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How do peeps manage breathing safety whilst using air brush?

Spray booth and mask.

Spray booth and a respirator.

i just hold my breath

A cheap face mask and an open window.

Spray booth, open window.

Provided you stick to acrylic paints, there's not a lot of nasties to worry about (compare to aerosol cans, with nasty propellants).

If you're looking for a spray booth, I can recommend this one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLOUREON-Professional-Airbrush-Airbrushing-Extractor/dp/B00KXTDI7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488792367&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=airbrush+spray+booth&psc=1

Comes with the turntable, and folds down very neatly if space is a premium in your house/flat/apartment/condo/mansion/castle/shed

Is spray booth really needed when working on miniatures?

I have used bigger guns when I renovated my kitchen, but then I was using 0.5 liters of paint at a time.
Shouldn't mask be enough?

 wenturi wrote:
Is spray booth really needed when working on miniatures?

Depends.

If youre spraying in a shed or garage, probably not.

If youre spraying in the kitchen or some other room you dont want covered in paint, it might be a good idea.
That said, you could probably just make do with a cardboard box on its side and spray into it.

Fictional wrote:


Depends.

If youre spraying in a shed or garage, probably not.

If youre spraying in the kitchen or some other room you dont want covered in paint, it might be a good idea.
That said, you could probably just make do with a cardboard box on its side and spray into it.

Oh, is it really that much residue? Was thinking on doing my painting in a kitchen inside a "box" (3 walls on sides and nothing on top).

I've heard of people having a thin coat of colored dust in the room where they airbrush, but have never experienced it myself.

Acrylic paint is pretty safe in itself, but airbrushing it creates microparticles that are potentially hazardous. It really comes down to how much particles (and their sizes) you produce, but I have never found any quantitative data.
Some decent particle counters exist on the market (they can tell you how much microparticles are in the air), and know of people in other hobbies that use them (like in woodworking, where sanding produces a lot of dust), so maybe the data is out there. And I guess that out of all the hobbyists, some are bound to work at places where they could borrow a device like that, and test by themselves. It would be pretty straightforward to check if the particle quantity increases when airbrushing, with and without proper ventilation.

So basically, I don't really know if airbrushing a few miniatures is really dangerous for your health, but wearing a mask and using good ventilation (possibly with air filters) might be a good idea, to be on the safe side.

Obviously, if anyone has any quantitative data for things that relate to our hobby, I'd be very interested to see it.

i was joking btw i use a full on 3m paint resparator

I use a P2 rated painters mask, and then do my best to do it outside.

It's far better than doing heavy airbrushing and have blue gunk come out of your nose.

I spray bomb outdoors. No problem breathing!

I use a booth and an exhaust fan simply because I do not trust what manufacturers put in their paints, thinners and cleaners.

They are not water colour paints, they are "water mixable", just because paints and thinners are water mixable doesn't mean what they are actually made from is as safe as water.

It MIGHT be fine, but why take the risk just for the sake of painting a few toy soldiers?

Even if you wear a mask the fumes hang around in the air and your eyes are more than capable of absorbing chemicals from the air.

Best just to get the fumes away from you IMO.

EDIT: That's not to say I think the fumes are likely dangerous, I just think it's an easy risk to avoid.

I just have like, two fans and an open window and a cheap mask
paint toars the fans and window

Don't plan to live long enough for the negative reprecussions to matter. I airbrush in an unventilated room with no mask. Honestly feeling like your nose is stuffed up when it's not is worse then the knowledge that if you somehow make it to your 60s things are going to suck.

fresus wrote:
I've heard of people having a thin coat of colored dust in the room where they airbrush, but have never experienced it myself.

Acrylic paint is pretty safe in itself, but airbrushing it creates microparticles that are potentially hazardous. It really comes down to how much particles (and their sizes) you produce, but I have never found any quantitative data.
Some decent particle counters exist on the market (they can tell you how much microparticles are in the air), and know of people in other hobbies that use them (like in woodworking, where sanding produces a lot of dust), so maybe the data is out there. And I guess that out of all the hobbyists, some are bound to work at places where they could borrow a device like that, and test by themselves. It would be pretty straightforward to check if the particle quantity increases when airbrushing, with and without proper ventilation.

