Spray in cold weather

The Achilles' Heel of Luthiery
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deadedith

Spray in cold weather

Post by deadedith »

I live in Oregon and has been said before, it is a bit nippy in the winter. Today it is 26 degrees in Medford.
I have an insulated and humidified area that I work in, but I want to use the Deft rattle cans for a project I'm working on, so I need to use another area of my small barn. Building a simple spray booth is easy enough but all the advice I've read points to 60-70 degrees minimum temp for spraying.
How can I safely heat the booth? And will the drafty lofty spaces of the barn suffice for ventilation?
Thanks
DaveB
Ben-Had
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Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:14 pm
Location: Creedmoor, NC

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by Ben-Had »

Part B - If you find a way to heat the booth is the compressor inside the booth or outside. If outside will the cold on the length of the hose cause problems or does just the spray gun and booth temp need to be in that 70 degree range?

Tm B
Tim Benware
enalnitram

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by enalnitram »

Wow Dave, I had no idea you were from Medford. Sorry to be off topic. I lived in Medford in the 70's (when I was a little kid). I visited there in the summers during the 80's. Probably going to visit there again this April.

I have a neighbor that used a big piece of thick clear plastic sheeting, and set up a kind of 'tent' in his garage last winter, with a small heater at the bottom of it. after he monitored it for a while (to make sure nothing was melting or burning), he brought out the guitar body and the spray can, shot it a quick coat, and then brought it all inside again, next to a fan blowing out an exhaust hole in his basement. then he did it over again, many times.

I relay this because I saw it... I can't say that I would ever do this or recommend it. I did tell him I wished he would wait til it got warm again. But it worked for him, and I suppose he thinks his "success" justified the means. Whatever you do, please be safe.
deadedith

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by deadedith »

Martin - if you make it out to Medford, give me a call or drop me a line! We can do a pastrami at R&D and you can take a look at my shop! I'm off of Black Oak on Dellwood.

Yep, safety is the biggie. I could put a heater in the booth and warm the booth and the instrument, then take the heater out of the booth and then spray. But exhaust is an issue.
Thanks
DaveB
enalnitram

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by enalnitram »

deadedith wrote:Martin - if you make it out to Medford, give me a call or drop me a line! We can do a pastrami at R&D and you can take a look at my shop! I'm off of Black Oak on Dellwood.

Yep, safety is the biggie. I could put a heater in the booth and warm the booth and the instrument, then take the heater out of the booth and then spray. But exhaust is an issue.
Thanks
DaveB
I will do that! My usual ritual when I'm in the area is to drive down Sage Rd and look at where the Medford Raceway used to be...
naccoachbob
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:25 am
Location: Nacogdoches, Tx

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by naccoachbob »

I'm just thinking off the top of my head, but if you could heat a booth to a decent temp, take the guitar body and the aerosol can out of the house, go spray, and rush back inside, it might work. Of course turn off the heater when spraying. When I was finishing my daughter's about a month ago, it was below 60 outside, but I went out the back door, hung the guitar, sprayed, went back in. It sprayed fine.
It only takes a minute or two to do a body and I doubt either the body or spray can got very cold.
This was the first time I have ever tried anything like this, but it did work for me. Not sure what would happen at temps like you're talking about, so hopefully someone else can chime in.
Ken Hundley
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Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 12:34 am
Location: Wilmette, IL

Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by Ken Hundley »

Some of the danger in the fumes is in the spraying, but much of it is also in the guitar drying. It will stink, and could be a hazard if there is a furnace or dryer nearby.
Ken Hundley
Nocturnal Guitars
http://www.nocturnalguitars.com

So, my big brother was playing guitar and I figured I'd try it too.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
tippie53
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Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: Spray in cold weather

Post by tippie53 »

You have to be careful of sparking with some finished. You can do the heat up turn off spray and turn heat back on . Also the heat lamps work well for this . Be sure to have some ventilation and wear a good mask
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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