Those of you with dual workspaces (build inside, spray elsewhere)

[Andy T]

Short version : I know some of you do most of your building in the house then ship outside to a shed/garage for spraying. How does that work out for you?


Babbling version:

So after recently returning to modelling I've already come across one obstacle that put me off before, namely working out in the damp, draughty shed. If I fancy a quick half hour at the bench it means switching on the heater in advance to take the chill off, going down the garden and locking myself away from the family, sit on a bar stool amongst the various power tools and junk I've collected over the years, working on my old router bench.

All my paints have to be in insulated boxes and if I need to leave anything to dry I have to carefully drag it into the house, which is even more fun when it's raining


Now since we had an extension built a few years ago we have a downstairs room that's little more than a dumping ground these days. The Commandant has given me permission to use it as a hobby room but I really don't want to be spraying inside the house, especially since I generally use "lacquer" type paints. Brush painting, weathering, diorama building etc are all fair game but even though I have an extractor I know the fumes from airbrushing solvent paints will still linger a little and I'm not up for that.

However, as I said a long time ago in the short version I know that some of you do most of your work inside but move elsewhere for spraying and that's an option I'm considering: set up a bench in this spare room to do the majority but keep my airbrushes etc out in the shed. I know there'll still be some inconvenience having to move parts back & forth but I wondered how you find it in practice. I'm guessing I'll just need to be a bit more organised and get stuff ready in batches for a spraying session, rather than just turning to my side and doing it in between other things.

So yes, would you sell your soul to get everything in one place or does it work out reasonably well for you?


Like now, I fancy a quick half hour at the bench but can't be bothered with the rigmarole. If my bench was just down the hall I'd be there in a flash.


Thanks all and sorry for waffling on

 

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Andy
I build and spray in the same room indoors. I have a spray booth to keep overspray to a minimum. If I’m using lacquers I keep the door shut, wear PPE, and crack the window for ventilation. When I’ve finished, I clean the airbrush (still wearing PPE), open the window wider and leave the room, shutting the door, and taking off the PPE when I’m outside. This vents the residual fumes in about twenty minutes.

 

[eddiesolo]

I make in the workshed and also airbrush using a booth with extraction to the outside, I also wear a face mask with a filter.

For any bigger spraying, if using a rattle-can, then it is outside.

 

[Jim R]

I work in a very similar way to Tim. I have a spray booth vented to the outside. If spraying lacquers or enamels I wear a mask. When I have finished spraying I open the window and go down for a cup of tea. Half an hour later the smell in the room has virtually gone. The downside is the system doesn't work well if it's raining, very windy or very cold. Then I have to postpone airbrushing.

 

[Jakko]

I used to spray my models in the shed, but it ended up being one of the reasons I disliked airbrushing: the hassle of taking the model, paint, airbrush, etc. down there, setting it all up, and taking it all back after I was done. It also meant dashing through the rain sometimes, though it wasn’t that much of a problem as the shed door is about a metre away from the back door. Even then, I managed to drop a model onto the paving slabs once (when it wasn’t even raining), which is another real problem to consider, IMHO.

A few years ago, I invested into a spray booth for my hobby room, and it made me dislike airbrushing less However, I rarely, if ever, use lacquers, so the smell is not much of an issue — the modelling-type spray booth gets rid of it well enough. In your case, maybe a solution would be to build a more powerful booth with a kitchen-type extractor? It would be easy enough to test how well that takes away lacquer smell with the one you already have, I suppose — if you don’t mind making the kitchen smell of paint for a bit, anyway

 

[Tworrs]

This is my airbrushing setup (very hi-tech), an old cardboard box with an old bathroom extract fan attached to a length of 5" corrugated air vent hose, stuck through the window.
While very rudimentary, it works.

 

[KarlW]

Regarding the spraying indoors thing, my booth vents through an activated charcoal filter, cuts the smell down massively.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks for the replies so far gents. No direct answers but reading between the lines I'm guessing you don't think very much of the idea

It would certainly be more convenient doing everything in one room but since I spend all day in a workplace stinking of solvents I know even the slightest trace at home would drive me bonkers.

I may give that idea a try Jakko. I already use a kitchen extractor but haven't yet built an enclosure for it, so maybe I'll knock something up and do a test in the room to see how effective it is before making any plans. I may have to stick with smaller kits though, I can't imagine anything coping very well with clearcoating a 1/32 plane for example lol.

 

[langy71]

I build inside, in my spare room, and then airbrush out in my shed, this system works for me as I tend to take the paints I need to spray out with me and leave them in the shed until I've finished the complete build / paint work. any touch ups and extra paintwork can be carried out without me hunting through my paints to find the ones I've already used..

