to paint or not to paint, that is the question Options

[914fire]

you have a large compressed bottle of air or a bank of them. the pressure is regulated down and fed into some kind of face piece. the pressure is high enough in the face piece to create a positive pressure environment . kind of like SCUBA but the hle face area is infused with air.

[CptTripps]

I just leave my garage door up about 8" and wear the mask I pictured earlier. For the casual painter (1-2 cars a year) I can't imagine needing more than that.

Now that I got the mix-down right, that primer I bought ROCKS! I'll bet it'd fill a 30-grit scratch like nobody's business. I sprayed it yesterday morning and wet-sanded last night. I'm waiting for a buddy, but I'm going to lay a coat of paint down today and see what I end up with!

Check my thread for updates, but it is a LOT easier (skill wise) than I originally thought it would be. If you are on the fence...I'd say go for it.

[xsboost90]

yeah i got my last door in primer yesterday, now just looking for minor stuff before i paint it.

[scotty b]

First off, you say you may get a larger compressor, what do you have now? When I first started out all I had was a roll around Devilbiss (3 h.p. 20 gal) and it was good for painting. I stepped up because some of my air tools and mainly my sandblaster killed it. You don't need a large compressor to paint. Secondly save the compressor $ if possible and buy a GOOD paint gun. A nice gun will run from 300 - 500 depending on how often you will use it. I use a $70 NAPA gun for my high builds (it has a 2.0 tip) and have a nice Devilbiss for my primers and top coats. The other thing to consider is, will you ever paint another car? As I said a good gun is minimun 300.00 + 500.00 for paint = 800.00 and you don't have the right environment. So if you figure on 1200.00 total for one paint job (400.00 being to build a makeshift booth and other materials) you could pay a pro that, and not have the headache! Just some food for thought. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)

[MecGen]

Hi
I am pricing out a paint booth/system rite now. But in my world there are pemits,inspections, explosion proof ventilation (2000$ motor).
Just be carefull with your health.
Regards
Joe

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[914GT]

QUOTE (thomasotten @ Apr 16 2005, 10:35 PM)

So how does a "supplied-air respirator" work? Is it kinda like scuba diving? How does it supply you with air?

The hood gets air through a hose from a small blower you set outside safely away from the paint spray. Basically it's a vacuum cleaner motor with a HEPA filter on the inlet mounted in about a 1 cu. ft. box. You could probably buy a new small shop vac and attach a 3/4" garden hose to the outlet, and there you have your supplied air source. Just don't use the vac for anything besides breathig air. You can buy the hoods separately.

[Porsche Rescue]

I bought a complete hooded system, much like the one described by 914gt, from a fellow who markets them on Ebay. He has 2 or 3 styles. Cost was about $300 incl. shipping. I have tried it out but have not yet done any painting with it. I think it is a good product. It will take some getting used to, and keeping a second line in order will require practice, but it should be a lot better than a simple respirator.
I have heard conflicting info re: fumes. Some say, as mentioned above, that you are OK if you don't smell paint. Others say that's not good enough. Isocyanates (which are the worst component) cannot be detected and will pass right through a standard charcoal paint respirator.