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Downdraft Painting Table
- Thread starter 330Jock
- Start date
Downdraft paint booth
Enter the above words in an "advanced Search" and you will pull up 6 threads, the most recent of which is mine. I included photos.
Mine is crude, cheap and effective. There was only one response to my post - it must not have interested others. The other threads may describe more elegant or better thought out solutions.
LarryT
Enter the above words in an "advanced Search" and you will pull up 6 threads, the most recent of which is mine. I included photos.
Mine is crude, cheap and effective. There was only one response to my post - it must not have interested others. The other threads may describe more elegant or better thought out solutions.
LarryT
md_clermont
Member
Check Fan Options
Larry's setup looks great and as he mentions, also would double for a nativity scene.
When I did some research on booths a while back one of the pieces of cautionary advice I ran across some dealt with what kind of exhaust fan to use. Using a fan not designed for the purpose brings a risk for igniting the paint "fumes" and causing an explosion. Here is some VAF discussion on same: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=34454
-Matt
Larry's setup looks great and as he mentions, also would double for a nativity scene.
When I did some research on booths a while back one of the pieces of cautionary advice I ran across some dealt with what kind of exhaust fan to use. Using a fan not designed for the purpose brings a risk for igniting the paint "fumes" and causing an explosion. Here is some VAF discussion on same: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=34454
-Matt
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Dan Langhout
Well Known Member
Down Draft Table
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=620050&postcount=13
The fan on the bottom of the painting table pulls the air through the table - the baffle and filter take care of most of the overspray. Any fumes are taken care of by my shop's built in exhaust fan to pull them outside. In practice, I had the painting table located below this fan which is about 6 feet off the floor. The system worked perfectly for me throughout the build.
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=620050&postcount=13
The fan on the bottom of the painting table pulls the air through the table - the baffle and filter take care of most of the overspray. Any fumes are taken care of by my shop's built in exhaust fan to pull them outside. In practice, I had the painting table located below this fan which is about 6 feet off the floor. The system worked perfectly for me throughout the build.
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flyboy1963
Well Known Member
just don't forget airflow and temp!
everyone exhausts fumes outside, but forget that for every cubic foot you send out, one HAS to come IN!....and it probably is COLD!
commerical booths have big make-up units that heat & filter the fresh air that comes into the booth, so consider your shop a big booth.
I've cheated by opening the garage door to the house a bit, and the warm air whooshes in!...so your home furnace is the heater, and that bathroom at the far end of the house will get mysteriously freezing cold! ( outside air will be sucked in every crack, unbaffled bathroom fan and dryer vent etc.)
everyone exhausts fumes outside, but forget that for every cubic foot you send out, one HAS to come IN!....and it probably is COLD!
commerical booths have big make-up units that heat & filter the fresh air that comes into the booth, so consider your shop a big booth.
I've cheated by opening the garage door to the house a bit, and the warm air whooshes in!...so your home furnace is the heater, and that bathroom at the far end of the house will get mysteriously freezing cold! ( outside air will be sucked in every crack, unbaffled bathroom fan and dryer vent etc.)
Golf Echo
Active Member
Perry,
How many CFM (rated) were you pulling with your exhaust fan? I'm in a similar situation and have been thinking of doing something like this to allow indoor priming when it's cold (which is often, up here).
bret
Well Known Member
Thats funny, thats how I painted my wings, I had a porta cool as my air sucker, it also sucked the heat out of the house, my wife was not to happy about that.
jbagley
Well Known Member
Better to suck the heat out than the paint smell in. That's my excuse and i'm sticking to it.
flyboy1963
Well Known Member
options....options...options
First some options; use low VOC waterborne sprays so you aren't toxifying everything; you still need to change the air, but you can make them cure nicely with Infra-red heat sources that aren't gonna cause any fire problems.
Depending on the scale of spraying; touch-up/small parts or a whole wing!!! ....I used one or two of those silly cube fans!
the secret is to take'em apart, and make a duct out of some flexible plastic ( scrap plexi works well) with minimal clearance to the blades, and fill in the square corners to eliminat the significant reversion that occurs there.
The output of the fan probably triples!..... it starts to push so much air that it takes 3 minutes to rev up to full speed.
as I mentioned, you won't blow more that you can suck, so unless you open a window in the house, the output cfm of any system is limited.
if explosive fumes are an issue, you can always put the fan in the window of the house blowing IN, (pressurizing the home and shop) and just paint in front of your shop door or window..the actual airflow will be exactly the same, ( just not as obvious or directional)
First some options; use low VOC waterborne sprays so you aren't toxifying everything; you still need to change the air, but you can make them cure nicely with Infra-red heat sources that aren't gonna cause any fire problems.
Depending on the scale of spraying; touch-up/small parts or a whole wing!!! ....I used one or two of those silly cube fans!
the secret is to take'em apart, and make a duct out of some flexible plastic ( scrap plexi works well) with minimal clearance to the blades, and fill in the square corners to eliminat the significant reversion that occurs there.
