Spray Booth For Dyes

[David Bruce]

I've been applying my dyes and finishes with an airbrush and want to build a steel booth. My current set up is a homemade spray booth made out of foam core and a furnace filter that I put against a window with a fan. I'd like to build a steel booth that is about 40 or so inches tall by 20-26 inches wide so that I can hang belts and straps for spraying. Has anyone made something like this? I've got a 542 cfm squirrel cage fan that I was going to use for it but am not sure if this will pull enough air. A neighbor of mine does HVAC work and is going to help me fabricate the booth out of galvanized sheet metal.

I've found several types of booths online but nothing that is tall and thin like this and definitely not used for leatherwork. This photo is the closest thing that I have found but much too wide for my small space. I spray indoors in the north all year around so this thing needs to vent properly. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Edited May 5, 2015 by David Bruce

[TheCyberwolfe]

My only thought is to make sure you're not letting the leather spend any time in contact with galvanized metal - I'm pretty sure that risks discoloration of the leather. Aside from that, I'd imagine your plan is sound. 542cfm is darn close to a cubic foot of air per second, so if you're building a booth that's only 10 or 12 cubic feet your fan should do fine.

[David Bruce]

Thanks for the tip. I never thought about the leather reacting to the metal. One of the reasons that I want a tall booth like this is so that I can hang longer items and avoid the backsides from getting unwanted dye on them. For smaller items I'm thinking about some kind of lazy susan. My neighbor built the outer box already for me now I just need to fabricate a plenum/filter bracket and connect/wire the thing.

[stelmackr]

My only thought is to make sure you're not letting the leather spend any time in contact with galvanized metal <<<snip>>>

Perhaps painting the metal will avoid any metal/leather discoloration.

[David Bruce]

I'm not too worried about the leather reacting with the metal since projects will either hang from a hook or be elevated when in the booth. Thanks for the suggestions though.