A while back I did a piece on my method for spraying in a cold climateÂ… but frankly itÂ’s not that practical here at the end of Autumn.

What I really needed was a cheap way of allowing me to spray indoors, or in the shed at least, without causing fumes and a light dusting of paint everywhere.


So, for the mutual benefit of modders everywhere, I spent 10 minutes scavenging some bits to come up with my “budget” small parts spraybooth.

It also has the benefit that you can make a most triumphant elephant fancy dress outfit with the simple addition of a couple of old 12” records.

What you need:
A large box
A smaller box
Duct & double sided tape
Convoluted 100mm or 125mm vent hose, like on a tumble drier*
A pair of tights*
Case fans
Wire
12V DC power source
a wire hanger

* : It’s probably best to go & buy these bits – it won’t do your domestic harmony any good at all if you just “borrow” them... Screwfix have 3 meters of 100mm vent hose for £3.69.

First, find your large box: one that a 17” monitor came in is ideal … unless your monitor is still in warranty or you’re planning to move sometime soon.
Completely tape up the box, then cut an aperture in one side (a bread knife is ideal), leaving an inch or two round the edge for structural integrity. Tape up these cut edges to avoid cardboard fragments getting onto the bits youÂ’re spraying.

Cut appropriate size hole(s) in the side opposite your spraying aperture, approximately 2/3rds of the way up, then fix your fan(s) to the outside of that – tie them on with some wire.

Next, wire the fan(s) to your power source – if you have an old PC PSU, that’ll probably be the cheapest & safest option – if it’s an ATX PSU remember that you have to join the green wire in the main mobo connector to any black wire in the same connector to get it to start.

You could also wire a switch in the circuit somewhere Â… though itÂ’s a bit high tech for this project.

Take your smaller box, tape it up & cut an aperture big enough to accommodate the fans in one side to turn it into a collector box / expansion chamber. I used a 6 bottle wine box – what you will need will vary depending on the size/number of your fans. Fix this to the back of the larger box with double side tape, seal up any gaps with duct tape. Cut a hole in the back of the collector box, then fix the vent hose on (& seal up with more duct tape) & out of a convenient window or cat flap.

If you want to use the fans again, or want them to have a decent lifespan, a filter of some sort is in order – I used part of a pair of tights taped to the inside of the larger box.

I prefer to have bits I’m spraying hanging up, so I also put in a hanging rail in the top of the box – part of and old wire hanger is perfect.

As you will be relying on this setup for fume extraction, itÂ’s important to know if itÂ’s failing: fix on a strip of paper or TP from the top edge of the front aperture as a performance indicator; if the angle of the strip drops, you know youÂ’ve got a problem.


Power up the fans, poke your hose through a window (look: if you misinterpret this & get arrested for indecent exposure, itÂ’s not my problem, ok?) & start to spray away (same goes for that!).

If you want to spray bigger parts, just scale up to a bigger box & more fans.

The finished spraybooth: ph34r my l33t construction skillz!


Detail of the expansion chamber:




In use, the two Evercool 80cfm 120mm fans proved to be completely inadequate, 4 more powerful fans would really be the bare minimum.

In an attempt to increase suction from my setup, I removed the “filter”, but did a clown – stuck my finger into one of the fans. My finger was fine, but I snapped two blades off the fan.

Still, I’m not too bothered – the idea was sound, the number of fans wasn’t.

How does the poor kitty cat get into the house without a fresh blast of paint hitting him?

Attached Images

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You can pick up a cheap box fan for almost nothing out of a second hand store. Running one on low should provide enough exhaust. Of course you would want to duct it down to the smaller exhaust hose so the air flows freely.

Quote: Originally posted by BigAkita You can pick up a cheap box fan for almost nothing out of a second hand store. Running one on low should provide enough exhaust. Of course you would want to duct it down to the smaller exhaust hose so the air flows freely.

It would have to be on the five finger discount at the moment

Probably an unfortunate metaphor when we're talking about fans

Quote: Originally posted by HawkEye_Pierce How does the poor kitty cat get into the house without a fresh blast of paint hitting him?

My cat has her main nap of the day between 7 am & 4 pm ... plenty of time to spray up a few bits

My cat is twice as wide as that door.

Ya know Jonny...a large refrigerator box with a flashlight taped to your forearm, with the flaps closed and painting away...is highly under-rated!!!

Dude, that's a pimp cat !

But where's his gold rope chain & pr logo?

Good idea...