Collapsible Spray Booth

Adam Clarke (LUNAR#936)

Like most of us, I finish my rockets with spray paint. I used to use a box or newspaper to contain the overspray, but this often left a spary dust floating around which had a fifty-fifty chance of sticking to the rocket or on the box, which tended to ruin the finish. I knew I needed a spray booth, but thy had two characteristics that bothered me:

they are big (I have limited storage space)
they are expensive (I would rather buy motors

My solution to ths problem, a collapsible spray booth, built from inexpensive ($67) parts, and easier to build (it's not rocket science) than a rocket.

Bathroom exhaust fan ($35)
Corrigated 1x16x16 Furnace Filter ($5)
In-Line Plug ($1)
Two 17.5 by 17.5 inch pieces of 1/4 inch plywood ($8)
Twenty feet of 1x2 lumber ($10)
Plastic Drop Cloth ($2)
10 1/4 inch carriage bolts, washers and wing nuts ($5)
Wood Glue (I already had this, for building rockets)

Construction Notes

Basically, assemble as per the diagram; The plywood is used to hold the fan and filter in position at the top of the spray booth; only block in three of the sides of the box with 1x2, so you can change out filters as they fill up; the legs bolt onto this hood assembly; and the drop cloth is cut and draped around the legs to form the booth itself.

I cut a 10 degree canter on the edge of the 1x2 beneath the box that the legs bolt onto, this allows the legs to spread outwards which makes the booth a lot more stable. By using different sized legs, one can have a desktop booth for low power work, and a floor standing booth for high powered efforts...just unbolt the legs for storage.

Usage Notes

Originally I tried a cheaper ($1) fiberglass furnace filter, but this did not filter well enough, paint was getting sucked up the fan, so I reluctantly switched to the more expensive corrigated type filters, but I got the performance I desired. Please note that these filters only remove the paint droplets, not the fumes, so you still have to work in a well ventilated area.

I use transparent drop cloth, which I throw out when I dismantle the booth for storage, there is a surprisingly beneficial side effect to this approach, a lot more light can get into the booth, so it is easier to se the work. I change out the filters as they get filled.

I would rather be flying rockets than sanding them, by filtering out the overspray, there is one less thing to mess up a finish. This has made such a difference, I have already tossed my trusty old cardboard box, hopefully it will help out you as well...

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