Hi everyone,

Is it possible? Can you airbrush with detail and good quality without a spray booth? I imagine you'd have to go outside and I would assume from that - that quality would suffer. Is this true? I'm just starting and a spray booth would be a big investment. Any tips to get me by until I get one?

Thanks,

-Mike

Hi,

I don't think that having a spray booth or not would really affect the quality of your work. If you can spray in a well ventilated area and if you wear a protective mask you will be ok. I personally spray outdoors in the summer time

Good luck,

Mike

Mike,

You do not need a spray booth. I have been using foam board on top of garbage cans in my garage for a while. Since I use acrylics the vapors are almost non existent. If you were to use enamels or lacquers a booth would be beneficial, as long as it vents to the outside. Good lighting is quite important too.

If anything, get a good compressor with a pressure regulator. I bought a 7 gallon capacity compressor from Home Depot for about $100. And I can use it for around the house stuff too.

-Derek

Hi Mike,

IMO a spraybooth is a 'nice to have'.

For spraying from a rattle can for priming figures I spray outside. For priming and spraying larger models with an AB, I simply set up a tressle table in the garage, open the doors, and spray.

HTH

Rudi

Hi Mike,

I airbrush on my dining room table with a small booth made from a cut-in-half cardboard box. I also use acrylics so there's no smell, and the odd occasion I use Alclad laquers I wait until my wife has gone out! As long as you're careful, use fairly low pressure (which you should be for airbrushing), you'll be fine.

On the other hand, I do all my priming with halfords grey enamel undercoat, that's either the loft or outside, that stuff stinks!

As already mentioned, use a mask all the time. Have fun, Nick

Purchase a cheap box fan, tape a furnace filter to the intake side. Set fan in open window (so it blows the air outside), turn on...instant exhaust system. The filter collects the particulates and the fumes go out the window. Do your painting close to the fan. Don't paint any faster than your fan can dissipate the paint cloud. You can do the same with a cardboard box and a shop vac. Most come with two different sized hoses. Use the large one to connect to the back of the box through an appropriately sized hole. Use the smaller hose on the outflow side and stick the other end in/out the window. Be sure your vac has a filter of some type preferably paper. Instant paint booth.