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This is going to sound stupid or crazy! I am very new to the art of airbrushing... What is the purpose of these boxes with filters and fans... We were just going to build one for me using cardboard... but looking at all of the designs and just trying to get a little bit of research I have done I see they all have fans and filters... So please help me wrap my head around it... I thought the box was just to keep the paint from flying everywhere!!

That's what it's for. It keeps paint inside the booth and allows the fan to vent the fumes and paint particles out the back. Usually there's a large air hose that you connect to rear of the spray booth so you can vent fumes out the window.

This image shows what I mean.

The fans are just there to vent the fumes somewhere else - like out a window as mentioned above. The filter catches the actual paint particles, which to an extent makes the air coming out the back of the fans cleaner, and also stops the fans getting gummed up with paint.

You can get away with just a box if you want; it will catch the overspray and stop you making a mess, but it doesn't stop there being particulates in the air that you can breathe in. Depends how health-conscious you are eith this stuff, best practice is to use a proper spray booth, and also wear a respirator.

I'd suggest not actually using the spray booth configured as it is pictured above. It doesn't seem smart to go to all the effort to catch the overspray with the booth and then spray it back in your face...

Personally I wear a mask and just use a cardboard box on its side to catch the spray. Sometimes a bit goes on my desk, but it's only my hobby desk, I'm not bothered...

Crispy78 wrote:
I'd suggest not actually using the spray booth configured as it is pictured above. It doesn't seem smart to go to all the effort to catch the overspray with the booth and then spray it back in your face...

Actually, the vent hose is just positioned that way to fit in the pic - I am sure it can be lifted and positioned anywhere, like out a window, etc.

 MDSW wrote:
Actually, the vent hose is just positioned that way to fit in the pic - I am sure it can be lifted and positioned anywhere, like out a window, etc.

Yeah, it can, I have that same one, the hose is articulated, it can be positioned any way you want, really.

Yeah, I was making a joke of it. Reading my post back it didn't really come across that obviously...

getting a booth like that is more for hardcore air brushers. if you're just having a bit of a play, get a box to avoid messes, position yourself near a large window, and aim a running desk fan to blow the particulate and fumes out of the window. failing that just airbrush outside if you can. I have a small side porch/storage area on the side of my house and I just go out there to spray, coming inside and closing the door if the fumes build up too much.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh and grab a mask. a filtered dusk mask with good seal minimum.