fatfingers Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Top view: Front view: Backside: I'll be adding a chunk of furnace filter over the interior exhaust fan hole, adding a third light to the top, wiring everything real tight, adding shelves to the sides, etc, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjbass Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Looks good, how many cfm is your blower? Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Not sure, rj. Tigger gave me the blower assembly. Its a Dayton, but it doesn't list the CFM on the identification plate. Tigger explained that you added a dimmer switch to the power cord and you can turn the fan up or down as needed. I fired it up last night and it draws very nicely. I tested it with smoke from a smoldering piece of paper, which I torched and the extinguished. From what I've experienced with this project, you could get a smaller blower from an old furnace and with the dimmer switch you're able to adjust the exhaust suction up or downward with a lot of latitude at least for a booth about the size of the one I built. Thanks again,Tigger, for the help with the exhaust fan and all the other stuff we worked on the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskiefool Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Looks good fingers just remember to use a switch to control fan speed that is motor rated lighting dimmers will be cheaper but will likely give you problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Thanks, Muskiefool. I am using a dimmer now. What kind of problems would I encounter? Also, when you say "switch" what type of switch do you mean? Is it one that would allow say only three speeds? I am surely no expert on matters electrical and I'm very open to any suggestions about improving this thing in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskiefool Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 The dimmer could overheat at low speeds, you can get controllers for your lights and fan on the same device that would work nice at any Home or Lumber yard for ceiling fans here is a link to some examples, good luck, I'm gonna start one soon myself I really need one. http://www.ceilingfan.com/Emerson_ceiling_fan_remotes.htm http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/13-37-fan-control-switches/rotary-variable-speed-fan-control-626424.aspx?iorb=4764 PS Fluorescents will not work on a dimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Thanks, again. I'll take your advice. I'm only trying to regulate the fan, not the lights, but I appreciate the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savacs Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 finally:)) I just found some healt labeled paints, that r some sort of thinner based, that's not threatening for my health, they smell a bit, but nothing to worry about. Unfortunately for u USA guys they r made in Italy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Vc you are welcome! I am glad you made the 1-1/2 hr drive up. Your baits are amazing! I am glad I could help with the fan! Man you did not waste any time. To everyone out there, you will never meet a person as nice as Vc anywhere! He is almost to good to be true! A1 in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Thanks Tigger. I had a great time. You guys ought to see his shop. Baits everywhere and each one is an eye-popper! Amazing. As to the booth, rjbass was kind enough to send me a link to a video about building a booth and I'm already thinking about modifying it! Lol, that's the story of my life. Thanks for the help, rj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemmy Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Looks Great! The only thing I might suggest is getting som clear mylar to put over the windows. That way you can take out the mylar to clean paint buildup off or replace without having to worry about your plexiglass. You could just tape it up, or use something like the clamps from clipboards or those found for picture framing. Also, when those bulbs burn out, try to find those flourescents that have their spectral qualities adjusted to mimic the suns. Are you going to vent outside? That's the hang-up with my current booth, no access to the outdoors without ripping a hole in my roof. I'm thinking of a pvc pipe filled with activated charcoal... Give us a pic when completed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Thanks for the reply and the tips, Clemmy. I'm going to try plastic wrap over the windows. I'm not going to be too concerned though, because I'm already planning the next one. The reason is that I had so many great pm's, emails, and tips sent to me that I can see how to improve the next one an awful lot. rjbass was kind enough to send me some info that really taught me a lot. Thanks again, rj. That was great. I may build the next one of stainless steel. It will have slots inside so that I can slide plates of glass right in for the 3 windows. That will make cleaning the windows a breeze and the stainless will reflect a lot of light to make the painting easier. Also the venting will be a bit different on the next one. I'll detach the exhaust fan and segregate it from the booth by way of a length of 4 inch hose, the kind with the spiral on the outside. That will allow the overspray to dry and collect on the hose so that it does not collect on the blades of the exhaust fan and throw the fan off balance (which can cause vibration). Anyway, I'm about done with the booth and I'm working on finishing the inside of a room on the garage which will be dedicated for painting, drinking coffee, and BSing with my friends. It should be a great season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrydabassman Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 WOW, great booth and wonderful thread here. I really enjoyed the read. Another thing you can use instead of a dimmer switch is a foot control from a sewing maching, they also work great on the drill press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbassindaddy Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Fatfingers, Nice Job!! You could also use a prefilter and filter instead of using the segregated fan. A household heater filter from Wal Mart for $2.00 ( cut to fit a little larger than your opening and a thin piece of foam over that for a prefilter )would work great. Or check with your local paint supply and ask how much a paint booth filter roll would be. I think the idea of using stainless steel would be awesome, but the cost would be cost prohibitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Good tip about the footpedal, Terry. I used an old ceiling fan switch that I salvaged and stored a while ago. It worked great and gives the blower 5 speeds. Bigbassin, I agree that a lot of stainless would be expensive, but in my area there are several salvage warehouse businesses that make a variety of materials available at reasonable or even cheap rates. I could also make it from aluminum or line the interior walls with thin aluminum sheeting. The idea of course, is to create a reflective interior that is relatively easy to clean in the