(Another) DIY Spray Booth: Questions from a newbie.

Joe A

Needle-chuck Ninja
Hey guys, I had a little time on my hands over the weekend since I have to paint outdoors and the weather was crappy here in Texas so I was thinking about building my own tabletop spray booth.

I thought I'd share what I came up with to get some feedback from you guys on whether or not you think it will work for small scale painting. I did not attach a fan or filter yet but you can see the locations where they will go. Filter under the pegboard and exhaust fan underneath with a square of hardware cloth separating the two. I added 1/4" square dowels to allow some air passage between the filter and floor as well as between the pegboard and filter. Units are all in inches as it is what I'm used to.

This will all most like sit on a custom frame since the fan will extrude underneath and ducting from the base of the booth down and out through a wall would be no more than 3-4 feet.

Anyway, please let me know what you think and I could use any help on a type of fan to use here. I know centrifugal exhaust fans are ideal but I am also trying to keep cost down. I added a couple of renderings and a pdf of the shop drawings (with dimensions) in case they are useful to anyone wanting to build it. Thanks in advance guys!

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Attachments

  • Spray Booth V3.pdf
    424 KB · Views: 2
Thanks. Yea there are fewer holes only because the cad software I used would have turned my computer into a potato trying to render all those holes. It would be the standard pegboard with the 1/4" holes on 1" center spacing.


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Thanks. Yea there are fewer holes only because the cad software I used would have turned my computer into a potato trying to render all those holes. It would be the standard pegboard with the 1/4" holes on 1" center spacing.


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It would have been better and easier to have kept the back of your box vertical and just cut a hole on back for your eventual fan, you can easily sandwich your filter between two pieces of aluminium mesh, the floor idea is more complicated than it needs to be and and hole system will obviously interfere with the airflow even if you make the holes bigger, through angled back will limit the size of anything you may put into it, also, some folks put in a turntable so they can turn their work around so as to get to back of it.

I posted a link to a home made booth on YouTube that can fold away when not in use, if I can find it I will post it here for you.

Actually, here it is
 
It would have been better and easier to have kept the back of your box vertical and just cut a hole on back for your eventual fan, you can easily sandwich your filter between two pieces of aluminium mesh, the floor idea is more complicated than it needs to be and and hole system will obviously interfere with the airflow even if you make the holes bigger, through angled back will limit the size of anything you may put into it, also, some folks put in a turntable so they can turn their work around so as to get to back of it.

I posted a link to a home made booth on YouTube that can fold away when not in use, if I can find it I will post it here for you.

Actually, here it is

Thanks Malky, my first design was just as you described but I read somewhere that this way would help with gravity not needing as high of cfm for the fan. Since this is just a mock up I'm totally open for suggestions and I like the simpler way better. At this point my main concern would be the type of fan. I'm going to check out the video. Thanks!


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Thanks Malky, my first design was just as you described but I read somewhere that this way would help with gravity not needing as high of cfm for the fan. Since this is just a mock up I'm totally open for suggestions and I like the simpler way better. At this point my main concern would be the type of fan. I'm going to check out the video. Thanks!


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If your fan takes up around 1 third of the total area of the back panel of your booth you'll have enough draw.

The video has links to all the materials he uses so you can Base the size of your fan on the size of your own booth compared to his, although slightly bigger is also acceptable.
 
It would have been better and easier to have kept the back of your box vertical and just cut a hole on back for your eventual fan, you can easily sandwich your filter between two pieces of aluminium mesh, the floor idea is more complicated than it needs to be and and hole system will obviously interfere with the airflow even if you make the holes bigger, through angled back will limit the size of anything you may put into it, also, some folks put in a turntable so they can turn their work around so as to get to back of it.

I posted a link to a home made booth on YouTube that can fold away when not in use, if I can find it I will post it here for you.

Actually, here it is

Okay so after watching the video I was really over complicating this. I think this route will get me up and running faster and allow me to start enjoying this. Thank you!


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Okay so after watching the video I was really over complicating this. I think this route will get me up and running faster and allow me to start enjoying this. Thank you!


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No thanks necessary:) do please post your progress and if you have time a little SBS for others to benefit from, include your findings when you've used it, we have a lot of model/figure/lure makers who can benefit from these booths, even our helmet painters could be enlightened:thumbsup:

It would be cool to have that video somewhere as a sticky so it would be easy for others to find, although I found it again quicker than I thought I would:)

I would love to see some of the work you intend to use it for:)

And your mock up booth is very well made, in fact it looks a little too good to be throwing paint at, lol
 
Thanks Malky, my first design was just as you described but I read somewhere that this way would help with gravity not needing as high of cfm for the fan. Since this is just a mock up I'm totally open for suggestions and I like the simpler way better. At this point my main concern would be the type of fan. I'm going to check out the video. Thanks!


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Too small an area for gravity to have mush effect, get the air flowing the same general direction as the paint will be better. Downdraft booths such as car painters use move a truck load of air. Much more than you will get.
 
