Paint booth recommendations

[jchrisf]

I use a Testors Aztek paint booth right now but it seems to struggle with the fumes. I paint inside my home in my home office so I need something to keep the fumes out. I'm in the US and am thinking about getting the Pace Mini-Plus but wanted to ask here first because everyone is so knowledgeable and experienced here.
https://www.pacepaintbooth.com/24-inch-mini-plus/

[bfrd]

I have the large one and I like it. The motor is powerful but still not very loud. They aren’t cheap, but the quality of the parts is good. I really like the additional switches for other electronic devices. You may need to make some adjustments once you get it. Shipping can be a little rough on sheet metal.

[Bdiddy]

not sure how much room etc you have mate but I ended building my own out of plywood, 175 cfm exhaust fan, Ikea bar light & then Ive put filter material over the front of the mesh. It works amazing & only set me back a tad over $100.
plus I was able to make it to a size that suited me

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[digger303]

yeah the Pace unit would be a good choice and would last forever, better than those cheap Chinese ones that don't work as well as you like.

[Twokidsnosleep]

I would have a chat with @bfrd about his pace experience

[jchrisf]

I have the large one and I like it. The motor is powerful but still not very loud. They aren’t cheap, but the quality of the parts is good. I really like the additional switches for other electronic devices. You may need to make some adjustments once you get it. Shipping can be a little rough on sheet metal.

I would have a chat with @bfrd about his pace experience

yeah the Pace unit would be a good choice and would last forever, better than those cheap Chinese ones that don't work as well as you like.

I would get the larger one if I had the room for it but because I build in my home office I don't have the room. I'm really hoping the Mini-Plus will pull all the fumes out.. and I believe it will. It is only 4" wider than my Testors booth but has a smaller footprint overall. I'd love to have the space of that large one where I could setup all my parts to be painted inside.. that'd be awesome. Funny thing is, I paid $200 for the POS Testors booth and the much nicer Pace is only $50 more... but I didn't know much back then. Expensive lesson learned.

Please tell us about your Pace Experience @bfrd

not sure how much room etc you have mate but I ended building my own out of plywood, 175 cfm exhaust fan, Ikea bar light & then Ive put filter material over the front of the mesh. It works amazing & only set me back a tad over $100.
plus I was able to make it to a size that suited me

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Jesse, that is a nice booth and has plenty of space but I don't have the tools to build something like this.. nor the time. I am jealous though, that is also a great size.

[bfrd]

As I mentioned before I did get the larger booth. It is quite large!



I tend to do more than just painting in the booth, so the extra space works out well for me. There is an extra "lip" attachment, but I decided not to use it. Mine did get a little warped in shipping. I contacted the owner of the company and he gave me some tips on the best way to get it back to level. It was shipped well, but sheet metal is pliable. The shipping company probably dropped the box somewhere in transit. I really like the large switches on the top. I have my compressor plugged into one of the outlets and the second one changes depending on what I am doing. Usually, I would have a baby bottle warmer in it for access to warm water. The filter is easy to access and change (although I haven't changed mine yet). You will have to use a manufactured filter. You will not easily be able to use just stick filter material in the opening. The only thing I don't like it the lighting. There is a standard light bulb socket toward the front of the unit. I may use the socket as a power source and add my own LED strip lighting. The fan is quite powerful but still manages to be quiet. I think I used my own piping, I don't recall that it came with the unit. Overall I like it and am glad I picked it up.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Well there you go
Definitely get a white LED strip light from Amazon for lighting, they are awesome and inexpensive

[jchrisf]

Awesome! Thanks @bfrd and @Twokidsnosleep ... I'm probably going to order one of the smaller ones this weekend.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Awesome! Thanks @bfrd and @Twokidsnosleep ... I'm probably going to order one of the smaller ones this weekend.

This is a good light strip, nice and bright white...Minger branded

[jchrisf]

Awesome! Thanks @bfrd and @Twokidsnosleep ... I'm probably going to order one of the smaller ones this weekend.

This is a good light strip, nice and bright white...Minger branded

Thanks Scott! So you just stick them all over the inside of the paint booth? I'd have never thought of this. I just ordered the Pace Mini-Plus.. maybe I can try some 2K clear now.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Awesome! Thanks @bfrd and @Twokidsnosleep ... I'm probably going to order one of the smaller ones this weekend.

This is a good light strip, nice and bright white...Minger branded

Thanks Scott! So you just stick them all over the inside of the paint booth? I'd have never thought of this. I just ordered the Pace Mini-Plus.. maybe I can try some 2K clear now.

Yes, it comes as a roll, so I just ran it along the sides and top as one long string and used all the lights that came with it
....instead of cutting and splicing it which you could do too
I like the white specific LED instead of the multi coloured for the booth as they seem brighter when just one color



Multi are fun but a bit dimmer overall

[barryf1fan]

Hey Chris, I got the one between the one you're looking at and the one brfd got... it's basically the same width as the one you mentioned, 24", but just slightly taller as the metal encases the motor.

It's 4" taller and 2" deeper. I love it and glad I splurged a little buying a spray booth. Plus it's very sturdy - not a tank, but a buddy has one of those $120 fold up jobs from Amazon and these are worth the extra $$. To me anyway.

Here's a few shots of it:

With a 1/20 Tamiya F1



In a completely dark room (dark outside as well) and only the light on (have two LED bulbs in it) - it may not look it but it's quite bright,



And here is a shot with a cat . . .



