Airbrushing without a spray booth

[BadgersinHills]

Hey everyone,

 

The order for the airbrush + other stuff that you need to airbrush has been placed, and I was wondering if I could spray without a spra booth, maybe in a cardboard box of some sort. The room will be well ventilated and I've ordered a dust mask. 

[PliskinAJ]

I have never used a spray booth. If I'm spraying one model I'll just spray it on my table, there is so little over spray with a good 2 stage airbrush all I have is a paper towel down below the model. If it looks like I'm spraying a bunch of models at once I'll put on a respirator and a box so I don't have to be so careful. It also depends on the type of paint your using, if your using something like Vallejo Air acrylics your fine.

[PeteySödes]

I use one of the cardboard grocery totes that i cut a portion of the top off for light. It works and the modeling police haven't taken me yet.

[sarabando]

use a mask first night i was using mine i was hacking up paint coloured boogers for days.

[Brother Casman]

I've always just used a cardboard box when spraying paint around! Maybe lay down a bit of newspaper, too.

[Semper Fortis]

Just the opinion of a retired nurse: use a respirator, not a dust mask. Acrylic paints (mostly) aren't toxic, put you will still inhale tiny particles that you will regret. You may not hack up colors like sarabando, but they'll still be there and they'll cause damage. This is especially important if you're new to airbrushing as you'll tend to waste a lot of paint into the air at first.

 

tl;dr A spray booth is really nice to have, but a real respirator is a must. ;)

[Subtle Discord]

Yes! If the mask you're using isn't creating a seal to your face it's basically for show. Paper masks are better than nothing but if 100% of the air your breathing isn't passing through a filter you're inhaling more than you want, period. Unless it's a custom made for your face it might be a bit uncomfortable to use for extended periods, but it's worth the discomfort.

 

You've said the space you'll be airbrushing in is an open well-ventilated area so that's a good start, but now it will come down to how much you'll be using it and your tolerance for dust. Yes, a vast majority of the dust will precipitate near your working area, but some of that dust can be stirred up and migrate and there will be dust that gets away. That dust will also be the finest particles and will take some time to become noticeable if you're not spraying much. Start spraying more often and it will become noticeably much faster. When I first got my airbrush I did a large project with an entire bottle of yellow paint on a white prime and there was pale yellow dust on the other side of the room by the time I was done. I was even using some ventilation that was inadequate but at least something and the dust was still noticeable. I create lots of dust in my space doing all sorts of things so I try not to add to it because I loathe dust and I've quickly found that I want a better ventilation solution. This is a subjective thing, but if you use an airbrush a lot it will begin to show at some point and that comes down to you if you can tolerate it.

[Semper Fortis]

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but this...

Is a half mask respirator. That's the style you want. There are many different manufacturers. This happens to be an MSA, which is the brand I use. 3M is another good brand. The important thing is that it has the two canisters and not just some flimsy cotton and paper thing.

As Subtle Discord says ,it has to seal to your face. Easiest way to check the seal at home is to place your hands over the air intakes in the canisters. Breathing in should cause a partial vacuum that sucks the mask into your face. (Ok, now take your hands away so you can breathe. ;) ) If it doesn't pull a vacuum then either the head and/or neck straps aren't tight enough or it's the wrong size for your face. At least in the US, most people take a medium, young teens would be a small, really big guys take large.

And now I'm getting off my soapbox, I promise.

[BadgersinHills]

 I've ordered a respirator, so it seems I'll be alright. Thank you everyone!

[Aarik]

Definitely use a respirator, but I just spray into a cardboard box on my coffee table (and cover the table with an old plastic bag).

[sarabando]

Just the opinion of a retired nurse: use a respirator, not a dust mask. Acrylic paints (mostly) aren't toxic, put you will still inhale tiny particles that you will regret. You may not hack up colors like sarabando, but they'll still be there and they'll cause damage. This is especially important if you're new to airbrushing as you'll tend to waste a lot of paint into the air at first.

 

tl;dr A spray booth is really nice to have, but a real respirator is a must.

tonight i hacked up something that looked like it belonged in the new Venom trailer. Respirator is on order XD.