Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

[rc-eflyer]

 Awhile back I built a "silent" air compressor for my airbrush: http://www.hobbysquawk.com/thread-1320.html and it works great but haven't gotten much use of it since my workshop is located in a relatively small area in the unfinished portion of my basement and overspray is a problem.  I've looked at commercially available units but they are either less than desirable or very expensive so an alternative had to be found. As it would turn out the answer was quite literally right under my nose.  There was a nice 20"X16" wooden box that was left by the previous owners that was probably part of some storage cabinets. It has been under my workbench and just used as storage.  Here it is sitting on my toolbox:


Well, it is now in the process of becoming my little spray booth and I thought I would share the experience in the hopes it might help someone in a similar situation find a way to safely do some airbrushing and not incur the wrath of the better half when she discovers overspray on the washer and dryer  :angel: . I'll post pictures and details as they become available.

Steve
[hr]
OK, here we go.....

Here it is full of "stuff"


Here with all that stuff out and the inner divider and drawers removed


Here are the main components which consist of a cheap ($17) bathroom exhaust fan, a 3" to 4" adaptor, 4" flexible hose, clamp, and some filter material


Here is the hole I cut in the back and the 1"X1" frame epoxied and screwed to hold the fan unit


Here is the adaptor attached using metal duct tape


Here we are back in the front with the fan unit installed. The grid you see is made from a cheap ($12) 2'X4'
light fixture which is readily available at most hardware stores.  It is going to be attached to the 1"X1" pieces of wood you see behind it.  These are spaced out about 2" from the back of the box so there is a chamber behind the filter before the fan. This grid will support the filter but still permit plenty of air flow


more to come tomorrow

Steve

[XF-15DCC]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

Very nice.

Question, is your fan intrinsically safe?

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

more progress today showing the electrical.  The switch was salvaged from an old workbench and was used to power several outlets, that's why it has an indicator lamp (not needed for this project but doesn't hurt). The square silver patch just covers a hole that existed in the box.


This shows the frame I cut from some scrap Depron sheets and the filter material marked to be cut.


Frame and grid ready to be attached to the 1"X1" pieces in the box.

[hr]

Very nice.

Question, is your fan intrinsically safe?

If you mean against volatile liquids, I'm not sure.  It is a brushless AC motor and is properly grounded so there should be no sparking as an ignition source. The Acrylics I plan on using will of course be safe but that's a good question and I need to investigate before using any flammable paints.

EDIT: Found this definition of Intrinsically Safe:

 Intrinsically Safe

"An Intrinsically safe rating means that the electronics or wiring contained within the equipment cannot spark or cannot accumulate enough energy to ignite the gas or vapor at the location. Additionally the surface temperature of the equipment cannot get high enough to ignite the gas or vapor at the location."

This is not "Explosion Proof" but looks to be acceptable for this application.

Thanks
Steve

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

Got the frame fastened in and the exhaust hooked up.  As you can see, I'm using the same vent as the clothes dryer at the moment. I'm not real happy with the flimsy vinyl duct and I will replace it with a metal one like the clothes dryer.  If I'm happy with the way it works I'll install a dedicated vent also.


Next is buying some Velcro (only need the hook side) to attach the filter material and applying some scrap white depron around the interior to brighten things up. I also still need to hinge the front panel so it swings down to provide more "floor space".

Thanks for watching
Steve

[Pheonix]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

Patten and sell these. I would buy now!

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

Patten and sell these.  I would buy now!

Thanks, but as slow as I work I would go broke real fast ;)

Steve

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

This evenings progress:

Got the insides covered in depron using double sided tape and bought some Velcro "dots" placed around the frame to hold the filter.


Got the door hinged and support chains attached.  Also was able to rob the laminate off the edge of the door and use it to repair the top and upper left edges around the front of the box.
 

And all buttoned up  :D


Steve

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

Putting on the final (I hope :rolleyes: ) touches.

Moved the regulator and gauge to the side of the box for more convenient control of pressure and more slack in the airbrush hose. Also changed the gauge to one with a more appropriate pressure range.



Also added an airbrush holder and now the input to the regulator is on a quick disconnect (so it can be used for other purposes or moved easily) and the compressor itself is now located right beside the box closer to the outlet I'm sharing with my sump pump.



OK, the final product and I'm really happy the way it turned out (if I do say so myself  :angel: ). This also show the better, metal duct in place.  Thanks and I hope this in some way helps encourage someone to further enjoy our hobby.



Steve

[Hippie 64]

RE: Building a "Homebrew" Spray Booth

That is really nice and creative !! I do my in a open garage with a fan blowing exit out so it works well 




Bryan