Almost ready to PAINT.

[Rot 911]

Originally posted by thrown_hammer
I have an HVLP gravity fed gun so overspray should be minimal.

Don't believe that for a second! Even that HVLP gun you are using needs 35-40lbs at the gun to get a good paint flow. There will be plenty of overspray.

[KevinP73]

Originally posted by RickM

Are those HOT halogens safe in a room full of flammable fumes?

Not only are those lights not safe but that fan your going to use to pull the overspray out of the "booth" will become a spark generator. Want to see what I mean? Turn off all the lights and turn on the fan, now look into the motor assembly and see the sparks produced . Your going to pull all those paint and solvent fumes thru that. While your at it consider this. If your unlucky enough to have those paint and solvent fumes flash off, the expanding gasses will heat that plastic enclosure well past it's point of ignition and as the burning gasses deplete the oxygen inside the enclosure the air pressure outside will press all that molten plastic inwards, essentially vacuum forming it to anything with in it, you included! Also consider that even if you are wearing a good respirator your clothes will be saturated with fumes making it pretty useless to even think of running. Of couse the car will have some fuel in it and what other flammables are stored in the garage? And you think your only concern is the fibre's from the newspaper masking paper.

[scottb]

Originally posted by KevinP73
Not only are those lights not safe but that fan your going to use to pull the overspray out of the "booth" will become a spark generator. Want to see what I mean? Turn off all the lights and turn on the fan, now look into the motor assembly and see the sparks produced . Your going to pull all those paint and solvent fumes thru that. While your at it consider this. If your unlucky enough to have those paint and solvent fumes flash off, the expanding gasses will heat that plastic enclosure well past it's point of ignition and as the burning gasses deplete the oxygen inside the enclosure the air pressure outside will press all that molten plastic inwards, essentially vacuum forming it to anything with in it, you included! Also consider that even if you are wearing a good respirator your clothes will be saturated with fumes making it pretty useless to even think of running. Of couse the car will have some fuel in it and what other flammables are stored in the garage? And you think your only concern is the fibre's from the newspaper masking paper.

And good morning to you, Mr. Sunshine!

[Jack Olsen]

Better to deal with Mr. Sunshine now, than Mr. Fireball later.

Sounds like push ventilation would be a bit safer.

[scottb]

Originally posted by JackOlsen
Better to deal with Mr. Sunshine now, than Mr. Fireball later.

Ya got that right! But then again, it's stuff like this that keeps the Grossman Burn Center in business!

[KevinP73]

Many years back I helped a buddy paint his pick up in his garage. We shot the truck late Thursday. Friday was work as usual so we didn't get in to see it untill late on Friday. We had a couple beers as we admired our accomplishment even as amature as it was. Saturday came and we went to castaic to drown a couple worms. While we were at the lake his wife decided to go to the garage and do some laundry. Keep in mind it's been closed since we shot it Thursday night. She did a load of washing and put the wet clothes in the gas dryer (see it coming??). She was in the doorway going out of the garage when the dryer lit. The garage exploded!! It blew her over twenty feet up against the side of the house, second degree burns on her back and removed all the hair on her head. It lifted the roof of the two car garage enough to seperate the rafters from the walls. The fire that followed burned the garage to the ground WITH a freshly painted '53 Ford pick up, all his dirt bikes and the family wagon parked in front. Burbank Fire Dept. cited him and the fines exceeded $10,000. The landlord sued him for damages and won $30,000, his renters insurance didn't cover the garage, and worst of all he didn't get laid untill his wifes back healed and her hair grew back.

[scottb]

Originally posted by KevinP73
and worst of all he didn't get laid untill his wifes back healed and her hair grew back.

OK, you convinced me.

[ZOA NOM]

Party Poopers! This had the makings of a great Darwin Award!

Seriously, Hammer, be safe.

[Zeke]

Kevin, how in the world were there residual fumes in the garage two days later? Especially enough to explode with that force. What source was giving off the fumes?
'
Chuck Moreland painted his at home. I emailed him a couple of cautionary tips along the same lines as here before he got started. I think the key is to take it easy and not get too much in the air at once. The type of paint being used might have something to do with all this. I noticed the other day my epoxy primer went down with little mess. Later, with the same gun, my polyester primer was making a big cloud of fumes and paint particles. I just backed off. I spray primer in the open. According to shops I visit, this is legal as long as no more than a gallon is used in a day. It's just that it's not legal where I'm doing it. I don't think I'll have a flash in the open area.

[cstreit]

Shawn,

I used positive pressure and it worked fine. Personally I don't think there really is a difference.... THose people that have obsessed over positive vs. negative pressure have waaaay too much time on their hands.


(Nice avatar Milt!)

[Kevin Stewart]

Shawn come on, in a matter of days /weeks you will have a car that looks great and drives, like i said im jealous, my car has been on vacation for a couple years, and it could be a long tome before it sees any pavement again, Kevin

[KevinP73]

Originally posted by Zeke
Kevin, how in the world were there residual fumes in the garage two days later? Especially enough to explode with that force. What source was giving off the fumes?

We shot Acrylic Enamel. According to the fire dept. a major contributing factor was that we shot the truck in the evening. The colder air allowed the paint to glaze over before it had a chance to sufficiently out gas. Once the garage warmed up it excelerated the out gassing, the heating element in the dryer being an open flame was large enough to ignite the fumes. My buddies wife noticed that the garage smelled worse than normal but didn't think anything of it. In the past she would have opened the drive in door to enter the garage but we had it latched shut and she couldn't get the latch to release.
I think it's one of those things that you don't realize how dangerous it is untill you've seen how easy it is to have something go wrong.

[BillyIdaho]

I shot 7 coats in my Garage Saturday...


I am not shrink wrapped yet...


Now if I can just get my new "box-o-goodies" delivered from PP in record time, I might be able to stay ahead of hammer's project!

Your project looks good, dude! Be safe!

[thrown_hammer]

Well I certainly don't want to be shrinkwrapped and implode into a sub molecular atom cluster.
So let's start a list of all the stuff I am doing wrong. I have a few days until I spray and they should be easy fixes. If I blow up the garage my wife may not let me play with cars anymore. Besides the life you save may be my own.

[KevinP73]

First I would identify any source of ignition. Pilot lights, open electrical motors including your compressor, CLOTHES DRYER!!. Even switches that spark when you flip them. Although it may be an indication of too much time on my hands, in a case such as this I would favor the "positive pressure" technique for air handling. Positive pressure will have a lesser tendancy to suck dirt in from under your booth walls or in through the cracks. Also the air flow through the fan will not be saturated with paint fumes and solvents. A proper resperator is a must, and wear a painters siut. You can get them at any hardware store for under $20.00. Make sure you have a couple GOOD extinguishers handy as well as a garden hose.
Start painting early in the day and take your time. Let the garage air out as you go. Not only will this make it safer it will improve the quality of your paint job.
Last but not least........ Post them pics, we love to see them.

[thrown_hammer]

Here is a updated positive airflow floor plan. All spark sources will be outside the paint booth. The intake and exhaust filters will be at ground level. Lets discuss.

[KevinP73]

A couple of those box fans would be nice but one should get you through. Wet the floor of course and have fun.

[thrown_hammer]

Well heck with it. i am taking tommorow off and giving her the whole 9 yards! When you see me next I will have a shiny pastel blue easter egg. Have a good Easter and I will see ya on the flipside.

[MotoSook]

May the GruppeB forces be with you........

[RickM]

Good luck, man.