DIY Paint Booth

[Estes]

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Pain...in-Your-Garage
Does anyone have comments to share on this DIY Paint Booth for rocket painting? I've read conflicting information concerning it's use of a box fan. Some say that use of a box fan presents a real fire/explosion hazard when spraying oil based paint, others say that they've used box fans in hobby paint booths for years with satisfactory results and that the fans present no real hazard. What do you think?

[Rex R]

as long as you turn on the fan before you start painting there should be no problem with any type of paint(the switch contacts are the possible spark hazzard) the fan motor is brushless(no sparks).
rex

[sodmeister]

Don`t make the pre-filter too hard to access and change ,as it will get dirty pretty quick (of course depends on use and rocket size) and check the fan blades and motor after long use ,as they will get coated in dry paint particles over time ,filter or not.

Also change filters often ,as performance will decrease pretty fast when clogged.

Although my booth has a sealed/rated explosion proof fan seperate from the booth ,you should be OK ,as the chance of paint/VOC fume explosion are pretty slim (things have to be just right ) but it`s still a good idea to have a good fire extinguisher handy.

Paul T

[Micromeister]

2nd Rex comments! as long as the fan is started first the hazard is minimized.

Before I built my basement blower exhausted booths I used to use a box fan about that size behind a cardboard booth wedged in my apartments patio door to paint. worked wonderfully for a number of years

If you can afford it I'd still recommend going with a squirrel cage blower exhaust system for your booth but they can be kind of expensive these days. My 3' x 3' x 7' booth uses a 6" square 152cfm, 115v blower assembly with 4" dryer ducting that has served me very well for over 30 years, they have become harder to find these days but well worth the effort if your really worried about the fire potential.

[chadrog]

If you want a squirrel cage fan, check ebay. I picked up a used four speed 1400 cfm furnace blower (110v) from an outfit in Kansas City for sixty bucks. I don't recall the exact name, but they seemed to sell a lot of them. Shipping was fair as well. Fan works great!

[cwbullet]

That is awesome. I am going to have to build one.

[Rocketbuilder]

True, I'm lazy and cheap, but I just paint with the rocket in a try-fold display board to prevent overspray, and set it up next to the open garage door. Once it's been painted, I bring it inside the garage to dry. Never had any problems doing it that way.
But then, I only build small rockets...