event of minor spills, maintenance, etc. Half the fun of doing this stuff is scrounging for the stuff you need and looking for bargains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullcrusher Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 This may sound like a silly question, but what kind of blower did you get? One thing to look out for, just a suggestion is make sure the motor for the fan doesn't spark too much. I'm sure it's just fine, but if it does spark, you may have a fire hazzard. Now as I said, it's a small thing, but something to think about. What could happen is if the blower does spark a little it could ignite the paint fumes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Skull, that was and still is a consideration. The exhaust fan is the fan from a furnace, or at least one that is very similar to that commonly used on household heating systems. The reason it is a better choice is because of the fact that a "squirrel cage" type fan has the motor somewhat separated from the intake portion of the apparatus. In other words, the electrical motor isn't really exposed to the exhaust particulate as it might be on an ordinary fan such as those used to circulate air within a room. The electrical motor is essentially on the outside of the squirrel cage blades which draw and move the air. Additionally, I'm considering even furthering reducing the risk by separating the exhaust fan from the paint booth and placing it inside a separate box. Thus the air will be drawn from the paintbooth, through 4 inch corrugated hose to the exhaust fan and then out of the room through vent piping to the outdoors. The theory is that the particulate and fumes will evaporate and/or collect on the corrugated piping prior to entering the separate box which contains the exhaust fan. Again, thanks to rjbass for providing that information to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullcrusher Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Ah ok, thanx for clearing that up. I see what you mean now. And separating it from the rest of the booth in it's own bow can't hurt either. Once you start using it, I would be curious to know how it worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Maybe I'll post a few pictures when its done. Unfortunately I've still got a few things between me and being able to paint. but its getting closer and I'm really looking forward to it. I have nearly 50 baits ready for primer and paint and I can't wait to get at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaPala Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Just came into this post fatfingers but seem you have already seen that Ed Walinski paint booth video Another way to do it is add a plenum at the back of the paint box and attach the fan to that. I did post a schematic of how i did mine b4, not sure if it's lost in the crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullcrusher Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I look forward to the pictures. I always love watching a little yankee engineering at work. Thank you and thanx for TU for letting us share info:yay: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I did see a video of a paintbooth and how it was built, but I'm not sure the guy was Walinski. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted April 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 As a follow-up, I fired up the airbrush and used the paintbooth 2 days ago. (Been on the go, and this is the first chance I've had to comment) The booth works. Pros: The booth is roomy and the bottom of it provides a lot of space to layout the varous paints, reducers, etc as I'm working. It also has ample space for the bench-vise I like to use to hold musky baits when I drape the netting over the bait to shoot the scale effect. It draws the fumes nicely, but it does require that the fan motor is on the highest setting and at the setting its a bit noisy; makes it hard to hear the radio, but I just cranked up the radio a bit and that was good. I'll use a slightly bigger exhaust fan when I build the next booth. I can always turn a bigger exhaust fan down to a lower setting. The Lexan window on the top allow the ceiling light in the room to shoot downward into the box and that was a plus. The Lexan was also very easy to clean when I was done: I just wiped it down quickly with a cloth slightly dampened with a bit of paint thinner and it looked brand-new again. Cons: The lighting is only adequate and I had really hoped to have more than enough. I try to do subtle things with color sometimes and that requires close inspection during the painting process. Sunlight is best of course, but Ohio winters don't provide much of that so I had hoped to generate plenty of light. I still have the option of adding a third light above the top window and I think that will do the trick. I bought some full-spectrum bulbs yesterday and I'm going to try a third light on the top window this evening. I'm also considering placing some foil tape inside the paintbooth to bounce the light around a bit more to sort of amplify the lighting I have already installed. Its turns out that it "feels" smaller than I thought it would...It does take some getting used to, I guess, since I've never painted "in" a paintbooth before as I always painted outdoors in fair weather, so I guess I'll get used to working in a somewhat confined space. Also the dryer-vent hose (that aluminum stuff that you stretch out like an accordian) is fragile and I can tell right now I'm not going to like it. I'll probably be on the lookout for some 4 inch hose in plastic or rubber to get rid of that stuff as soon as it can. I don't like worrying about the hose getting crushed or torn. No time for that nonsense. The bottom line is that it works fine and I'll be able to paint inside during the winter of 2007/2008. I'll add a light, change the vent hose and add a few shelves inside and I should be good to go for this year and perhaps next. As I said on a previous post, with the tips I've gathered from you guys and my experience with this booth, the next one will be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rofish Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Fatfingers, this is just a crazy ideea which crossed my head. Natural light, as you say, is better that artificial light. What if you would consider a mirror system which could bring and amplify the natural light from outside to your paintbooth? Even if you would bring sun light which is already filtered through the clouds? I don't know how much cost this would add. Also, you would not be able to paint (using natural light) in the evenings of winter days. But on the other hand, if this would work, you could label your paintbooth as "Rolls Royce paintbooth". Once again, just an ideea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebo Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 I think the full-spectrum bulbs is a good idea, but have you thought about taking those diffusers off of those lights. It might cause glare but seeing where you have the bulbs mounted it might make it much better as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
