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Hi folks,

I posted this elsewhere on social media but wanted to share here as well in case it helps anyone thinking about setting up a booth to spray in. My setup is in my basement. There are two windows on the opposite side of the basement which are both opened to provide make up air. This creates a nice column of air that moves across the basement. I can run the booth even in winter (just did an hour ago and it’s 42 degrees out) and it doesn’t affect the upstairs air temp at all. The temp in the basement drops 3-5 degrees when spraying in winter and recovers within 30 minutes. There is no noticeable smell in the upstairs. I run the fan for 10 minutes or so after spraying just to be sure no fumes make it upstairs. My wife lets me get away with a lot when it comes to the shop but she would not stand for fumes upstairs, lol.

The fan is a canarm SD12-XPF - https://www.canarm.com/hvac/sd-xpf-expl ... d-fan.html

The power switch and pigtail is from Larson Electroncs. The whole system is filled with chico.

https://youtu.be/H_S4wzRTrd8

https://youtu.be/wwEFVt0tf1g

https://youtube.com/shorts/6dzjbuw-A_A?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/fWPL0orgk3Q?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/4cnSFRa0kPI?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/yFUKnfnlvng?feature=share

Any questions let me know.

Brad


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Brilliant setup, Brad. Very helpful videos too, thanks for posting!

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
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Nicely done, Brad.

Looking great, Brad!

Nice set up Brad,
It looks very well thought out. I like the fact that it is light weight and collapsible.
When you cover the countertop with paper you might want to drape it over the cabinet front as well. You might also want to consider moving the fan switch out of a possible spray path (?) but maybe I'm not seeing that right.
I'm always paranoid about what goes on social media, so I don't post there, but as long as your insurance agent doesn't spy on you and/or believes you are the rational and safety conscious person we know you to be, I'm sure you will be fine.
Did you keep a tally of what it cost you to build it?

Thanks for the ideas, Clay.

I didn’t keep a tally of the wood, plastic sheeting, piano hinge, etc.. if I had to guess maybe 300 bucks including the coil stock to make the filter frame?

The big ticket items were:

Fan - $850 (although there is an open box new one on eBay right now for 550, link below).

Power - Larson Electronics - $750 although it could have been cheaper because I bought an incorrect momentary switch to start and had to do a return and swap for a single pole switch. The setup is sold as a kit and was cheaper than I paid individually. A whole other rant is they have no return policy so I was stuck with the momentary switch. They were not easy to work with and gave bad technical advice multiple times and the refused to take back the incorrect recommendations. To be fair I was learning on the fly and probably was confusing them, but I sent the fan manual and said “this is what I want to power, what do I need” and was sent the wrong thing two times and the right thing the final time.

Acrylic sheet - $200 - if I had to do this again I would go with 1/8 or even thinner. The ceiling panels are heavy and hard to lift onto the structure. I do have to clean them every 6 months or so because of dust settling on them from the shop. I have a decent dust collection setup and run an air scrubber but it still builds up over time. Probably unavoidable:)

So it’s a 2k - $2500 investment for sure.

Here’s a link to the fan on eBay, that’s a good deal - https://www.ebay.com/itm/313684057307?m ... media=COPY


Brad


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Hi Brad,
Fans and switches do seem to be the most expensive parts of spray booths. The expensive switch can be avoided by locating it outside of the booth. Some people use a plastic bladed non sparking induction motor fan (typical household box fan) which "kind of work" in place of "explosion proof", but wouldn't pass muster for a commercial setup.
I have thought about making a motorless "fan within a fan" - something where the fan blades at the center hub are driven by a dust collector or shop vac, and the blades connected outboard of the hub would push the air out of the booth. Some sort of non-sparking lazy Susan bearings would be needed to support the hollow hub itself. A shop vac with a blower would allow both fan blades to exhaust out, but a dust collector would need to draw air in from a different source than the booth air is exhausted to.
For the small volume of spraying I do I just "spray and pray" - a separate building with a fan in the doorway or al fresco when the weather is fair and fine. Explosive atmospheres require the right concentrations of elements, and having spent a few months in a burn ward in my youth, are something I try to avoid.

Hi Brad,
Nice looking booth, It appears you have everything pretty well organized and laid out well.

A couple of notes:

I didn't see if you have a fan switches on the inside as well as outside for your fan. Having designed a couple of spray booths when I was in body shops and designing my own for my shop it is important to be able to shut the fan down when entering and exiting your booth. This will keep dust from your shop from being sucked into the booth when you go in and out.

Another thing I would be very careful about is all the plastic you have to construct your booth. Air moving over plastic will create static electricity and will attract dust. It could also "possibly" cause a spark (not very likely but it could happen).

A remedy for that would be to ground all the plastic much like you do when using PVC for dust extraction.

My booth is similar to yours except it is stud walls and drywall. My fan is portable explosion proof that I insert into the opening when I need it. Otherwise I have the hole plugged up so I don't loose heat when it is cold. I also have a variable speed controller on my fan so I can adjust it for what I am spraying. If I am using my airbrush or touch up gun I don't need to pull that much air but if I am spraying something with my big guns I can adjust to suite. More airflow can result in more dirt in your finish especially in a smaller spray booth.

Just a couple of things you might want to consider.

Cheers,
Bob

Thanks, Bob. Good call on the switch outside the booth. It’s something that i wish I had done. What I do now is unplug the power to it, but it would be great to have a switch.


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Nice spray booth Brad. I like the knock down aspect of it. When I built mine I took a 6' x 5' corner of the shop so it ends up being storage most of the time.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I think Brad's setup is great. There are several considerations when DIY building one of these things, and sometimes you have to balance competing goals. For my part, I think the best way to prevent shrapnel or fire-spreading damage from a fire or explosion (which is the point of explosion-proof gear) is to do everything possible to prevent a fire or explosion in the first place. The best way to not have a fire or explosion is to make darn sure the vapor concentration never comes close to the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL). And the best way to stay well below the LEL is to have great air flow, even if great air flow could increase the chance of other problems (like dust migration, loss of heated air, etc.). So, I would be comfortable working in Brad's setup, because he has a fan with decent horsepower and he provides make-up air, and thereby stays well below the LEL. He filters the air coming into the booth from the rest of the shop, and thereby minimizes the dust migration, to the extent he can. And he can live with the temporary loss of heated air. I think it is a fine DIY setup, for my own priorities. YMMV.

Agreed, I have a 12" explosion proof fan vented to the outside and it does move a lot of air. Make-up air is no issue since I never did install the door but, surprisingly, dust on my finishes has never been a problem. Of course when I spray the rest of the shop is shut down. Switches and lights are outside, wiring is in waterproof plastic conduit. Would not pass OSHA but it's safe. I got most of my ideas from building a spray booth for an auto body shop some years ago.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"