Airbrush Environment

[Tictac]

I've never tried airbrushing but I would like to. Considering the following information, my question is:
"WHERE CAN I WORK?"

- I have a cheap airbrush but I will upgrade after trying it.
- I have a very noisy 2 HP, 6 Gallon compressor but I'm prepared to buy a smaller, quieter one.
- I wish to do some simple light-colour shading on lawn ornaments for starters.
- I'm in Canada and it's too cold in the garage to airbrush in the winter.
- Is airbrushing something I could do on the kitchen table?
- Would the paint fumes be dangerous or objectionable in the house?
- My wife prefers that I don't paint any furniture. Does it get sprayed all over?
- Is a spray booth required?

 

[matty171]

I've never tried airbrushing but I would like to. Considering the following information, my question is:
"WHERE CAN I WORK?"

- I have a cheap airbrush but I will upgrade after trying it.
- I have a very noisy 2 HP, 6 Gallon compressor but I'm prepared to buy a smaller, quieter one.
- I wish to do some simple light-colour shading on lawn ornaments for starters.
- I'm in Canada and it's too cold in the garage to airbrush in the winter.
- Is airbrushing something I could do on the kitchen table?
- Would the paint fumes be dangerous or objectionable in the house?
- My wife prefers that I don't paint any furniture. Does it get sprayed all over?
- Is a spray booth required?

Hi Tictac, love the name btw, firstly welcome to the forum, youve landed in the best place to learn anything airbrushing. Yes you can airbrush at the kitchen table, i do mine in the kitchen, easy access to water. Secondly you can get paint that is water based so no harmful chemicals, i use a single piston compressor with no tank, its small and sits on my kitchen table, altho most people will recommend a tanked compressor but it will do me for now. Also there is a few Canadians on the forum so your not alone. Check out a thread called show us your workspace and you will see lots of different ways people work. Lastly and most important head over to the intro section of the forum and introduce yourself let people know where exactly you are etc etc

 

[wmlepage]

I paint in my basement, with water based paint, I am in New Hampshire. It's cold here too. I would recommend a fan in the window to help pull overspray out if it's a concern. Many will use a spare bedroom.

 

[Tictac]

Thank you for the quick replies, matty171 and wmlepage.
I live in a city of 400,000 and there is absolutely no place that provides airbrush seminars or lessons. It looks like this forum is going to be the help that I need. I am going to go ahead with setting something up, at least temporarily. After that I know where to go for further info. By the way, I tried looking for "show us your workspace" and couldn't find it. Could you tell me which forum area it is in. Thank you.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I've never tried airbrushing but I would like to. Considering the following information, my question is:
"WHERE CAN I WORK?"

- I have a cheap airbrush but I will upgrade after trying it.
- I have a very noisy 2 HP, 6 Gallon compressor but I'm prepared to buy a smaller, quieter one.
- I wish to do some simple light-colour shading on lawn ornaments for starters.
- I'm in Canada and it's too cold in the garage to airbrush in the winter.
- Is airbrushing something I could do on the kitchen table?
- Would the paint fumes be dangerous or objectionable in the house?
- My wife prefers that I don't paint any furniture. Does it get sprayed all over?
- Is a spray booth required?

I will go over each point and answer the best I can.

- Depending on how cheap is your cheap airbrush it might cause you more grief and discourage you, so be patient with it and remember that if you have a lot of problems getting the paint working correctly it might not be you.
- Your noisy 2 HP, 6 Gallon compressor will do fine, you will need a quick connect adapter for your airbrush hose, a moisture trap would be also desirable. If you tinker a bit you could always swap the compressor motor for a refrigerator motor it would quiet down that sucker.
- With the right paint you should have no problems with your lawn ornaments.
- Can't say much for your garage and our Canadian winters .
- Airbrushing even when using water base paints can leave a kind of dust (dried over spray) all over the place depending on what pressures you are using. Unless you can cover the area around you with a cloth or something I would not do it.
- This depends on the type of paint used, if it is a water based or water borne paint it is ok, most of them don't smell that much, but you should always where a mask to protect your lungs. You will be the one closest to the fumes, and even if the paint is not toxic it does not mean it is safe to breath. If you plan on using urethane paint then forget about painting in the house, it will stink up the house and the fumes are toxic.
- I guess that means you should not (unless you want an unhappy wife), like I said earlier there is always some over spay even when you are careful and that doesn't count knocking over a paint bottle etc.
- A booth is not required unless you want to paint with urethane, but you should consider some form of ventilation (a fan in the window, or a kitchen fan).

