Hi guys. With a booth like this:

http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/15homospbofr.html

Do you have to vent the air outside or is the filter system enough if you are spraying enamels or dullcote? What about acrylics? Thanks.

in my opinion it always a good idea to vent outside. also you can make a spray booth for about 20 bucks. paint fumes can be harmfull so a vent system directing the fumes out of your work area is best.

Right, but this booth seems to have a three stage filter system. Is that enough to take care of the fumes or does it need to still be sent outside? Also, what is the point of filtering the air if you are venting it anyways?

I made mine out of piece of sheet metal ducting with a end cap and a fan( motor has to be outside air stream!)
.I also have an old record turn table inside the duct so i can rotate model while i an spraying.
I use 4 " dryer hose to vent to the outside of the house.

I would like to add that i use a 15'' x 20'' furnace filter to catch any pain that is vented

Paint! Not Pain!!!!!

Dave;
I think, and I could be wrong here, the point is to vent ANY fumes outside so that the air is not swirling around 1) the model, 2) the painter. Now with acrylics those fumes COULD be not hazardous, but and this is the big but, if you ever paint with anything else OR they change the formula OR they find out that any of those soluables are harmful it is nice to have that issue already covered. I am currently working on a way to easily move my fumes outside and adding a filtration system. Cheers.

The triple filters just ensure that even the smallest paint particles are trapped as they are drawn through the filtration system so you don't get overspray coming through the vent. It won't do anything about the fumes at all which is why you need to vent to the outside if you are using anything other than acrylic paints.

I did a tutorial on building your own...cost me quite a bit more than $20 but this is just one example and it was still cheaper than store-bought. I'm sure there are less expensive ways to do it then I did.

You can see that thread here:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/174962&page=1

Hope you find it helpful.

Cheers.

Thanks for all the replys guys, it really helped. Im going to put some money aside and buy a nice spraybooth since im moving my workshop out of the basement and into a spare bedroom .

i paint outside on a table. it is perfectly vented. maybe wear a mask so u dont faint, if u are the type. but i feel the whole making a booth then venting is a little much. just set up a table outside on your porch or so, and get to it. that booth in the link is a rip off. no way should anyone spend 400$ for a booth like that. i could see if it was the size of a phone booth.
hth

No it isn't a rip off as its a piece of equipment specially built and sold for the purpose. Clearly you have no idea or experience of manufacturing, it's cost implications or running a business.

As for painting outside, not everybody has......

1. The possibility to do so (such as living in a flat/apartment.)

2. The ideal conditions such as weather, surrounding air free from dust and other air borne debris to ruin your paint job.

...says the guy who lives in HAWAII !

Have you seen what winter is like in Minnesota? I'd be lucky to even find my table...or my porch!

Oh, well...your point is taken...special equipment shouldn't always be necessary but for some of us, it really is.

Cheers.

i understand that my american bretheren can be confined to indoors for many of the months. my sympathies.

Preston;
I grew up in California. One of the first times I went out side to spray my model I set everything up and realized I had forgot something inside. Came back a minute or two later to find my dog chewing on part of the kit. . . .hence the need for a spray booth for me.
I was able to make mine cheaply and it is very effective. I also need to have one if I want to work on my kits year round, as it is sometimes VERY windy here, not to mention the cold, wet and extremely hot days. I think that having a spray booth is a must for many of us. Those who have the ability to paint outside under near perfect conditions all year, I envy. (you get to spend more money on kits that way). Cheers.

The Expo Tools Portable Spray Booth was reviewed here a while ago:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/4680

As far as I know you can now get a hose extension for the extractor fan that you can then rest out a window for more effective fume clearance. I have one without the hose- it works well. Its not that powerful and there can be lingering fumes (not so much with Vallejo or Tamiya- I don't use enamels so I'm not sure of what they would be like). If you have limited space it will fold up when your done to a briefcase size. The price is pretty good too.

if i i may offer you a suggestion i would buy a Pace paint booth before i would spend money on that plastic one they are made of galv.steel and i love mine

As I shoot a variety of paints to include lacquers, I need to have a paint booth. I went overboard on the exhaust fan too. It's a dual speed unit that produces 1365 CFM on low, and over 1500 CFM on hi. I purposely did this as I don't want to be getting high while I'm painting. It's loud as hell, but nary a paint fume to be found while it's running. I dubbed it the Pratt and Whitney. The booth itself is good size at 30"x20"x25" and is lit. I use common household furnace filters to keep the motor from getting all plastered with paint residue. For a little over $6 I can get enough filters to last me about 6 months. If you are going to bu a paint booth, get the best you can afford and by all means, vent it outside. We breathe enough crap in our day to day lives that is harmful. No reason we should subject ourselves to it while trying to enjoy our hobby. "Q"