Cheap paint booth heat.

[imagineer]

Looking for ideas for a cheap heating solution for a makeshift paint booth.

Out of shear boredom, I’m repainting a motorcycle.

Whereas I don’t have access to a legitimate paint booth, I’m going to fashion up a cheap, drop cloth tent, maybe 10'x10'x8'h, in a pole barn. The problem, its darn cold out there. The barn does have a wood stove, but with the expected paint fumes, I won’t have a fire going.

To raise the air temperature enough for painting, I’m thinking of either a cheap Harbor Freight parabolic heater (SKU # 62313), or (don’t laugh) using an old electric blanket as a radiant floor heater. I only need the air temp to climb to 60F or so for painting and after spraying, I’ll need the heat on for another hour or two.

Any thoughts?

 

[Ohmthis]

Honestly this is a tough one. The major danger is igniting the fumes. What I like to do is heat the larger area and shuttle heater off to paint. I make sure the surface of the metal (I use a IR gun) is at whatever the recommended temp is per the paint manufactures spec sheet. Once There I shut the heat off and spray. While cleaning the gun and left over paint/clear I let the room settle of fumes. Before I turn the heat back on I open the door and let fresh air in. I watch the temp of the part several times to make sure it doesn’t drop too quickly. In a small booth I feel like you’d have to filter air in and out to be able to heat it. A blanket on the floor will get its heat robbed from the floor. I’d be really surprised if it would heat the air much at all.

 

[PWC Repair]

For starters, most paint now is 'low VOC' and doesn't easily ignite to begin with. Also, you're painting a motorcycle so you won't have huge fog from long continuous spray. Personally, I would use the wood stove to keep the place warm. It will help the paint lay out nice AND cure faster. Get some flex duct and a turbo fan and make a 'tunnel'. Pull the air from low in your 'booth' outside of the building. Couple small hole up high on the opposite side of the 'booth'. This will keep the overspray from landing on your fresh paint AND fumes/fog negligible inside the building.

 

[C91x]

You might try some cheap infrared paint curing heaters.

One of my old neighbors used some off amazon as just a regular infrared heater above his work area and they worked well.

 

[nadogail]

How about a bank of incandescent lights?

The old Easy Bake Oven was heated by a single 100 Watt bulb.

 

[HaiKarate]

I'd put an oil filled electric heater into the mix - especially for keeping it warm after the paint is laid down.

 

[Jazz1]

Modern wood stoves are airtight. I paint in my garage with wood stove. Cold weather I'll put a box fan at window to help exhaust the fog.

 

[That1Guy]

Modern wood stoves are airtight.

Only if you are piping combustion air in from outside. The exhaust creates a negative pressure in the room and if combustion air isn't plumbed to it from outside, it'll pull air in from the room and thereby also pull cold outside air through every single gap or crack in the building.

I couldn't believe the difference adding an intake pipe to my old woodburner made years ago. Just ran a 3" stove pipe I had laying around through the outside wall and right to the custom intake I "modded" into my woodburner and covered both ends with screens to keep vermin out. That pipe would whistle when the fire was rocking - just to give you an idea of how much cold outside air it was drawing into the shop, through cracks and gaps, before I installed the intake pipe.

 

[larry4406]

Only if you are piping combustion air in from outside. The exhaust creates a negative pressure in the room and if combustion air isn't plumbed to it from outside, it'll pull air in from the room and thereby also pull cold outside air through every single gap or crack in the building.

I couldn't believe the difference adding an intake pipe to my old woodburner made years ago. Just ran a 3" stove pipe I had laying around through the outside wall and right to the custom intake I "modded" into my woodburner and covered both ends with screens to keep vermin out. That pipe would whistle when the fire was rocking - just to give you an idea of how much cold outside air it was drawing into the shop, through cracks and gaps, before I installed the intake pipe.

Interested in this. I run a wood stove in house and have same issue.