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Thread: Do I really need a spray booth?

  1. #1
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    Do I really need a spray booth?

    I'm going to start finishing my major project, an eight-legged writing desk shortly. The current plan is for BLO, wiped with 50-50 water/DNO while curing, after 72 hours spray Target ultra seal amber (with a drop or two of transtint bordeaux dye) followed by EM6000.

    My question is given that all of the spraying will be done with waterborne finishes, do I really need to build a spray booth? Yes, I know it is pretty simple given the insulation booth described in Jeff Jewett's book, but the issue for me is more storage than anything else. Opinions?

    Mike

  2. #2
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    IMO a spray booth need not be hard to make, nor hard to store. Mine is nothing more than 6 mil plastic sheeting hung from nails in the floor joists. It takes 5 minutes to put up or take down, and stores on a shelf w/o taking up much space. What's most important is to contain and exhaust the overspray, for two reasons. One you don't want the over spray settling back onto your freshly sprayed finish. If it does it will leave a rough feel. Second, because I spray inside my basement shop, and would not want the chemicals wafting their way up into my living space. WB doesn't mean completely safe, although it does mean no risk of explosion. So, in any case, I have a large exhaust fan (my dust collector fan) hooked up at the far end of my temporary spray booth and it exhausts about 1200 CFM out a nearby window. No over spray, no smell.

    By the way, what is DNO?

    John

  3. #3
    Yes, you want a spray booth because:

    1) you want a way to control dust
    2) the chemicals are still nasty and you don't want to be breathing that if you can avoid it
    3) you'll get over spray everywhere

    But a non-explosion proof booth is so easy to make that there's really no good excuse not to. I have an explosion proof booth, and THAT is a royal pain to build and operate.

  4. #4
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    I would go to a furniture/appliance store(large items) and get a few large pieces of cardboard. Prop it up or stand it up behind the spray area. I think you will find about 80% of any overspray will be on the cardboard. Some will fall to the floor in the area in the form of white dust(it dries very quickly). I do have a JDS air cleaner in the overhead area and I put a cheap filter on the outside of it to catch the overspray that is drawn in. When done fold up the cardboard and either store or throw it out.
    This is what I do in my shop after trying the spray booth route. I found it not worth the effort AS LONG AS YOU ARE USING WATERBORNE PRODUCTS.
    I go outside to spray anything not waterborne.

    Just my $.02

    Jim

  5. #5
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    I do not use a spray booth...I only spray water borne (usually EM6000) and very occasionally a quick coat of de-waxed shellac when I can have proper ventilation available. I use a central area in my shop for finishing so I have 360º access to the project while spraying, run my air filter to help collect the dry-spray fines that can get suspended in the are, wear a respirator and eye protection to keep those same fines out of my lungs and eyes and just make sure that the temperature is appropriate for finishing.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    Question... What is the purpose of : "The current plan is for BLO, wiped with 50-50 water/DNO while curing"?

    What is DNO?

    All you will do is wet the surface with water, which will not help or harm; but may raise the grain. BLO should be wiped on, let set for a few minutes, then wiped dry; and allowed to cure overnight. Then you ultra seal then a couple coats of EM6000

    NOW after the 2nd coat of EM6000 is the time to lightly sand the top coat. Then another coat and final sand if needed, then final coat.
    Scott

    Finishing is an 'Art & a Science'. Actually, it is a process. You must understand the properties and tendencies of the finish you are using. You must know the proper steps and techniques, then you must execute them properly.

  7. #7
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    Denatured alcohol. This was the recommendation of Target to minimize adhesion problems of water borne finish over the BLO.

    Mike

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  9. #9
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    Jim, I hope your shop is not connected to living space. You do not want the glycol ethers used in WB finishes hanging around to be breathed in later. As I mentioned, I use the fan of my dust collector as an exhaust fan. I just bypass the dust bags by running a hose from the back of my spray booth to the inlet side of the fan, and another hose from the outlet to a nearby window. I don't know why I didn't think of it years ago, but I've been using this arrangement now for about 3 years and it works great. No filters either, they just plug up. The over spray is dry by the time it hits the fan, so there is no buildup on it after spraying at least 15 gallons of finish, and the dry powder just gets blown outside. The fan moves at least 1200 cfm, but the temp in my shop doesn't change by a measurable amount even if I spray for an hour. There's just too much mass. The only precautions I take is to turn off the furnace because some of the make up air is coming down the chimney. If I had another window I would open it to provide an easier path for make up air. All in all, it's a simple, effective system for dealing with over spray and VOC's.

    John

  10. #10
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    John,
    Yes, my shop is separate (not connected ) with the house. I always wear a 3M 7500 mask with appropriate filters every time I walk in the shop.....even when I am not spraying or sanding. I have some allergy/sinus issues that requires me to do this 100% of the time.
    I also make a point to spray the last thing before leaving the shop, leave the air cleaner on.
    Jim

  11. #11
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    This is going to be a little hard to put into words because,most folks have preconceived notions that once set,is going to be hard to understand a different philosophy.

    To start with,you're getting good posts above.A "booth" can be extremely fast/painless to put up.Google foo images of them.....look for the curtain wall style.Think shower curtain.

    Dedicated fans and filters are expensive....as posted above however,you can utilize DC's.Google Grizzly's 3 HP dry spraybooth.....see any similarities?

    But the above is all academic.The biggest benny of a spraybooth is space......unencumbered space.Which is possibly the cheapest component?The two things we'll never be without,a spraybooth and a loading dock........it's just space.

  12. #12
    re: fans
    A cheap box fan would work very well. I think FastCap makes a breakdown plastic sheet booth. I've even seen them made out of PVC, or just a few pieces of hinged plywood. Life is very easy when you're spraying waterborne.

  13. #13
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    Hi Jim. Actually, I was directing my comments to Jim Becker. Sorry for any confusion.

    John

  14. #14
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    >>>> Denatured alcohol. This was the recommendation of Target to minimize adhesion problems of water borne finish over the BLO.

    I've never heard of that process before. Be sure you understand what Target is saying. In addition, I strongly suggest you apply the finish to a sample surface to see how it goes. Never let your "money surfaces" be your learning curve. Only process to the actual surfaces once you are satisfied that your will get the results you want and expect.

    Do you have much experience spraying finishes? Something like a desk presents problems.
    Howie.........

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Acheson View Post
    >>>> Denatured alcohol. This was the recommendation of Target to minimize adhesion problems of water borne finish over the BLO.

    I've never heard of that process before. Be sure you understand what Target is saying. In addition, I strongly suggest you apply the finish to a sample surface to see how it goes. Never let your "money surfaces" be your learning curve. Only process to the actual surfaces once you are satisfied that your will get the results you want and expect.

    Do you have much experience spraying finishes? Something like a desk presents problems.
    see http://forum.targetcoatings.com/foru...pic.php?t=1000

    i have no experience with spraying finishes. I have 35 years of experience in woodworking. I did buy an exceptional HVLP system, the Apollo 1040vr with a 7500 gun. I'm in the middle of testing the finish schedule on scrap.

    Mike

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