Airbrushing Setup

Until now, I haven't felt like I needed an airbrush. I've been satisfied with the results I've achieved by using aerosol cans for locomotives and rolling stock and brush painting for structures and vehicles. Near the end of last summer I had started putting together a shopping list of Scalecoat II spray cans for planned projects, and at $11.95/can plus shipping the cost added up pretty fast when estimating 1 can per 2 models based on past experience. It occurred to me that if I was going to spend $100+ on paint, I might as well invest in an airbrush because it would give me a lot more flexibility. So I spent most of my hobby time last October-December getting set up for airbrushing. 

The Airbrush

For my first airbrush I wanted one that was simple to use and easy to clean. As a total beginner to airbrushing, I felt I would do better learning with a single-action airbrush because the paint output is preset and the trigger is simply on/off. I felt like repeatability would be a challenge with a double-action airbrush where moving the trigger also adjusts the paint flow. I ended up choosing the Badger 350, a single-action, external-mix airbrush. I went with external vs. internal mix for ease of cleaning.

The Compressor

I wanted an air compressor that I could use for airbrushing as well as for other things around the house, namely topping off car tires. I purchased the WEN 1-gallon compressor, and so far I like it a lot. The noise level is similar to a vacuum cleaner and it's very compact and easy to move around.

The Spray Booth

I elected to build my own spray booth both for cost-effectiveness and because I thought I would have fun doing it. While online examples of ultra low-cost spray booths made from plastic bins and bathroom fans appealed to my miserly tendencies, a spray booth is a piece of safety equipment and it's not a good idea to cut corners on safety. The booth I built ended up costing about $250, certainly not cheap but less expensive than commercially-available booths of comparable specifications. And I did enjoy building it too.

My spray booth is mostly based on the Vent Works DIY spray booth, although I also used two old Model Railroader articles as resources: 

• "A deluxe spray paint booth" by Ken Breher, August 1983 issue, pages 103-105
• "The Paint Shop spray booth" by Andy Sperandeo, January 1988 issue, pages 128-135

While my layout and the desk I use as my modeling workbench are both in our attic and I considered putting the spray booth up there too, I ultimately decided the best place for it was in the basement. Painting can be messy and spills would be much less of a problem in the basement, not to mention the fact that there's a utility sink nearby in the basement but no sink at all in the attic. While the compressor I chose is relatively quiet, it is not silent and in the basement it's much less likely to disturb sleeping children on the second floor of the house. 

I had to make my booth a couple of inches shallower than the Vent Works design to fit my space and I also adjusted the angle of the fan mount panel so that I could run the exhaust duct to the nearby window with only one bend in it. The Vent Works design specifies a Plexigas top panel to let in light, but my basement lighting is poor so I opted to use a wood top panel and mount an under-cabinet light fixture inside. I used the Dayton 6FHX9/70633277 blower, which accounted for nearly half the cost of the booth, and also purchased the Vent Works duct adaptor to make construction a bit easier.

Our basement has glass block windows, and I built the spray booth near one of the vented ones. When it's time to paint, I remove the hinged window and replace it with this duct outlet panel made from a piece of 1/4" plywood and a 4"-diameter duct starting collar. The perimeter of the outside of the panel is lined with foam weather stripping and a simple latch made from a piece of 0.060" sheet styrene secures it in the window opening. When I'm done painting, I disconnect the duct, remove the outlet panel, and restore the window to its original configuration.

I'm pleased with the results of this project and am looking forward to using it.