They are pricey, but, as they say - "You don't buy nothin', you don't got nothin' ".

[jchrisf]

Hey Chris, I got the one between the one you're looking at and the one brfd got... it's basically the same width as the one you mentioned, 24", but just slightly taller as the metal encases the motor.

It's 4" taller and 2" deeper. I love it and glad I splurged a little buying a spray booth. Plus it's very sturdy - not a tank, but a buddy has one of those $120 fold up jobs from Amazon and these are worth the extra $$. To me anyway.

Here's a few shots of it:

With a 1/20 Tamiya F1



In a completely dark room (dark outside as well) and only the light on (have two LED bulbs in it) - it may not look it but it's quite bright,



And here is a shot with a cat . . .



They are pricey, but, as they say - "You don't buy nothin', you don't got nothin' ".

Pricey nothing... I paid $200 for that cheap plastic Testor's booth... this is not much more.. sure wish I would have bought one of these first! Thanks for the pics! The main reason I picked the one I did over your model is because the exhaust is pointing the right direction for my window

Be careful with that cat.. these things are powerful!

[jchrisf]

This is a good light strip, nice and bright white...Minger branded

Thanks Scott! So you just stick them all over the inside of the paint booth? I'd have never thought of this. I just ordered the Pace Mini-Plus.. maybe I can try some 2K clear now.

Yes, it comes as a roll, so I just ran it along the sides and top as one long string and used all the lights that came with it
....instead of cutting and splicing it which you could do too
I like the white specific LED instead of the multi coloured for the booth as they seem brighter when just one color



Multi are fun but a bit dimmer overall

Cool Scott.. I'm going to give these a try.

[jchrisf]

Out for delivery

@Twokidsnosleep , what lighting do you recommend for my building area?

[Twokidsnosleep]

Out for delivery

@Twokidsnosleep , what lighting do you recommend for my building area?

The guys have a twin LED desk light you can get from Home Depot
I have to look it up...would be in Paul’s list of stuff used

I want to make one of these arc lights

[barryf1fan]

Out for delivery

[jchrisf]

Out for delivery

@Twokidsnosleep , what lighting do you recommend for my building area?

The guys have a twin LED desk light you can get from Home Depot
I have to look it up...would be in Paul’s list of stuff used

I want to make one of these arc lights

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

[Twokidsnosleep]

Out for delivery

@Twokidsnosleep , what lighting do you recommend for my building area?

The guys have a twin LED desk light you can get from Home Depot
I have to look it up...would be in Paul’s list of stuff used

I want to make one of these arc lights

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

[jchrisf]

The guys have a twin LED desk light you can get from Home Depot
I have to look it up...would be in Paul’s list of stuff used

I want to make one of these arc lights

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Yes it is.. I think I'd rather roll out some of those LEDs strips on a piece of wood than spend that kind of money

[Twokidsnosleep]

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Yes it is.. I think I'd rather roll out some of those LEDs strips on a piece of wood than spend that kind of money

Exactly my thoughts
A nice cut of thin plywood bent to an arc, wood base supports with hold downs and then the LED strips inserted inside.
I have a sheet of maple ply that will be perfect...when I get around to it

[digger303]

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Yes it is.. I think I'd rather roll out some of those LEDs strips on a piece of wood than spend that kind of money

Exactly my thoughts
A nice cut of thin plywood bent to an arc, wood base supports with hold downs and then the LED strips inserted inside.
I have a sheet of maple ply that will be perfect...when I get around to it

Perhaps a angle strip as well placed to sheild the eyes. The angle strip could be cut at intervals to enable it to be bent around the curve.

The guys have a twin LED desk light you can get from Home Depot
I have to look it up...would be in Paul’s list of stuff used

I want to make one of these arc lights

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Those type of lights are good, but the Fluorescent tubes light output drops dramatically in a relatively short time. Up to 30 % so if anyone was thinking of these I would recommend they buy the LED version. Huge difference in performance.

[jchrisf]

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Yes it is.. I think I'd rather roll out some of those LEDs strips on a piece of wood than spend that kind of money

Exactly my thoughts
A nice cut of thin plywood bent to an arc, wood base supports with hold downs and then the LED strips inserted inside.
I have a sheet of maple ply that will be perfect...when I get around to it

That would be cool

[jchrisf]

Yes it is.. I think I'd rather roll out some of those LEDs strips on a piece of wood than spend that kind of money

Exactly my thoughts
A nice cut of thin plywood bent to an arc, wood base supports with hold downs and then the LED strips inserted inside.
I have a sheet of maple ply that will be perfect...when I get around to it

Perhaps a angle strip as well placed to sheild the eyes. The angle strip could be cut at intervals to enable it to be bent around the curve.

I'll check that page out.. I was thinking you'd have a cool DIY lighting trick for this too

This is the US equivalent of the Daylight Task Light Paul etc use...bit pricey if you ask me
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daylight-Wh ... /203076990

Those type of lights are good, but the Fluorescent tubes light output drops dramatically in a relatively short time. Up to 30 % so if anyone was thinking of these I would recommend they buy the LED version. Huge difference in performance.

Good tip digger. One of my biggest issues when glueing together models is not having enough light at night to see what I am doing. I think I do but then I make mistakes because I was just fooling myself.

Well, it is here but I haven't taken it out of the box yet. Going to finish up my sprint car this morning and then do a deep clean of my office.. then unbox it and set it up.