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What kind of spraying booth do most of you use? Is there an inexpensive explosion-proof fan available? I was going to make a frame out of 2 x 4's and cover it with plastic, made so it will fold up when not needed. The only hold back is the price of a fan.

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Larry
Fox Haven Lutherie

define inexpensive. every once in a great while I see a fiberglass explosion proof grain silo fan on ebay for about $300 that is good price on a prebuilt explosion proof fan. now there are ways to build your own explosion proof system by moving the fan to the outside of the building and making all electict connections and the motor far enough away from the fan that the system becomes intrinsicly safe. but you need a fan that can not cause sparks. IE plasic blades and sealed bearings and such.

There really is no such thing as an inexpensive explosion proof fan. Michael has already mentioned what comes up on ebay from time to time, but that's certainly not something to depend on.

I take it you plan on spraying nitro or a catalyzed finish of some sort.

Building guitars is not cheap at all. There are certainly ways to cut costs, but they usually come at a price. The finishing process of course is no exception.

Tell us a bit about yourself, what you build, your level of commitment to building etc... There most likely are some alternatives other than buying an explosion proof fan.

If you're going through the trouble of having an explosion proof fan, you'll also need EP lighting and switches or to keep them isolated from the flammable fumes/spray.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I watched eBay for my Expl Proof Exhaust fan. Got a Grainger (scratch & dent special) from a surplus dealer
that was put on auction with no reserve. Grainger sells them at $695 for the unit I got but I paid about
$180 for it delivered. The dent was just a small one on on corner of the frame that I straightened out with a
pair of lineman's pliers. That thing will draw the chrome off your spray gun

Got my explosion proof light fixtures on eBay too. Two fixtures that usually sell for about $120
each and I got them for $20 each used. If you just watch closely they'll creep up every now and then.

I also got a Lufft Abbeon analog Hygrometer on eBay for $31 and the model I got typically retails for $150 plus.
Used, scratched, dented, vintage, makes no diff to me as long as it works

All that to say, there's some great deals on ebay but take care to research what others say about the person
putting up the auction. I rarely buy anything of high cost from a 1st time or small time seller and I try to buy
from people preferably with a 100% approval rating (99% or better if there is a high sales ratio) Never been
ripped off yet in 5 years of shopping there. I always try to get something on sale or auction unless I need it
now then I go elsewhere.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thanks Rod, my priorities now are repairs while doing a small amount of building. I don't mind spending the money if that's the only option. Just wanted to get more info on what others are doing. If there are other options until I build up to a full blown spray booth I'd be glad to hear them.

Thanks again!

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Larry
Fox Haven Lutherie

Well, Larry. If you're getting into repair, you'll need at least a small booth of some sort that exhausts all fumes out of your shop, or at least a dedicated spray room.

I'd seek David Collin's or Evan Gluck's advise. They are the resident repair guru's and I'm sure they would have some good ideas for you on the finish repair aspect of things.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Larry,
Are you setting this operation up in you house or garage? Spraying Nitro can be dangerous and should not be undertaken in a sub-standard area, such as a poly type booth, even with an EP fan, etc. There are very valid reasons for the safety standards that have been put in place regarding this type of operation. When I was doing repairs, etc. for a living, fire regulations stated that I must spray in an area(booth) that would contain a fire for up to 3 hours, plus I still had to have everything EP, and my exhaust filtered. Sounds like overkill I know, but if there was an explosion or fire or both(most likely) your insurance co. could and probably would hang you out to dry.
Just my 2 cents.
Cal

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Get a squirrel cage blower out of an old air handler. You can also positive pressure feed the booth with it if you want.

Thanks again Rod. I checked out your shop photos. Cool shop! What size fan did you use? I am in the agricultural equipment business so I have access to fans so maybe I can get a good price on an EP fan.

Luckily I have a 2 car garage with a second floor which is dedicated to my ventures. Half of the bottom floor is my shop for golf club repairs which I have been doing for 6 years. The other half is my sawing, sanding, grinding, etc. area. A small portion of the upstairs is where I do gluing, fret work, etc. The other part of the upstairs is storage and my studio ( translation: a room where no one can hear me play my PRS electric). My wife doesn't like the steps so she won't come up there. Any way I will put the spray booth in the sawing room.

I appreciate your comments! I know this is not an inexpensive venture. I'm about at the end of tool buying (I hear ya "yeah right!" ). A spray booth is my next big project.

Thanks again!

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Larry
Fox Haven Lutherie

My fan is HUGE for my little spray booth. It is rated at 2300 CFM and it really sucks

If you have room, make an actual spray room instead of the poly room. It will seal better and honestly be less troublesome.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Anybody remember that guy that put a video together, something about build a guitar in 90 minutes, or whatever? Remember him spraying the nitro? No booth, no vent. He was wearing a resperator.

Good luck to you. I know a guy who built a temporary spray booth to paint an expermintal airplane. He used positive pressure to deal with the fumes. What ever you do, take a look at Rod's shop. It is not attached to the house. If I was spraying nitro, thats the way I would go... pretty sure my insurer would hang me out to dry if I burned the house because of a nitro accident.

Mike