Setting up a home spray booth/ help advice needed

tim_wand
tim_wand Posts: 2,552
edited January 2012 in Workshop
As per the title really.

I m thinking of battening off one end of quite a large out building I ve got, (Basically building a large internal frame and lining it with plastic sheet), then fitting an extractor, some halogen lamps , then getting a compressor and starting to respray/ recondition old frames.

Despite the police thinking its a grow room I ve got some queries that I would appreciate anyone with experience offering some advice with.

Firstly, can I just strip/ prepare a frame by rubbing it down with a soloution of Nitromorse and wet and dry of various grades.

Spray guns, what sort of volume and nozzles are best for spraying frames. Do I need to drive it with a compressor,
are gravity feed guns (just that) driven by gravity alone, and will these suffice.

I ve got plenty of old frames to experiment with, but I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of an article or some advice on this.

Cheers Tim

Comments

  • sandyballs
    sandyballs Posts: 577
    edited January 2012
    Had a little sideline experience of spraying and it should not be taken lightly it is quite a job to get good results, that is not wanting to put you off just being realistic. Research is required as you apprciate. All sprayguns less the electric things you see in DIY shops will need a compressor that is oil less supply, most compressors feed tiny amounts of oil into the air to lubricate air tools. This is incompatible with the paint. It also has to be compatible output wise with your chosen spray gun, it will have a cubic output.

    I take it you will be using cellulose based paints, pro's in the automotive business use 2 pack, this is cyanide based and requires breathing and filtering apparatus, and is baked on. This gives a great result but is impractical for home use.

    Have not got links to hand, but really advise doing a lot of research, and good luck.

    Edit: corrected cyanide not arsenic, must have been thinking about the wife.
  • Dust is your worst enemy... I've tried to spray a frame once and dust keeps depositing on the wet paint...
    left the forum March 2023
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    I think you face a number of challenges although, on the plus side, frames are quite small and so your "booth" needn't be that big. In fact, you might be better to consider some sort of "cupboard" that you can suspend and rotate the frames in. It'll be easier to ventilate and keep clean and dust-free.

    Frames will be quite difficult to paint well because of the curved surfaces: the surface facing to you will get lots of paint and those further round the curve will get much less (a bit like the sun at the equator and the poles). Spray painting is the art of getting enough paint on for a smooth finish but not running. I'd imagine factories use electrostatic techniques.

    2-pack paints are cyanide-based rather than arsenic. Result is the same though! Whatever, if you are doing lots of painting in a confined space, your lungs are going to need plenty of protection.

    Ultimately you might be better off finding out what your local powder-coater would charge and focusing your efforts on frame prep. Soda blasting (like sand blasting) is very popular with classic cars - you might consider investing in a set-up to do this.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • tim_wand
    tim_wand Posts: 2,552
    Cheers all. Doesnt sound as easy as I was hoping.

    I was aware that I d need to use cellulose paints for health and environmental reasons.

    What sort of TPI pressures should the compressor be set at? and is there a correct Nozzle size which will produce a fine mist rather than bigger volumes of paint which will be prone to run.

    Would you spray bare metal or does it need a primer coat?

    What kind of laquers and varnishes would seal the paint or does cellulose have this in it?

    I ve got enough spare frames e.t.c to experiment, I d just like to buy the right kit to begin with, and then refine process through trial and error.
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    I bought a chinese carbon frame and sprayed it in my garage myself. For a frame, i dont think you really need a full size spray gun - I did mine with an airbrush and small airbrush compressor. I used 1k paint which is less toxic than 2k.

    I'm more than happy with the results anyway - it came up great after rubbing down with Farecla G3 and protecting with Autoglym Lifeshine
  • Nearly all spray guns will have a air feed specification, the compressors will obviously have its output specified. If you check out Machine Mart you can surf the web and see what i am talking about. You probably need to decide what is the outcome, do you want to make money from spraying or do your own? If its do your own its probably not worth the outlay of a big rig and as previously posted you can use a air brush kit.

    Either way painting is all about the prep, rubbing down and getting the frame ready will be the where the work is. You will definitely need to prime and cellulose will need to be polished to finish.
  • sub55
    sub55 Posts: 1,025
    tim wand wrote:
    As per the title really.

    I m thinking of battening off one end of quite a large out building I ve got, (Basically building a large internal frame and lining it with plastic sheet), then fitting an extractor, some halogen lamps , then getting a compressor and starting to respray/ recondition old frames.

    Despite the police thinking its a grow room I ve got some queries that I would appreciate anyone with experience offering some advice with.

    Firstly, can I just strip/ prepare a frame by rubbing it down with a soloution of Nitromorse and wet and dry of various grades.

    Spray guns, what sort of volume and nozzles are best for spraying frames. Do I need to drive it with a compressor,
    are gravity feed guns (just that) driven by gravity alone, and will these suffice.

    I ve got plenty of old frames to experiment with, but I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of an article or some advice on this.

    Cheers Tim


    i think if you need to ask your in trouble.
    do you recon you can bo this http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=61644
    constantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly