'm thinking about making a cabinet for airbrushing using some panels with home air filters and a dust collector fan from Harbor Freight to blow the paint fumes outside though a 4" tube.

Has anyone tried this before?

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Where would this be located? If it's in your shop, you might have a problem w/ dust. The blower will be drawing air from the shop across your workpiece, and dust in the air will stick to your piece. The filters are "downwind" from the piece, so won't do much to stop dust from getting on the piece. Ideally, the filters should intercept dust BEFORE it get's to your piece. If you're blowing the fumes directly outside, do you really need to filter them first?

As for the location of the blower to exhaust the fumes, it's in the right place. :thumbs_up

HTH, Bill

 

[ehpoole]

I think the first question we need to answer is whether you will be airbrushing with water-based or oil-based pains? Both?

The minimum design requirements differ depending upon whether the fumes are combustible.

The poster will require downwind filters regardless of whether the makeup air is filtered in advance. The downwind filter's primary job is to provide a surface for overspray to adhere to so as to avoid gumming up the fan, ducting, etc.

For your blower, the fan motor should be external to the fan so as to not lie in the path of any residual airborn paint and/or fumes.

If you are using oil-based paints then the fan motor should ideally be of the (very expensive) explosion proof variety. At the very least it should be a TEFC (Totally Enclosed, Fan-Cooled)induction motor (remove motor's fan cover to verify it really is TEFC and not a TEFC look-alike motor -- there should be no openings whatsoever to the windings). It is important that the motor be external to the fan and outside of the exhaust air path. DO NOT use a universal motor under any circumstances with oil-based paints -- the brushes (and/or heat) will ignite the fumes if they reach LEL.

If you are using exclusively water-based paints then you atleast do not need to worry so much about flamability and explosions in your design, but you should still stick to a fan with an external motor. Even so, you should still avoid using a universal motor for this task, stick to an induction motor, preferably TEFC rather than open-frame.

 

[MT native]

Mitch,
EHPoole is correct. Whether your paints/chems be volatile or not will determine which type of paint booth you will need. If you are only going to be painting with acrylic (water-based) paints then start with a Google search for “homemade airbrush paint booth modeller”. Model makers, such as model railroaders and RC modellers, have loads of ideas on the internet. The one I plan to build is made with a used range hood. I bought one for $12 at Habitat For Humanity in Winston-Salem, just this very purpose, only two weeks ago.

If you need one for volatile chemicals such as lacquers, oil paints, etc check out the Google Video by Ed Walicki, AKA FishCarver.com “Building a Spray Paint Booth for Painting Fish Carvings”. He has built many versions of booths over the years and has found a design that works effectively and safely, that you can build yourself.

Hope this helps.
Jane

 

[AmishWarlord]

Thanks Jane!

Very good info. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3903621338367109945#

His video gave me lots to think about.