Spraying in the cold

[Suttobs]

Hi all,
I recently got all my models back, (they had been in storage while I was job-hoppimg) and I'd like to get them finished. My issue is I'm in pretty cold area (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) and I'm at a loss for how to prime my mini's during the winter. I know outside won't do as the colds too much for the spray primer, and I'm unsure of spraying in the basement and making the house full of fumes. I plan on asking my FLGS if they have an area, but are their any other suggestion?

Thnaks in advance.

[DaveLL]

Hi all,
I recently got all my models back, (they had been in storage while I was job-hoppimg) and I'd like to get them finished. My issue is I'm in pretty cold area (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) and I'm at a loss for how to prime my mini's during the winter. I know outside won't do as the colds too much for the spray primer, and I'm unsure of spraying in the basement and making the house full of fumes. I plan on asking my FLGS if they have an area, but are their any other suggestion?

Thnaks in advance.

If you've got a bathroom with an exhaust fan that actually expels the air into the outside (fairly standard in lots of places, though it'd be a good idea to check), and you wouldn't mind that bathroom being off-limits for about a day, you could do it in there with the door closed and the exhaust fan on. You'd need to do it in fairly small batches, and of course have a way of not getting primer on bathroom fixtures, but I've done this before.

[Silver Drakes Legion]

set up a box so you can control where the spray goes. Light a candle fairly close by until the primer is dry. It reduces most of the smell and fumes.

[Duke]

I know this is a simple question, but do you have a garage?

Duke

[Lane]

Build a spray booth with an exhaust fan. Connect the exhaust to a duct that vents out a window.

the booth can be as simple as a cardboard box with a hole cut in the top or back. Place a home vent filter over the hole from the inside. Mount a muffin fan or two on the outside of the hole to draw air thru the filter. get some flex vent hose for a clothes dryer, connect one end to a box that fits over the fans, the other to a board that fits in a window. This should draw the paint fumes out of the booth and direct them outside, of course you would have to open the window to put the exhaust duct in.

I OTOH have the opposite problem most of the year, hot and humid.

[Suttobs]

Dave: Not really doable, besides my wife has threatened to do... bad things if I get paint fumes all over the house. If I had a second bath it might work.

Duke: No garage. Just an unfinished basement.

Lane/Silver Drakes: I'm assuming you are both talking about something like a chemical hood, right? I know I have enough cardboard boxes sitting around to control the actual paint, it's venting it outside I'm worried about. What would work best? A Range hood? Bath fan? Anybody got a tutorial/website where they have done something similar?

Lane: I feel your pain. Before this I was in Houston, TX. Humidity is horrible for sprays. I've had everything from dusty, to flaky, to perfect.

Thanks again

[weeble1000]

I dug up a tutorial somewhere about how to build an indoor spray booth. It was fairly detailed and excellent. I can't find it in my bookmarks on the comp I'm using now, but I'll dig it up on my office computer and post it later today.

[Denzark]

I work for, shall we say, an arm of the government. I live away during the week, but my accomodation is absolutely rammed with fire alarms etc, obviously built by the cheapest bidder - as such they go off at the drop of a hat, particularly from aerosols.

So, how did I spray prime?

Half a packing box, (so the paint didn't go on the furniture) at 90 degrees to a massively open window.

Job jobbed.

Other consideration is to grow a pair, give the wife the hairy side of the hand (it helps if you drink stella artois) and remind her who is boss, before you crack on and spray where you please...:D

[Tynskel]

Build a spray booth with an exhaust fan. Connect the exhaust to a duct that vents out a window.

the booth can be as simple as a cardboard box with a hole cut in the top or back. Place a home vent filter over the hole from the inside. Mount a muffin fan or two on the outside of the hole to draw air thru the filter. get some flex vent hose for a clothes dryer, connect one end to a box that fits over the fans, the other to a board that fits in a window. This should draw the paint fumes out of the booth and direct them outside, of course you would have to open the window to put the exhaust duct in.

I OTOH have the opposite problem most of the year, hot and humid.

Spray booths are awesome. Easy to make, and immensely improve your precision in spraying. If you have a shopvac, that'll work really well.

[Suttobs]

I was googling earlier and found a lot of plans. Main problem is most are massive (like 6'x6'x8', or something equally ridiculous, or incredibly small. I found two that I like, and I think I'm going to make one from 2x4's and kitchen range hood. Should be cheap and easy to rig up.

[Tynskel]

all ya need is a box that is roughly 'chair' sized, a air conditioning filter, box tape, and a vacuum of some sort. I wish I had pictures of my old spray booth. I don't have it, because I moved. :( But, they are easy to make.

[weeble1000]

Here's the spray booth tutorial. I haven't made one of these yet, so I don't know how well it works, but I like the tutorial and the fact that this design includes a filter so it wouldn't have to vent to the exterior of your house.

http://starshipmodeler.com/tech/pa_booth.htm

[Suttobs]

Weeble: Thank you so much. I was looking at a hardware store today, planning and pricing, and that setup will come much cheaper and easier. I really apreciate it.

[Brass Scorpion]

Addressing some of the previous suggestions:
- Spraying indoors will inevitably leave particulate buildup no matter how careful you are. The smell and possible health issues resultant from that will be regrettable. If this is a very light amount, occasional thing, maybe. If you need to do a lot of spraying indoors is not usually good as residue builds up over time.
- Spray booths are good for air brushing with acrylics, but the solvent based fumes issues from spray cans are another matter entirely. Again, I would not do this indoors in any living space in your home in large amounts. Garages can work well, but not in the habitable areas of the home.
- Do not have a candle or other open flame around as one person suggested. Take the flammable warning on the spray cans seriously, very seriously.

[Duke]

Sounds like a good tutorial if vie ever heard one. Take pics and post them up for us while your working on it.

Duke