So basically, I don't really know if airbrushing a few miniatures is really dangerous for your health, but wearing a mask and using good ventilation (possibly with air filters) might be a good idea, to be on the safe side.

Obviously, if anyone has any quantitative data for things that relate to our hobby, I'd be very interested to see it.

I can confirm the part about coloured dust.
I did some airbrushing the other day with some vallejo medium yellow. Just did a quick wipe around various parts of the room with a tissue and sure enough- yellow dust!

Getting an extractor now!

ERJAK wrote:
Don't plan to live long enough for the negative reprecussions to matter. I airbrush in an unventilated room with no mask. Honestly feeling like your nose is stuffed up when it's not is worse then the knowledge that if you somehow make it to your 60s things are going to suck.

Most people don't think they're going to get old, until one day they turn around and realise they're old Unless you're planning on killing yourself, in which case, talk to someone qualified about that.

Don't spray with near max flow and high pressure - that's what gives the dreaded colored mist/dust that DOES get into lungs. Though after one event when I started coughing green, I always were some more advanced dust mask.

After I read all of these posts, especially one with "green" coughing + that yellow dust rag, I decided that I will need to adjust my budget for Airbrushing.

If you can find somewhere to paint where it doesn't matter too much if it gets dusty, then a good quality mask should be all you need to keep yourself safe and can be had for about $40. Don't cheap out with the crappy paper ones, get a good one with replaceable filters.

I'd also recommend an airbrush cleaning pot (about $25 - I got mine off of ebay). They're great for reducing the mess and particles released into the air when you're cleaning out the brush.

Of course, if you need to capture all the dust that could fall on surfaces around you, you'll need some kind of spray booth with a filter and vacuum system. That gets quite a bit more expensive...

The biggest issue to your health is the VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) contained in many aerosols and thinners for enamel/lacquer paints. A legitimate respirator, rated to filter those out, is required for safety. Others spray outdoors, or in a well-ventilated space (while staying upwind, in either case), and get by just fine, even without specialized equipment. Especially if spraying acrylics, where particulates are your primary issue.

Personally, I use my airbrush in a moderately (i.e. bigger than a closet, smaller than many bedrooms) spacious room and only use a dust mask/bandanna (worn properly, of course, so as to truly mitigate particulate inhalation) without issue.

I can't, in good conscience, recommend skimping on ANY precautions, but it's your health. Do what you will, knowing BOTH that several strangers on the internet are shaking their heads and others are shrugging in a "well, I've done worse" sort of way.

Fan behind me, window open.

Certain acrylic paints to contain things like cadmium and other heavy metals in their pigments. Yes, still. Because those are the best for those colours. Don't huff paint.

Aerosolised cadmium isn't something you want to breathe in.

Aerosolised paint isn't something you want to breathe in anyway.

Get a respirator rated for VOCs and paint. Minimum.

Eye protection is also good. I wear glasses, I don't want a fine mist of paint on the lenses. Not when they cost several hundred a pair and a pair of goggles costs $10.

NightWinds5121 wrote:
i just hold my breath

Exactly not what to do here lol


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 scommy wrote:
How do peeps manage breathing safety whilst using air brush?

1) Spray Booth (either outside with a box to stop the wind, or inside towards the window with the fan behind you)
2) Respirator Mask for Painters
3) Gloves ( or one glove for the hand holding the model base

That's how you airbrush *safley*

Also make sure the paints you are airbrushing are non-toxic if you are painting indoors and ALWAYS use a respirator

 chromedog wrote:
Certain acrylic paints to contain things like cadmium and other heavy metals in their pigments. Yes, still.

Very true... but mostly for 'fine arts' acrylics and especially oils. Hobby acrylics are almost exclusively rated "non-toxic," which might explain why opacity/pigment density is usually the biggest complaint about them.

