Hi guys-
I’m a weekend warrior/Breaktime enthusiast whose starting to do som basic cabinetry work. I’m in various stages of completion on a couple of projects, a few of which are getting near the finishing stage. My question is about what precautions I need to take to keep dust from ruining my finishing work. Here is my setup:
Workspace: a very old detached garage (about 400 sf) with a million places for dust to collect – from the floor all the way to the peak of the roof. This is where I do everything – cutting, sanding, assembley, as well as storing lawnmower, grill, etc. I’m hoping not to have to try to carve out a space for a paint booth – I just don’t think it will fit.
Dust Collection- A cyclone chip collector and a Jet 1044 CFM Air filtration system with electorstatic pre filter.
Sprayer: a porter cable HVLP conversion gun (PSH1).
Aniticpated Finishes: I have some trim that I need to paint with a basic Latex; the cabinetry I was hoping to get away with a water based acrylic top coat over a water based stain that will be applied manually.
1. Will the process of spraying kick up dust itslef? Do I need to take precautions to make sure that the area around the piece that i am spraying is free of dust?
2. Following work that generates a lot of dust (ie running the table saw, etc.), do I need to wait for the dust to settle out of the air before I proceed to painting? Or if I use my chip collector and jet air filter, will that be adequate? If not, how long to I need to wait before painting?
Replies
Hi Fisher ,
The best advice I will offer would be to keep the air moving towards your exhaust direction . If there is an exhaust fan or window or door that is where you direct the spray mist then have a small fan gently creating the draft to help carry the main volume towards the target .
If you can't get rid of all the dust then at least don't allow it to settle , keep it moving . clean up and allow the dust to settle down before spraying any final coats for sure . On sealer coats that get sanded out , it wouldn't be the end of the world if some dust settled .
I use only lacquers , the open time is short , the opportunity exists only until it tacks up , a matter of minutes usually . The water base may have a longer open time so there is more opportunity for dust in the final coats , but by then the only thing in the air will be finish not wood dust .
good luck dusty
Fisher, I would attach plastic sheeting to the open rafters above your finishing area. This will keep dirt/dust from falling down onto your work. I have found that it will also keep any bugs that my die as a result of the finish vapors from dropping onto the surface as well. Sounds funny but it does happen. If the floor is concrete I would hose down the floor to keep the dust down as well. Make sure you don't have any electric motors running during the time you are spraying as it could cause an explosion. Use your blow gun to blow out trapped sanding dust from your project and use a tack rag to clean the surface. Good luck.
RGJ
The advise given is all very helpfull and I try to follows those as well. Here's another useful bit. Get a big fan 15" or so and exhaust the garage while spraying, but before that, use the blower end of the shop vac and blow the whole garage clean from the furthest point away from the fan and exhaust the whole time to the big fan. Spend a half an hour before any major finishing job blowing and it will get rid of 99% of any possible finish dust issue. Let whatever is in the air exhaust a further 10 minutes and you are good to go. I find the shop vac is the best for blowing becasue it does not knock things around like a compressed air will but it's more than adequate to get stuff up in the air current and out the shop.
Paul (who is currently waiting to spray a final coat today in a dust free garage!!)
Another trick; get a large spray bottle, and fill it with water. I add a bit of "One-Step" sanitizer like used to sanitize wine bottles. Spray down everything in the immediate area you are going to be spraying in, the bench your work is sitting on and your exit route so you wont kick up extra dust when leaving. I dont use a fan, I just raise the garage door 3 or 4 feet. I never open any doors to or from the spray area (garage) after spraying (vacuum stirs up dust). For small projects, the spray bottle has always served me well. On really small pieces I just the spray bottle thing in the the wood shop (basement).
KB
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled