Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm trying to find an exhaust fan for my spray booth (The booth will about 8'x 5').

Any help with a finding a source for a safe, but reasonably priced fan would be appreciated!

also... is "explosion-proof" and "totally enclosed motor" the same thing?

long

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

I'm pretty sure Grainger has them. They are definately not inexpensive though.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

$1000USD MSCDirect.com too has 'em. Ebay, $75 to $1000. No, TE is not EP, although EP is Totally Enclosed. Fully code satisfying setup includes wiring, conduit, switches, lights, exhaust fan, and fire extinguisher system.

I got tickled at a few of our older more illustrious builders who have huge spray booths. Well, that is, when the weather's nice.   

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

a totally enclosed motor and explosion proof are not the same thing. while an explosion proof motor is totally enclosed, it also has a beefed up hosuing certified to contain a vapor explosion inside the hosing and not shatter. the explosion proof fan also has a non-sparking aluminium or plastic fan blade.

explosion proof fans frequently come up on ebay, as do explosion proof motors.

jenny fans make excellent explosion proof fans, and sell direct. just google their website. graingers carry them.
regarless of source, they are not cheap.

The booth I had before I moved was a nice 8'x12' room with one wall being filters. I used a squirrel cage fan with the motor in a separate area. The only opening was for the belt to get out and even that was out of the line of exhaust. No it was not explosion proof but as close as my budget (free parts) would allow at the time.

people do stupid things every day and burn their houses down. I'm sure this is no different.

FWIIW, I have chose to build myself one of those small metal portable yard buildings (8x10) to use as a spray booth. It is far enough away from the house and shop that even if it does catch on fire, it wont hurt anything else. I have tried to set it up as safe as possible, but with minimal costs.  With the HVLP system, there is so little that is atomized into the air that it is hardly worth the effort, but it does keep the gnats from finding their way to the fresh lacquer. Now if someone could tell me why gnats are even attracted to the stuff??

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Reguards,

Ken H

 gnats are attracted to the stuff due to Murphy's law...

How many folks spray in a booth that has a fan that isn't explosion proof?  Is it likely to blow up with an ordinary fan?

I'm going to make a spray tent in the basement, with fan stuck in the window for exhaust.  I had thought much about which fan to use until now..

Stef

Bob,
   I have the Steam Jenny 16" it really sucks, literally, it will suck the door closed in my work shop.
Here is the link:Steam Jenny

I they'll get you in touch with a local dealer, but I got the fan with louvers for around $500.

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Matt Jacobs

"Don't tase me bro"

Thanks, everyone! All good information.
I'll keep looking on Ebay. So far, nothing there, but that may be my best bet.

The safety issue is what got me started with water-based finish a few years ago. My thinking now is that with a better equipped booth, I would be able to still spray nitro or poly if I wanted. I'm sure there are issues with the water-born stuff as well, but hopefully it's not as bad.


Yeah... I know.... French polish looks better everyday!

long

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

Matt! Thanks for the tip! I guess we were posting at the same time.

I'll check out the link and get back to you.

long

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus