Saftey Question

I'm converting the 22 x 8 storage room on my carport, to a temporary toy tractor shop. It'll eventually go on to be storage, but since we built this house in 1999, it's been full of junk. I can't aford to build a separate building right now, and I'd like to finish most of my projects for our February show.

Got most of the junk out last week. Today, I put up most of the insulation and wall board. I'll finish that up tomorrow, and hopefully get the heater hooked up.

I will heat it with a butane 3 panel radiant heater (open flame pilot light). I'm gonna build a small paint booth with an exhaust inside this room - Here's my saftey question. Do you guys think I'll be safe heating my room to say 80 degrees, turning off the heater (including the pilot light), doing my spraying, then waiting a half hour or so with the exhaust running, and cranking my heater back up?

Mitch

My work shop is an enclosed 8 x 22 on one end of an open, semi-detacted carport. The structure is 10 feet away from my house and is connected a 10 foot wide roof and wooden steps.

The spray booth I was thinking of constructing is something like a 36" x 36" x 36" to be used to paint 1/16th scale toy tractors. I need some advice on choosing a fan motor / vent piping arrangement.

As for the paint I use, I use enamel rattle cans from JD or CaseIH.

I'll look into this insurance deal. I ain't against building a separate structure. Something like a 8 foot x 8 foot walk-in, free-standing outhouse. Could even put in a better ventilation system.

Hmmm . . . the more I think about it, the more questions I have.

Oh well, . . . ice cream time!

Mitch

Mitch

--->Paul

Having done what you are proposing, here are my thoughts. What kind of paint will you be applying? This is important for a couple of reasons.

If, by any chance, it is lacquer, nitrocellulose or acrylic, you don't want the surface to be painted to drop below about 60 degrees before, during or after, until the finish is dry to the touch or you will get some serious fogging of the surface, which is permanent.

If you plan to spray enamel, is it plain ole or catalyzed (with hardener)? All hardener additives are cyanoacrylate based and you DO NOT want to breath these fumes whatsoever! That means even with good ventilation! The same thing is true of modern two part polyurethane automotive paints.

That said, any catalyzed or two part enamel will dry faster than a plain ole enamel. Several times faster. Plain ole acrylic enamel may take two or three hours to dry to the point where you can safely lower the temp (by exhaust) and/or not get dust in your freshly painted surface.

So no matter what paint you use, my rule of thumb is that you ought not turn on your exhaust fan until the surface is dry to the touch. Spray it and leave it. When surface is dry, exhaust to your hearts content, although half an hour to an hour should be plenty with a decent box fan.

In my opinion, smell is not a good measure of fumes. All paints will still "smell" long after the danger of explosive fumes is over.

I have dealt with the issue of how to avoid breathing paint fumes under these less than optimal conditions by using a full hood (I have a full beard) and outside supplied air. This requires a special air compressor meant to supply breathable air. Under no circumstances should you try to jury rig a supply line from a regular oil type compressor or you will be breathing air with tiny, but unhealthy for your lungs, oil droplets. Not good. A compressor like this is sort of pricey, but in my opinion a good one time investment for all kinds of noxious fumes one may encounter.

Hope you post about how this turns out. Some pictures of your freshly painted toy tractors would be nice. Good luck. Hope I've been of some help.

Mike

Where is your hot water heater? and is it gas? Any way at all for the fumes to get to it?

Charles

Sorry to be a smarty alick, but I don't know much about paint fumes so can't really address the safety. I think I do raise one issue for you tho - might as well make your coverage small..... .

--->Paul

You reckon the "Don't ask - don't tell" line of thinking would be the way to go, or should I use the "Forgiveness is easier than permission" line of thought?

Mitch

My concern is, if your house burns down for any reason, you may not get paid off.

If I'm assuming too much, sorry - just idle thoughts on a sleepless night. ) If it's a free-standing structure, then perhaps the insurance angle is not so much of a deal.

--->Paul

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