Spray painting outdoors

[TheKinksFan]

One of the worst thing about airbrushing is the dust particles that get stuck on the painted surface. I have managed to mitigate the problem after starting to use mainly MRP and Mr Color lacquers. But especially when a wet coat is needed, particles of this floating lint gets on the painted surface. Usually I don't care if the finish is not totally perfect, I build aircraft and most of the time a final matt varnish will hide the imperfections.

 

But I have a 1/24 Ford T Model from ICM on the way, and they also just released a new A model which I'm interested in. Glossy paint exacerbates the dust problem, so I'm thinking that I maybe would use a spray can or a portable small compressor & airbrush, and paint the parts requiring glossy paint outdoors.

 

My actual question is, how much stuff there is floating in the air outdoors, would it make a difference? I was surprised when last summer one day I noticed how the air was full of small floating particles, they were visible against the light. Looked like the dust we have indoors. Are they there the whole time, but they are not just visible?

[Farmer matt]

Simple answer, lots of stuff. Also on a warm sunny day just about any insect that flies will find your fresh gloss coat irresistable. But main concerns tend to be temperature, its often not as warm as you think, moisture, that one rain drop from a cloudless sky will land on your model, and wind - even a tiny breeze can be a pain.

Also you have to move your freshly painted model indoors immediately or all of the above will make their mark in the fifteen minutes or so the paint is drying.

So, not ideal, but sometimes you have no choice.

Oh, and don't spray resting on the patio table, side wall or anything else without covering it. Unlike the workbench, you will be nagged about overspray.

 

Matt

[Mark Harmsworth]

6 hours ago, TheKinksFan said:

I noticed how the air was full of small floating particles, they were visible against the light. Looked like the dust we have indoors. Are they there the whole time, but they are not just visible?

All sorts of stuff in the outside air. Dust from the sahara (and closer - like nearby builders, tree surgeons etc), pollen from trees (a single tree can produce millions of floaty things) and from flowers and grass plus teeny insects, spores from fungus, smoke particles. Think I'll stop now - but you probably get the idea.

[Mike]

The only way you can probably get around this is by buying or building an outdoor spray booth, and hoovering the bejeezuz out of it before each spray session.  An overhanging lip will protect it a little, but dust and gravity gets everywhere.  That's why car paint shops spend so much money on removing dust from the air, and sucking paint particles out of the air once they're spraying.  It's all pretty expensive sounding, and a giant faff.  Maybe a tiny shed with a bunch of extractor fans and a lint-free liner?

[bentwaters81tfw]

I do this all the time with rattle cans. Only problem I get is the rain, but even rain spots on acrylic paint just get absorbed.

Obviously I don't spray in rain, but sometimes a quick squirt between showers and I get caught with the odd drop.

Matt, satin, gloss, varnish. Wind is a curse though. every so often the windows and cills get a wipe over with a petrol rag to shift any overspray.

You will put more paint particles in they air than foreign objects on you model. Sometimes use the wheely bin as a table, I don't give a stuff about overspray on that.

 

[RJP]

Go to a kitchen store and buy a colander big enough to keep the birds and bees away.  Air will still get through to allow the paint to cure.

 

For finer particles, the same store will sell you a similar product meant to keep flies away from food. They are usually plastic mesh on a wire or plastic frame.

 

Don't forsake the indoors.  Bathrooms have higher humidity, therefore less dust.

 

If all else fails  you can get a good vacuum cleaner. If you can't run from the environment perhaps you can tame it.

 

 

[Mike]

21 minutes ago, RJP said:

For finer particles, the same store will sell you a similar product meant to keep flies away from food. They are usually plastic mesh on a wire or plastic frame.

 

They're called cloches, IIRC, and you should hoover 'em before use as they're just as susceptible to dust as our finished models are

[TheKinksFan]

Thank you to all for your advice. I should add that I am not aiming for a perfect finish, I don't think it's realistic for me, so I try not to be too upset when the finish is not any way near as good as experienced car modellers do achieve. It's the same with NMF aircraft, I have lowered my standards, as I hate doing the same things over and over again, sanding, priming, polishing etc. In my case I get most satisfaction from the finished model, so I don't want to spend too much time chasing perfection. 

 

 

[Chimpion]

I use a small see-through plastic storage container turned upside down for drying. I place the model on the lid and then put the body of the container over it. It stops any dust beyond the original container volume falling into the paint.