 

[BarryW]

I spray lacquers inside and don’t get the fumes in my flat.

The answer is a good spray booth, not a cheap modelling one a professional grade one. Make sure the filters are changed regularly though.

To play safe you could also close the rooms door when spraying. Get the flow going a few minutes before spraying and keep it going until a bit after.

The only smells I get are from my bin that I keep in the modelling room used for paper towels used when cleaning the airbrush.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Barry, another vote for keeping it all in one place.

I designed & built a spray area for full size vehicles at my business so I'm sure I could get something to work if I go that route, but it's things like the used towels you mention. Being autistic I'm hyper sensitive to some smells and even have to put my work clothes away in a cupboard in the utility room or I can smell them all around the house.


Chris, that's more what I was after thanks. The idea was only born yesterday so needs a lot of thinking through, but it's good to hear it works okay for you if I decide to go that way.

I think we're outnumbered though

 

[JR]

I'm lucky in the fact that when I came back to modelling I converted my old office into a cave . Couldn't think of anything more off putting than having to go from one room to outside Andy .
Agree about not wanting to bring work clothes into the house because of the smells, I used to hate smelling of french polish and cleaner fluid , saw dust was different , a nice clean smell .

 

[Andy T]

Of course my boots always live outside under the car port John

I suppose the Holy grail is finding a water based model paint that I can spray as well as solvent. I tried again with VMA over the weekend as I weirdly like the smell but as usual it was 5 minutes of spraying interspersed with a swap of brush and 15 minutes cleaning & unblocking lol.

I enjoy spraying Golden high flow acrylics but unfortunately they only come in "arty" colours so I'd be mixing my own shades for just about everything.

I may order a selection of different brands and see what works for me

 

[boatman]

WELL i must admit that sprayin tigers big hull an all the big parts of the s/s with rattle cans was out in the gareage but since that then all the small bits were sprayed indoors with a rattle can into a cardboard box with the windows open an with a mask an goglles on so that my take on it an to paint the crew figeure with a hairy stick an now which ive done
chrisb

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Andy,
Here are a couple of pics of my own built spray booth.
I sent away for one of the 'portable' ones at over £100 and when it came it was totally useless. When assembled the weight of the extraction fan tipped the booth onto its back.... So it was off to DIY store and bought some 10mm MDF sheets/screws/door handle and on line for the LED lights. Spray paint was left over from repairing the car paint... All of the parts filter/extraction fan can be bought seperately.


The duck tape is to protect my fingers from the clip that holde the pipe onto the fan and even added my own airbrush holder. When not in use it lives in my shed (insulated) and if the weather is rough it can be brought into my room with the hose pushed out through the open window...
Hope this helps.
Mike

 

[Jakko]

I may give that idea a try Jakko. I already use a kitchen extractor but haven't yet built an enclosure for it, so maybe I'll knock something up

Even a big cardboard box with a hole cut in it, big enough for the hood, should work for a test, I would think?

I can't imagine anything coping very well with clearcoating a 1/32 plane for example lol.

I guess that depends on whether you want to build one of the a four-engined bomber kits or not

 

[Andy T]

That's nice for a home made booth Mike and similar to what I'd make if I ever get around to it but as Jakko suggests it'll probably be a cardboard box as a test bed, then knowing me I'll just keep making do with that


Funny how this turned very quickly into a "how to spray indoors" discussion rather than what it set out as, but I remember how easily this place can go off piste

Some great food for thought though, and I know you are all right, so I'll adjust my ideas and see if I can make it work.

 

[Waspie]

Short version : I know some of you do most of your building in the house then ship outside to a shed/garage for spraying. How does that work out for you?

I'm banished outside anyway! (Garage) So no choice. Wife is Asthmatic so no way I would even consider spraying or using anything slightly 'high' in fumes indoors. Even the glue. So I guess my modelling will be weather dependant.

 

[stillp]

I build in a spare bedroom/office/mancave/storeroom/dump, but spray in the garage. I have to be a bit careful of overspray as my TR4A lives in the garage, so I have one of those collapsible spray booths. I occasionally use rattle can primer, but that's always outside under the car port.
Andy, have you tried the Mr Hobby Aqueous paints? Water based but don't have the same tip drying problems as Vallejo. Unfortunately they don't have the same range of colours.
Pete

 

[Andy T]

Andy, have you tried the Mr Hobby Aqueous paints? Water based but don't have the same tip drying problems as Vallejo. Unfortunately they don't have the same range of colours.
Pete

Funny you should mention those Pete. I did buy a couple to try out but I'd been away from the bench for so long I didn't think I'd ever use them, so passed them on to another member to have a go with.

They'd definitely be one I'd look at, since I like their mr color range so much.