Now go to then introduction section and post an introduction so we can greet you correctly

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thank you for the quick replies, matty171 and wmlepage.
I live in a city of 400,000 and there is absolutely no place that provides airbrush seminars or lessons. It looks like this forum is going to be the help that I need. I am going to go ahead with setting something up, at least temporarily. After that I know where to go for further info. By the way, I tried looking for "show us your workspace" and couldn't find it. Could you tell me which forum area it is in. Thank you.

Here is a link to the thread http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/show-us-your-airbrush-space.191/

 

[foreveryoung001]

When I first started, I was working right at the kitchen table. Bought a little easel that I could set up and break down every night, and kept all my equipment in a tool box, so never had to worry about where to set the paint bottles and could just close it up and set it aside at meal times. I ended up buying a "silent" tanked compressor from Chicago Airbrush... its not really silent, but it is so quiet that I can run it in the room next to my wife and besides a slight vibration in the floor, she doesn't know its even running. Painted like that for many many months.

 

[Maple Art]

To control any over spray you could do a box fan set up , I airbrush in my basement, family room using a box fan with a furnace filter attached to the "exhaust" side of it I also have a super cheap filter attached to the "intake" side seems to catch most of the over spray. If I have a large area to spray I take my time spray at a lower PSI with a higher reduction it takes longer and may require more layers to achieve coverage but I don't end up with a "paint fog", or "colored" dust all over my things that I have to clean up later.... The compressor is probably a little over whelming "noise" wise maybe you could use a long hose from the doorway or someplace that it won't be so intrusive?

 

[TwinbrotherStudio]

I work in my bathroom. I have a spare bathroom that's not in use so my easel is set up there. Water source is right there so I can clean my airbrush right after changing out colors. As for your questions, here you go:

- I have a cheap airbrush but I will upgrade after trying it.
(I suggest the Paasche VL for an intertmediate upgrade or beginner airbrush. It's a work horse and versatile. I upgraded to an Iwata HP-C and have never used any other airbrush since. I've tried certain Badgers and Aztec, but they didn't work as well as the Iwata I use now).

- I have a very noisy 2 HP, 6 Gallon compressor but I'm prepared to buy a smaller, quieter one.
(If you can, run the compressor in your garage and run a long hose to wherever you're painting. Other than the noise, your noisy compressor will out perform any silent compressor. A good size silent compressor will run you $600-$1000 for the same size tank. If you have the bucks, then by all means, buy one. The 2 HP noisy compressor is half the price and a workhorse, but it is noisy).

- I wish to do some simple light-colour shading on lawn ornaments for starters.
(Light colors just make your overspray lighter).

- I'm in Canada and it's too cold in the garage to airbrush in the winter.
(I paint in my bathroom and open the window for ventilation).

- Is airbrushing something I could do on the kitchen table?
(You can if the overspray is kept to a minimum. If you're working on small items, no problem. However, large spraying means lots of overspray. That overspray will be noticeable after a few weeks. Trust me, I know. I just cleaned up a cake of overspray in my bathtub after months of painting in the bathroom)

- Would the paint fumes be dangerous or objectionable in the house?
(If using waterbased paints, it's not as bad. However, anything sprayed is not good for the lungs when inhaled. Lots of paint particles, even though you don't see it, is bad for you in the long run. The paint particles are so fine, anyone around the area can be affected. If you work small with very little overspray, you can get away with it. There are mini spray booths for table tops that many model builders use that you can buy at your hobby store or online at dickblick.com).

- My wife prefers that I don't paint any furniture. Does it get sprayed all over?
(Yes, overspray is always an issue and will cake your house over time, unless you have some kind of spray fan to remove the overspray outside).

- Is a spray booth required?
(Yes).

 

[RebelAir]

^As above

And yer, the dust will also kill a crapload of your electrical equipment, it gets sucked in really well into computers or anything with a fan LOL

 

[MeeshellMP]

My "inside" studio has a fan we build right into the window, so it sucks all the over spray out. (Because its freezing cold in Michigan, we shoved the fan in ply wood, and cut to fit in open window)

 

[wmlepage]

My "inside" studio has a fan we build right into the window, so it sucks all the over spray out. (Because its freezing cold in Michigan, we shoved the fan in ply wood, and cut to fit in open window)

I have to do this soon for the NH winter. Thinking I may even add foam insulation to the wood. Mine is in the basement so I have to make it removable. Have to make a cover for the window well too.