Worlds cheapest spray booth

[gnomehome]

This isn't a regional thing. This is an amateur/layman thing. Show this stuff to someone who works in a professional paint shop pretty much anywhere in the first world, and you'll find out that how seriously the people who actually know about this stuff professionally take it compared to hobbyists. It's not a "sometimes causes cancer in mice if you force feed them unrealistically huge amounts, but only in California" thing, it's a "people who do this for a living often don't live to see old age, even with proper safety" thing.

Amatures tend to be willfully under informed. They don't read the MSDS, and most of the time they don't even know the basic difference between different types of paints, solvents, glues, resins etc. Yet they will still eagerly form very confident opinions about the exact things they know that they know almost nothing about. They have no idea what's in that paint, but they'll happily assume it's all safe by default, and even try to argue with people who they know do know what's in it. When told something they're playing with can be dangerous if misused, they'll scoff and deny it, or try to shift the goalposts for misuse to exclude what they're doing, regardless of what that is. Even when the science and statistics are spelled out for them. Because it's not really about what's true. It's about not wanting to have ones toys taken away. It's about not wanting to do extra work, or pay for extra stuff, or wear uncomfortable gear, or anything else they don't want. It's about trying to shape reality by belief instead of the other way around.

Some valid points, but you have to take into consideration that the exposure between a layman and an amateur most likely are considerably different as are the products used! "Painters disease" (OPS in Dutch, CSE) is a well documented syndrome, but it is linked to repeated long time exposure to solvents, which isn't the case with the occasional use of a spraycan.

There are indeed chemicals/products where a single exposure can cause permanent health damage, but these are not quite as common.The threshold limit value (TLV) of a chemical substance are determined to make a lifelong daily exposure safe without detrimental health effects. I don't think the OP is spending 8 hours a day, 5 days a week spraying models. TLV-STEL is a better value to determine risks in this setup.

As for regional differences, these do play some  part. In EU there's the REACH legislation that has a *definite* impact on the chemicals that can be used in products for consumers. I have no idea if the US have similar stringent legislation but somehow I doubt it, seeing as there seem to be no effects of global warming there (at least, if I understand their president correctly .)

This being said - when I still used solvent based paints, I did use a mask with solvent/particle filter and would certainly advise it in this setup - 50€ will buy you a decent mask that will serve you quite some time. Now that I use an airbush acrylic primer I do it in a paintbooth with extraction(homemade with the cheapest bathroom fan I could find, so probably underpowered).
 

[Malebolgia]

I think it's a good spray booth, but using a good spray paint mask is recommended. I often spray inside my shed by holding my breath, blasting the model with spray, quickly put everything on the shelf and then run outside to breathe again. But using a good spray paint mask is a much better and safer solution.

[Carrakon]

It's definitely a good solution to the "paint going where it really shouldn't"-problem. I think adding ventilation or something along the lines is unnecessary and counterproductive to the setup being light and mobile - and I doubt it'll be very effective, though I'm by no means knowledgable on the subject.
Get a decent industrial grade face mask instead. Mine cost about 30 € (including filters for dust and aerosols) and I think it's a great and simple way to do something for your body. No more disgusting paint scent, no issues with dizziness or headaches or what have you. And given the cost of miniatures... what's 30 € there?

[Connectamabob]

As long as the space you're spraying in is separate from your normal living environment, such as a garage or an outdoor shed, and you're allowing time for things to vent and/or settle before doing other things there without a mask, a mask is the most economical solution, and all you need. Make sure the filters are rated for organic vapors, and make sure you change them as needed instead of trying to push how long you can keep using them, and you'll be just fine. For paint at least. For sanding you want to either stick to wet sanding, or at least get an active HEPA air filter unit for your hobby space on top of wearing a mask, and make sure you wash your hands when finished.

I just wanted to head off any reader getting a mistaken impression that a box like can do the full job of a ventilated spray booth (comments on sites like Instructables have taught me that there's lots of people out there who absolutely would make that leap, even though it would seem obvious to many here I think). A box like this is good way to keep direct overspray off surrounding things, it just won't prevent fumes or ambient paint particles in the general room air.

A lazy Susan is a good idea and should be standard kit for any bench top spray setup. It's not a new idea, you can buy spray turntables from hobby and baking companies already, but anything that gets a good idea to eyes who haven't seen it before is a good thing regardless.

[Connectamabob]

Some valid points, but you have to take into consideration that the exposure between a layman and an amateur most likely are considerably different as are the products used! "Painters disease" (OPS in Dutch, CSE) is a well documented syndrome, but it is linked to repeated long time exposure to solvents, which isn't the case with the occasional use of a spraycan.

True, but it's a thing of degrees, not absolutes. You're not likely to kill yourself early with the occasional spraying, but you can still do long term damage if you're not careful, like lung capacity reduction. If you take, say, second hand smoke seriously, you'll want to apply the same standards to hobby exposure.

Sanding dust from resin and plaster is actually way worse. You can take a couple decades off your life in a single session if you're creating enough dust and not being safe.

This being said - when I still used solvent based paints, I did use a mask with solvent/particle filter and would certainly advise it in this setup - 50€ will buy you a decent mask that will serve you quite some time. Now that I use an airbush acrylic primer I do it in a paintbooth with extraction(homemade with the cheapest bathroom fan I could find, so probably underpowered).

There's some very simple maths you can do to check how much CFM and static pressure you need for a given booth size and ducting length. Here's a good site that goes over it fairly well:
http://www.modelersite.com/Abr2003/english/Spray-booth-design_Eng.htm

For most small benchtop units the needs are not excessive, provided you're near a window or other opening so the ducting can be short (bathroom fans can have good CFM for small booths, but rarely have the static pressure for ducting). It's also a good idea to use a squirrel cage blower instead of a normal style fan, for fire safety reasons.

[Carrakon]

Make sure the filters are rated for organic vapors, and make sure you change them as needed instead of trying to push how long you can keep using them, and you'll be just fine.

Isn't that simply a matter of "as long as I don't smell anything wearing the mask, the filters are fine!"?

[Coronasan]

I just have a box, which gets replaced now and then when I get a big enough box from somewhere.

[flatpack]

Cool. Nice boat by the way. Where’s that come from ?