The output of the fan probably triples!..... it starts to push so much air that it takes 3 minutes to rev up to full speed.
as I mentioned, you won't blow more that you can suck,
so unless you open a window in the house, the output cfm of any system is limited.if explosive fumes are an issue, you can always put the fan in the window of the house blowing IN, (pressurizing the home and shop) and just paint in front of your shop door or window..the actual airflow will be exactly the same, ( just not as obvious or directional)
Dan Langhout
Well Known Member
Photos
Bill - Check your E-mail
Bill - Check your E-mail
Here's how I made my downdraft paint booth. I'm very happy with it. The box is nothing special, just made with fiberboard and 1 X 2s. The key is the two 12V boat bilge blowers I bought from a local marine supply house. Cost about $30 each, they are explosion proof (designed to exhaust gasoline fumes) and I can power them with my battery charger (on the floor, out of the photo).
I first built it with just one blower, but I found that didn't draw enough air and I still got some paint smell in the shop. When I doubled it up to two blowers it worked perfectly.
I also use it for occasional arc-welding too.
I made it with fold-down sides and back so I can use it as more work-space when I don't need to do any painting.
I first built it with just one blower, but I found that didn't draw enough air and I still got some paint smell in the shop. When I doubled it up to two blowers it worked perfectly.
I also use it for occasional arc-welding too.
I made it with fold-down sides and back so I can use it as more work-space when I don't need to do any painting.
akarmy
Well Known Member
Downdraft table
After looking at some of the good ideas posted, here is my table. I built it mostly out of kit crate parts with a few added bits.
I used a 4" marine bilge blower from west marine running on an old 12v motorcycle battery with a lamp cord roller switch.
I put a 16x16 furnace filter in the bottom and a bit of a baffle with some holes in it to give the paint something to hit and stick to.
It works fine, but there is still a little bit of spray that floats into the air. I'm using Stewart Systems waterborne primer which drys quickly and the little overspray that escapes is dry before it lands on anything.
and now the pictures.
After looking at some of the good ideas posted, here is my table. I built it mostly out of kit crate parts with a few added bits.
I used a 4" marine bilge blower from west marine running on an old 12v motorcycle battery with a lamp cord roller switch.
I put a 16x16 furnace filter in the bottom and a bit of a baffle with some holes in it to give the paint something to hit and stick to.
It works fine, but there is still a little bit of spray that floats into the air. I'm using Stewart Systems waterborne primer which drys quickly and the little overspray that escapes is dry before it lands on anything.
and now the pictures.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? I really liked the fold up/down version and I liked the filtered version, so I combined them. Here are some photos of in-progress construction. I'm waiting for the vent hose and blowers to arrive and need better nails for the hardboard backer before I put that on.
The dimensions take advantage of precut 2'x4' hardboard pieces although with a jigsaw the stuff cuts pretty easy and I could have just drug a big board home. The width of the front and top is 48" less a little bit so that the front overlaps the board on the sides. The side boards will overlap the back a bit. I had to trim board for the two folding sides and the fixed sides. No biggie.
In the bottom the tray is for 2 pairs of the cheap 20x20 filters; 2 on a side. The suction will be installed under that; I'm thinking of just using some rod made from wire hanger material to make a cross that retains the 4" dryer vent hose in a hole that matches. That goes to a couple of bilge blowers run off of a AC charger, and then out the window.
This thing is really light and easy to move around. I can move it outside if I want, or maybe even paint in the storeroom so I don't' heat up the shop when the AC is on.
The last picture shows how the sides fold under the top. I had to make the back 3/4" higher than the front to make that possible. The top hinges are on the back not the inside so when open the top sits up a bit from the back rail - but that's no big deal because the hardboard backing extends down and covers the gap no problem. And there is air sucking in anyway.
The furring strips are warped a bit even though I got the best they had. They work out fine if you decide its okay - its not furniture.
I still have to figure out how to attach the chicken wire. Probably will screw some supports to stick out from the bottom railings, or better just make two long pieces to go from one side to the other under the front and back.
The blowers are $35 a piece on amazon and 50' of exhaust hose $15. The wood, hinges and strips here cost another $50 or so. I had glue, tools and screws. Not overly expensive for making painting inside palatable!
The dimensions take advantage of precut 2'x4' hardboard pieces although with a jigsaw the stuff cuts pretty easy and I could have just drug a big board home. The width of the front and top is 48" less a little bit so that the front overlaps the board on the sides. The side boards will overlap the back a bit. I had to trim board for the two folding sides and the fixed sides. No biggie.
In the bottom the tray is for 2 pairs of the cheap 20x20 filters; 2 on a side. The suction will be installed under that; I'm thinking of just using some rod made from wire hanger material to make a cross that retains the 4" dryer vent hose in a hole that matches. That goes to a couple of bilge blowers run off of a AC charger, and then out the window.
This thing is really light and easy to move around. I can move it outside if I want, or maybe even paint in the storeroom so I don't' heat up the shop when the AC is on.
The last picture shows how the sides fold under the top. I had to make the back 3/4" higher than the front to make that possible. The top hinges are on the back not the inside so when open the top sits up a bit from the back rail - but that's no big deal because the hardboard backing extends down and covers the gap no problem. And there is air sucking in anyway.
The furring strips are warped a bit even though I got the best they had. They work out fine if you decide its okay - its not furniture.
I still have to figure out how to attach the chicken wire. Probably will screw some supports to stick out from the bottom railings, or better just make two long pieces to go from one side to the other under the front and back.
The blowers are $35 a piece on amazon and 50' of exhaust hose $15. The wood, hinges and strips here cost another $50 or so. I had glue, tools and screws. Not overly expensive for making painting inside palatable!
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