Can I spray without a booth?

[Albert]

Hi all
I am new to spray finish, I want to use spray finish on my product because it seems it can save a lot of time when compared to traditional brush.

My current setup and equipment bought to date are as follows:

Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500 43CFM piston compressor
Ceccato Refrigerator with pre and post filter.
Kremlin 1014 Spray pump/Kremlin gun
air pro compressed airline (blue plastic)
a Hison extraction fan, 850mm

questions
1. is it possible to spray paint without a proper booth? I cant put a spraybooth on my property and the workshop is full already, only place I can spare is the assembly area in the workshop to be used as spray area when needed.
2. I am contemplating to spray paint inside my garage without the fan but with plastic sheets dropped down from ceiling when spraying, has anyone done this or similar setup?
3. The items I spray are roughly 2m long by 1m wide by 2m high

[david.elliott]

buy a cheap 3m2 gazebo online for under 200 with sides... If you can find one with white sides DO THAT. Easy as...I use mine outside the front of my shed, with three sides on and the open side facing away from the prevailing winds...wind going past sucks the fumes out...

BUT a lot depends on what you're going to spray, two pack is another beast entirely...

[BobL]

buy a cheap 3m2 gazebo online for under 200 with sides... If you can find one with white sides DO THAT. Easy as...I use mine outside the front of my shed, with three sides on and the open side facing away from the prevailing winds...wind going past sucks the fumes out...

The Mens shed has a similar setup and we use it on an asphalt drive outside the shed.
We bought a 3m x 3m gazebo on special for under $100 and then purchase a roll of plastic sheeting and made the sides ourselves.
For small items we don't bother with forced ventilation but for larger items we attach this blower to the back wall.
We're not fancy but dirt cheap (http://metalworkforums.com/f65/t199756-fancy-dirt-cheap)

I you want a better class finish ie no dust on the surface, a day when there is no wind is essential.

Can also recommend the use of a large lazy susan to help with the painting.

[Albert]

Thanks guys.
Looks like Gazebo is the way to go for now... lucky I got a big driveway for a suburban house.

PITA to setup and dismantle time I want to spray.

[Arron]

I’ve never understood this gazebo or tent solution at all.

You haven’t mentioned what you are spraying but concentrating it within a tent, with you inside, doesn’t sound healthy. Your lungs I guess.

Having an opening on one side and allowing the wind to suck the fumes out doesn’t help because a body of air must come in equal to what is sucked out, you’re just concentrating it through smaller openings.

Maybe the fan helps, but surely it should be filtering incoming air, not simply assisting the passage of dirty air through.

Or am I overlooking something obvious.

Arron

Nearly forgot, if you are concentrating something solvent based within a tent, beware the risk of explosion.

[BobL]

I’ve never understood this gazebo or tent solution at all.
You haven’t mentioned what you are spraying but concentrating it within a tent, with you inside, doesn’t sound healthy. Your lungs I guess.
Having an opening on one side and allowing the wind to suck the fumes out doesn’t help because a body of air must come in equal to what is sucked out, you’re just concentrating it through smaller openings..
If there is a breeze blowing a preferential flow can be set up so you don't suck much or any of the fumes back in.


Maybe the fan helps, but surely it should be filtering incoming air, not simply assisting the passage of dirty air through.

Unless you are just spraying small items using a spray can I found relying on the wind to vent the tent is pretty near hopeless so you have to wear a ventilated mask or have forced ventilation.

You are right the forced ventilation will drag dust into a tent but I found if the outside air is still and you are not doing it in a sandpit is still then there's not much dust in the air.
If your outside air is dusty you have to filter the air coming into the tent. The air going out also needs to be filtered as the paint droplets can carry for 10's of m and I can conform that the neighbours don't like it especially when it gets onto one of their vehicles.

[tonzeyd]

I can conform that the neighbours don't like it especially when it gets onto one of their vehicles.

Would love to hear the story behind this one

[BobL]

Would love to hear the story behind this one

Was many decades ago when spray painting some patches on the mudguards on my (beat up off white) VW beetle. The process took place on the driveway at mum and dads place next to the one metre high side fence separating our drive from the neighbours drive. The first coat went on when there was no vehicle in the neighbours drive but later that day, just as I was about to spray the second coat, the neighbour arrived in his dirty/rusty holden ute. The funny thing was that before he went inside, he jokingly asked me "while you're at it can you give mine a coat as well?" The next morning the neighbour came over to complain to mum that he couldn't see out of the back window of his ute and found he couldn't clean the window either and that I must have gotten some spray on the side and rear windows of his ute and could I clean it up ASAP which I was able to do with a razor blade. There was also some overspray on the roof of the ute but as the neighbour was a far sighted, short chap, luckily for me didn't see it, or didn't seem to care about it.

[tonzeyd]

That hilarious...

Glad you didn't have to clean the roof.

Me and a mate decided to paint a cabinet when we were younger and thought it'll be fine to do it in his garage (my car was parked outside is garage, his was in but on the other side). A few months later i noticed what i originally thought was stone chips on the bonnet. After careful inspection i realised that they were slightly raised, which dawned on me that it was the white paint from the cabinet spray we did in my mates garage. About a decade later when i sold the car, the spots were still there despite regular polishing and detailing. Probably could have attacked it with a scraper of sorts but didn't want to end up with massive scratches across the entire bonnet.

[Albert]

I’ve never understood this gazebo or tent solution at all.

You haven’t mentioned what you are spraying but concentrating it within a tent, with you inside, doesn’t sound healthy. Your lungs I guess.

Having an opening on one side and allowing the wind to suck the fumes out doesn’t help because a body of air must come in equal to what is sucked out, you’re just concentrating it through smaller openings.

Maybe the fan helps, but surely it should be filtering incoming air, not simply assisting the passage of dirty air through.

Or am I overlooking something obvious.

Arron

Nearly forgot, if you are concentrating something solvent based within a tent, beware the risk of explosion.

Will be spraying water based paint, no solvent paint, no enamel.

I have a monstrous full face 3M mask that I bought partly for the reason of spaying. I think I will utilise the fan with filters for air in and air out.

[Albert]

I am start to think maybe I should base my spray booth inside a large boxed trailer.

I used to have this boxed trailer that was designed to haul cars, it measured 4.5m long, 2m wide and 2m high. a bit modification to a trailer like this would be more discrete than a spray booth on the property...