Basic Airbrush Advice

[Mike Tanner]

My current apartment is large but I do not have a balcony. I have read that airbrush fumes are horrendous and a fume extractor is required.

I currently intend only using my new and as yet unused airbrush for priming/undercoating figures and occasionally spray painting tanks and helicopters.

Will I survive with open windows and a decent quality gas mask from a DIY store or must I buy/build a fit for purpose fume extractor?   

[SimonC]

Typically the more protection the better . I don't have a paint booth /extractor, but I do have a fitted mask, and sit next to an open window.. I would say I only do light spraying ... not undercoating as that actually takes a lot of effort  with an airbrush , which I do outside ... with a rattle can

Paint particulates are not good , you can feel them on your chest if you don't get it right 

[Colonel Kilgore]

I invested in a "proper" mask (twin particulate filters) from an airbrush supplier.

Some DIY masks are for light use only - you may need to be careful about the size of particulates that they are intended for.

It's not the gas (which is air), but it's the particles that do the damage...

[Mike Tanner]

My (as yet unused) 0.2mm Harder & Steenbeck Ultra entry level airbrush. YouTube reviewers have given it a thumbs up therefore it should be ideal for all my beginner needs.



I ordered a BD-512 spray booth from ebay this morning. I hope this piece of equipment doesent turn out to be a piece of junk because it cost me a small fortune. I also ordered a quality respirator type face mask from Amazon just to make sure I won't inhale any nasties. 

[Colonel Kilgore]

Mike,

I see this is getting serious!

What compressor have you gone for?

I'd be very interested in hearing how you get on with the spray booth too.

Thanks,

Simon

[Mike Tanner]

Here is my compressor. It's nowhere near the top of the range but I intend painting only 15mm tanks and helicopters, etc. with it. This model should be more than capable of doing that job without any problems, I hope. I removed the compressor from the packaging to have a look at it when it first arrived and it has rather embarrassingly not seen the light of day since.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-Mini-Compressor-model-AS18B-compact/dp/B0036OOB5W

Today was another wasted day in my life. The car had to go into the workshop first thing in the morning (trapped at home all day). I was expecting the spray booth delivery in the afternoon between 1400hrs and 1530hrs and I had to pick the car up before 1600hrs (I live in a small village outside town and my taxi was already on the way by the time the postie arrived). After picking up the car I drove downtown to the post office to collect the packages which had arrived yesterday when I was at work and my neighbours were not in to sign for them (apart from one package Deutsche Post had somehow managed to lose in the meantime). I finally got back home after 1700hrs.

A very quick look at the spray booth:

There is a redesign from what is seen on the current YouTube videos: no more wobbly side flaps.  The side shields are now integrated into the top and bottom flaps as can be seen in the ebay photograph if one looks carefully.  The fan seems powerful enough to easily pull all paint particulates into the filter and away from the user.

One of the packages I picked up from the post office contained my mask. It's a 3M - 4251. This is the real deal and provides a proper respirator seal. I didn't give up smoking over 10 years ago to be felled by a rogue paint particulate at this stage of my life. Thank you Lurkio and Colonel Kilgore for waking me up to the very real dangers of inhaling this type of poison.     

[Colonel Kilgore]

Mike,

Good to hear that you're all kitted out now.

I have just used mine for base colour (after a spray can primer) to date, but hope to graduate to more interesting things in due course.

I am looking forward to hearing how you get on - particularly with that uprated spray booth - best of luck!

Simon