Tips for safe fume extraction / explosion proof exhaust DIY nitro lacquering

[gombul]

I have found snippets of good advice throughout various posts but I can't find anything specifically dealing with spark-free exhaust setups. I'd like to build a setup big enough to spray my instruments (guitar necks etc) with nitro lacquer. I was hoping this would be reasonably innexpensive given the small size of my items being sprayed. I also hoped finding a small explosion proof fan would be easy to find. But I'm finding it hard to find anything non-industrial online. I'm guessing due to safety places like totaltools, bunnings etc won't go near it.

Is it possible or should I look for other solutions? Don't really want to hire professional access to booths or rely on perfect weather. How are people safely spraying dust free gloss lacquers and achieving glass like finishes. Is it all about accepting the dust - spraying outside with a respirator and relying on buffing/polishing it out?

[Enfield Guy]

My understanding is that it is illegal to use those sorts of products without an appropriate booth. If the fan is your only issue, then buy what you need to buy. Job done.

[BobL]

Keep an eye on gumtree for units with aluminium or plastic fan/impeller with a 3P motor inside the impeller, or a single phase motor outside the impeller, maybe even driven by belts/pulleys to get the motor further away should work.
If you want dust free you will have to pair it with a room air filter.

This one I found in a skip at the uni where I worked. It was used in a lab that handled volatile chemicals.
PVC housing, PVC impeller driven by pulleys and belts - it had a 3Phase motor but I replaced it wth a washing machine motor.
My son used it for spray painting and then it spent a year at the mens shed attached to a 3 sided gazebo and a temporary spray booth.
The decided hey didn't need it and I took it back and sold it earlier this year for $200
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Seeing as you don't need a high vacuum I reckon it would not be too hard to make an impeller out of Al. and the housing out of plastic or Al.
As long as you don't spin the Impeller over 1440 rpm it should be OK.

Here's an impeller housing I knocked up to of sheet steel but it could be plastic or Al.
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[Arron]

Are you doing these guitar necks or whatever one by one, or a bunch at once?

[Arron]

My understanding is that it is illegal to use those sorts of products without an appropriate booth. If the fan is your only issue, then buy what you need to buy. Job done.


Illegal. it probably should be but I can’t find any reference to it being so. I would like to know for sure so can you provide a link?

[Enfield Guy]

https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/injury-prevention-safety/workplace-hazards/dangers-in-your-workplace/spray-painting

well bugger me, I take that back. Here it speaks of should. Yep, spraying anything other than a water based acrylic should be banned without a properly maintained booth.

[BobL]

One of the mens sheds I visited set up a 3 x 3 x 2.4 m garden shed outside their main shed and sucked on that through a 44 gallon drum half filled with water to act as a paint scrubber using a 20 (yes TWENTY) HP blower. They had to partially block the air intake so the air flow did not suck 99% of the spray away from the object before it got to the object being painted. They also had problems opening the door of the shed while the blower was working and had to wear ear protection while painting. Outside the scrubber created a water sodden with paint mess and they had no proper way of dealing with it.

They went this route because of close neighbours with lots of cars a few meters away - now they have a bit of a noise problem so they have to enclose the blower.

[themage21]

a 44 gallon drum half filled with water to act as a paint scrubber using a 20 (yes TWENTY) HP blower. .

Hey, at least they're not going at it by halves. The power bill for the booth must be a killer.