[atichargr]

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I am planning on painting my 29 model a with a urethane paint.... I talked to a local painter today and I was telling him I was planning on doing it myself and wanted a little advice.... I had told him I was going to buy a fresh air hood since I have a gotee... he told me that he does alot of side jobs in his back yard.. he has a 10x12x9 protable garage ( a materal stretched over a frame) he said that he puts a tarp to cover the grass then tapes the gaps on the sides and ceiling, he then puts a box fan in the door way with a house hold air filter in the inside (blowing in) then he has a blower/exhaust fan that moves 2200 cfms which he puts on the back of the garage blowing out.... he told me that it is plenty of ventilation like that and I can wear just a activated charcoal respirator... and that I could probably just trim my gotee back to where the mask sits against my skin..... and since I am only painting one car I would be fine since that is all he uses and paints cars all the time.... he also told me I can apply the high build primer outside put two coats on ... don't worry about debris since I will be block sanding it anyway... I just wanted some other opinions on this... especially if this system he uses will really be enough as far as ventilation and if the charcoal filter would be enough?? he said If I wanted I can borrow his fans so all Id have to buy is the temporary garage (around 300 dollars) and the face mask..and the garage would come in handy for storeing my 1992 mustang ..since it is under a cover outside ... the 29 took its place in the garage... any opinions on this and my saftey ??

thanks
simon

[Deez]

I've not painted using any automotive paint just yet. But I would not risk my lungs or life by not using the proper respirator. I do know some guys who used improvised, cheap, or wrong type respirators using various paint types, and some of them may not have damaged their lungs so bad as they have damaged their brains. Your fresh air hood deal sounds like the sanest route.

[Henry the 32nd]

Error to the safe side. check with the Mfg of paint and use the max recomended . If a fresh air hood is best use it. I speak from experience.

[66 Restomod]

You need to be safe when using paints, especially paints with ISO's. No paint job is worth dieing for.
I shot my car in a spray booth like you described. Here are pictures and info from the website we have:
http://chris66dad.tripod.com/id24.html
Also have tabs for the primer and BC/CC on the website
Good Luck
Ron
http://chris66dad.tripod.com/

[Lost in NJ]

If you do some poking around the web you will find some university studies.

I even called one of the researchers to find out the correct answers.

First off the number one problem with the charcoal face mask type filters is a poor fit. Then there is the problem with not replacing the filters at the proper intervals, which is shorter than you might think.

The Isos are totally filtered by the carbon with particulate filter (the 3M disposables will do the job). The number one exposure point with a proper mask is skin contact while mixing.

Clearly a booth with a lot of air flow will reduce the levels of Isos making a properly fitting mask safer.

You should also be aware that the symptoms of Iso allergies (which what happens) are first a tightness of the chest some time after spraying. Bear in mind you also have the effects of the thinners which affect neural, liver and kidney function. The further exposure to isos will increase the breathing difficulty until you get a full blown industrial asthma.

That all being said. You will find that the air fed hoods and such are pricey, but have a high resale value. You could buy one today, do your car, and in a year or two sell it for a pretty good $$$. So it would be like renting, check out the resale on ebay. Also keep your eye on craigslist.

In the end it is your risk to take. I encourage you to do an investigation on Google, the information is tricky to find from reliable sources.

[atichargr]

okay after reading the advice... I am going to buy a fresh air system... better safe than sorry.... my next question is this I was talking with the same painter today and he said that if I get a portable garage with vents (2-3) I could probably just put some paint booth filter material on them and not worry about the fresh air fan if I was worried about it blowing across my car as I painted it... and just have the 2200cfm exhaust fan pulling the air out.... creating sort of a negative pressure... any thoughts on this??

thanks
simon

[cboy]

Originally Posted by atichargr

okay after reading the advice... I am going to buy a fresh air system...

Probably a wise choice. The other factor to keep in mind is skin contact. It is not just breathing you need to be concerned about. So I'd also invest in the neck to toe paint suit. You can get the disposable type or the washable/re-usable type. Neither of these is that expensive for the protection they provide. I'm just a rookie painter but I've used my suit and hood many many times already. The hood is a bit of a challenge to get used to (and you have a second hose to worry about dragging into your fresh paint) but I would make this investment again in a heartbeat.