Still, particulates are never good to inhale. Even if chemically inert, dust is dust and none of it is good for your respiratory tract. Glass isn't an allergen, carcinogen, or any such thing... but fluff up some fiberglass insulation and suck in the cloud? Yeah... good luck with that.

If you spray and develop a cough, you need better protection. If you spray and your eyes sting, you need better protection. If you spray and taste something weird, you need better protection. If you spray, blow your nose/spit, and see a color in the expectorate, you need better protection. If none of these happen, you're probably fine, but would definitely still be better off with better protection.

 oadie wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
Certain acrylic paints to contain things like cadmium and other heavy metals in their pigments. Yes, still.

Very true... but mostly for 'fine arts' acrylics and especially oils. Hobby acrylics are almost exclusively rated "non-toxic," which might explain why opacity/pigment density is usually the biggest complaint about them.

Actually, hobby paints aren't usually rated "non-toxic", they will usually have a label saying they conform to ASTM 4236, which is "Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials for Chronic Health Hazards". That standard I believe says hazardous materials should be listed, but I don't know what constitutes a hazardous material in that standard, it seems my work doesn't have access to that standard and I don't want to pay $45 to check

Something like Cadmium isn't actually hazardous except in the specific situation of inhaling fumes which only arises if it's being airbrushed, so I don't know if Cadmium has to be listed or not if the paint isn't advertised as an airbrushing paint.

I remember there was a case a few years back of a hobby paint being listed as non-toxic and from memory people were using it as a face paint. Someone from the company that makes the paint released a statement basically saying even though it was listed as non-toxic, it was only considered non-toxic in it's intended use and it hadn't been tested for repeated use on skin. I'm sure they were just covering their arses in case someone got an allergic reaction when the paint hadn't been tested by the FDA (or whatever governing body), but still... I'm inherently untrusting when it comes to labelling

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Actually, hobby paints aren't usually rated "non-toxic", they will usually have a label saying they conform to ASTM 4236, which is "Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials for Chronic Health Hazards". That standard I believe says hazardous materials should be listed, but I don't know what constitutes a hazardous material in that standard, it seems my work doesn't have access to that standard and I don't want to pay $45 to check

ASTM D-4236 is generally accepted to mean that the product in question is not toxic, therefore does not require health labeling. That doesn't mean that one shouldn't exercise caution when using them. Though the labeling standard tells us that there is no expected immediate or long-term health hazards, chronic toxicity data is often incomplete or non-existent.

So no, it's not a stretch to say that hobby acrylics are rated not toxic.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
So no, it's not a stretch to say that hobby acrylics are rated not toxic.

....according to ASTM 4236. I'd like to read that specifically and see what is required according to the standard and if it groups paints according to their purpose (as some things that aren't hazardous in brush on paints are hazardous in airbrush paints, I'd like to see whether brush on paints are handled differently in the standard compared to airbrush paints).

And you still have to check the labels. Tamiya paints conform to the same ASTM, but they list some ingredients that may be harmful. They also have the "may be harmful according to California" spiel on them. Some of the older non-airbrush Vallejo paints, I can't remember whether they do or don't conform to the ASTM but they list some heavy metals that make them hazardous to airbrush, I believe the newer Vallejo paints have had those ingredients removed, but you'd have to check the bottles.

And it's worth noting that some of the accessories for airbrushing acrylics do NOT conform to the ASTM even if the paints themselves do (my Vallejo airbrush cleaner doesn't say it conforms to ASTM 4236).

All that said, as I mentioned previously I'm not really worried about huffing a small amount of fumes myself, but I also would hate to get something horrible later in life and have it traced back to something as stupid as airbrushing toy soldiers So I use a strong fan to get fumes away from me. And when it comes to giving others advice I prefer just to point them to the information and let them decide for themselves what they want to do. Unfortunately the standard costs $45. I know people put a lot of work in to standards but I wish they didn't hide the information behind having to pay for it for the sake of the average person who's just trying to learn more.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
They also have the "may be harmful according to California" spiel on them.

At this point, I believe that everything carries that label, simply because it's cheaper to print it than to take the risk that some idiot in Methville, CA chugs a bottle of bleach and then sues because there wasn't a warning label...