Too small an area for gravity to have mush effect, get the air flowing the same general direction as the paint will be better. Downdraft booths such as car painters use move a truck load of air. Much more than you will get.

That makes sense


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No thanks necessary:) do please post your progress and if you have time a little SBS for others to benefit from, include your findings when you've used it, we have a lot of model/figure/lure makers who can benefit from these booths, even our helmet painters could be enlightened:thumbsup:

It would be cool to have that video somewhere as a sticky so it would be easy for others to find, although I found it again quicker than I thought I would:)

I would love to see some of the work you intend to use it for:)

And your mock up booth is very well made, in fact it looks a little too good to be throwing paint at, lol

Lol if I could only get my hands on a 3D printer [emoji7]

I'll definitely post my progress and some work. I've been shooting spoons and eggs shells just to see how different types of layering works but I'll be putting a booth like this together on Friday or Saturday.


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Lol if I could only get my hands on a 3D printer [emoji7]

I'll definitely post my progress and some work. I've been shooting spoons and eggs shells just to see how different types of layering works but I'll be putting a booth like this together on Friday or Saturday.


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Spoons and eggshells is a clever strategy, not only do get used to navigating curved surfaces, but you will also get an idea of how different surfaces react to your paint mixes and pressures and you'll learn quickly how to adjust your technique to suit, so it sounds like you have already thought ahead in that respect:thumbsup:

I would love to have a 3D printer too but I'm afraid the price of those things make them an impossible quest for me, I believe there are places who will do your prints for you if know what it is that you want printed.
 
Spoons and eggshells is a clever strategy, not only do get used to navigating curved surfaces, but you will also get an idea of how different surfaces react to your paint mixes and pressures and you'll learn quickly how to adjust your technique to suit, so it sounds like you have already thought ahead in that respect:thumbsup:

I would love to have a 3D printer too but I'm afraid the price of those things make them an impossible quest for me, I believe there are places who will do your prints for you if know what it is that you want printed.

Yup. I can't remember the site but it's a community like this one that shows makers in your area that will print your model for a price.


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Yup. I can't remember the site but it's a community like this one that shows makers in your area that will print your model for a price.

3dhubs.com is one of them, there are likely more.

two of the important numbers to check are the CFM and the dB. no good having a physically large fan if it cant extract smoke from 6" away, or one that sounds like a jet engine ready to take off........ It can be a balancing act between high cfm and loud noise.
 
3dhubs.com is one of them, there are likely more.

two of the important numbers to check are the CFM and the dB. no good having a physically large fan if it cant extract smoke from 6" away, or one that sounds like a jet engine ready to take off........ It can be a balancing act between high cfm and loud noise.

One of the fans I linked has a cfm of over 1700 and is not supposed to be any louder than a typical box fan. It's meant to pull air through a vehicle radiator to help cool it so I figured something like that would work. But others have used box fans which I'm reading pushes about 2500 so...

I'm a visual person...so I guess I won't know for sure until I actually try it for myself. ‍♂️

I have a headache. lol


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Okay so I scrapped the original design and went super simple. Here is what I came up with. Only spent $20 for the fan and filter. Wood is scraps I had laying around and a leftover can of white plastidip from another project.

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The fan size looks like overkill but better safe than sorry :) it will certainly do the job, youain't the inside walls pure white and install some led lighting for better visibility when you work, a cheap white acrylic primer would do so you can tart it up quickly when it gets messy.

The turn table will be an asset:thumbsup:

Where is your foul air being exhausted to?.
 
The fan size looks like overkill but better safe than sorry :) it will certainly do the job, youain't the inside walls pure white and install some led lighting for better visibility when you work, a cheap white acrylic primer would do so you can tart it up quickly when it gets messy.

The turn table will be an asset:thumbsup:

Where is your foul air being exhausted to?.


Hey Malky, once I get it set up it will most likely sit in front of a window leading directly outdoors. I know the fan is big but compared to the cost of other smaller fans vs the cfm of each one this one was better on my pocketbook. Besides, it has three speeds if I feel it's got too much pull.

For know I am going to use it outside to see how well it works. I think it will still help as a more controlled environment. We will see. Testing it out tomorrow. [emoji1360]


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Hey Malky, once I get it set up it will most likely sit in front of a window leading directly outdoors. I know the fan is big but compared to the cost of other smaller fans vs the cfm of each one this one was better on my pocketbook. Besides, it has three speeds if I feel it's got too much pull.

For know I am going to use it outside to see how well it works. I think it will still help as a more controlled environment. We will see. Testing it out tomorrow. [emoji1360]


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No problem at all with the fan, one huge benefit is that if you decide you want a bigger box in the future you can use the same fan, also in the future if needed you could install an old tumble drier exhaust hose to back so you can direct it to a window giving you more freedom as to where your can be situated.

Thank you for posting this, I'm sure many will benefit from it, maybe you could post a link to where you got the fan and filter:)

I have every confidence your test will have a happy outcome:thumbsup: but post your findings anyway:)
 
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