serendip Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hi all, Before airbrushing I spray the room with a cheap water atomiser to reduce the amount of dust in the air. Works well but is not perfect. Especially gloss black prepping for NMF finishes will still catch quite a lot of dust. I noticed the other day with the sun shining in that as I sat down lots of dust was released into the air from what I was wearing - recently washed BTW . So who can help with reducing dust further and does anyone out there actually wear dust free or dust proof clothing to keep dust down? Thanks all, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade H Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 I tried vacuuming before critical spraying jobs (with time given for the remaining dust to settle); and I tried using a mask so that I could keep the window and door shut. I still got dust in gloss finishes like car bodywork. You think that aircraft finishes can be tricky? Try car modelling! I figured that dust will always be there and it's not a problem until it's being moved around. So now, I set a large clear plastic box on its side on my spraying desk, with cling film taped over the middle of the opening, leaving enough room either side for hands/airbrush/model to be placed in the box. It's not there all the time; just for critical tasks. I wear a mask, of course, because fumes and particles are concentrated at me. Then I ventilate the room when I'm done. And since using this method, I get virtually no dust in paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
serendip Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share Posted June 30, 2020 Sounds like a plan Ade! I also thinking of getting one of those plastic greenhouses and setting that up in the loft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 You might also look into an anti-static mat e.g. an electrically grounded work surface. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
serendip Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 15 hours ago, habu2 said: You might also look into an anti-static mat e.g. an electrically grounded work surface. How would that work - I thought these only ensured grounding to prevent sparking between electronic components. Do they also attract dust? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 An electrical charge differential (static) between the painted surface and the dust particles can attract each other. Also the act of spraying paint on a surface can create a small charge - it doesn't take much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
serendip Posted July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted July 2, 2020 18 hours ago, habu2 said: An electrical charge differential (static) between the painted surface and the dust particles can attract each other. Also the act of spraying paint on a surface can create a small charge - it doesn't take much. Apologies Habu for being a bit dense, but what would I connect the ESD mat to? - the desk, the airbrush, myself? I understand it working in direct connection with for example electronic components but don't understand how to work this for paint travelling through air. Thanks again, Marc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) Ideally to a grounding rod or metal pipe. An “earth” ground. If you are sure your electrical outlets are properly grounded you can attach the mat strap to the ground wire (the bare wire or sometimes green insulated wire - not the black or white insulated one!!!) . Edited July 2, 2020 by habu2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
serendip Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 10 hours ago, habu2 said: Ideally to a grounding rod or metal pipe. An “earth” ground. If you are sure your electrical outlets are properly grounded you can attach the mat strap to the ground wire (the bare wire or sometimes green insulated wire - not the black or white insulated one!!!) . Thanks again Habu. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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