Dangerous Painting? Am I going to burn my house down?

[Fletch170]

For those who haven't seen my posts before, I live up here in lovely PA, where it is currently 34 Degrees and windy. Yay.

There isn't much boating going on at the moment. SO, like bost boaters, we fiddle with our toys during the off season. However, my toy is in a million pieces. The problem with the cold isn't me wimpering like a little girl shoveling my driveway, it's my inability to keep building my boat. Sure...I can fiddle with some small projects here and there, but I'm pretty limited as the shop isn't heated, and I have my small glass parts in my garage...which is heated by kerosene and propane heaters. SO, the damn boat will have to wait, but my small stuff is ready for primer and paint.

I plan to spray Interlux pre-kote, and one part brightside.

With that being said, the garage is not at all vented, and heated by flames.

Here is my thought. On a warmer day (in the 50's), spray with my garage door open allowing the vapors to escape (obviously wearing my respirator), then when my painting is done, close the door and crank up the heat.

I really want to get the console done so I can at least mount and wire everything this winter.

Will this work?

[slvrlng]

Crack the garage door about 6 inches up and put a fan blowing out. Just make sure you turn off any ignition sources (pilot lights, bare wires etc.). Close the door once the overspray is gone and crank the heat up. Most paints won't start to cure until they reach about 55 degrees. Once it has "cured" for a while open the door to get the fumes out. Most materials will take about a week to stop outgassing so if you close the door at night it will smell the rest of the house up.

[gran398]

fletch,

Is it possible to rent a heated bay around there for say a month? or a local body shop, etc.?

[seabob4]

Ventilation and keeping the fumes dissapated is the key...the vapors make the kaboom...

[fitz73222]

Wait till its warmer... If your cave is connected to the house mama aint going to like that solvent smell in the kitchen. When its cold, nothing seems to cure properly. My experience has been when painting or fiberglassing if what you are working on doesn't match the air temperature you are asking for a whole lot of problems with everything kicking correctly. You want to do this once. Easy for a Florida guy to say, but even down here its gets to cold to paint and fiberglass unless you are really set up to do it.

[Fletch170]

I've already been doing glass in the garage for 3 months now, so the old lady is already used to the awesome poly smell. I'm lucky that my garage is pretty air tight so the smell does not get into the house.

The vapors are what scare the outta me.

I'll wait for a warm day and just spray outside then bake the parts in the garage???

I'll look around for a heated shop. Ugh.

[seabob4]

Fletch,
If you really want to get that console done, you can build a small temporary enclosure, then use a ceramic heater to heat the enclosure.  If you start looking at the MSDS sheets on virtually any material that has the capability 1) catching on fire, 2) EXPLODING!, 3) causing great bodily harm, 4) causing cancer by rats drinking bottles and bottles of the stuff, one could almost be scared off from using it in a NASA certified spray booth!!

Use your head, use common sense.  Ventilation, the dispersion of any fumes that might be allowed to accumulate.  Go out in any lamination department down here in the summer where gelcoat, foam, any number of "potentially deadly" chemicals are being sprayed.  The ambient temps in lam usually are right around 105 degrees (not a fun place to work!).  But there is air moving throughout, this gets rid of the nasty stuff...

[gran398]

My rebuilder has been using an electric blanket to keep the resin and hardener warm at night.

That almost sounds like a quote from a Beach Boys song

[Fletch170]

....Beach boys....you guys are old:)

PS, the regulars on here have been super helpful. SO thanks to everyone.

Interlux says the paint and primer needs a temp of 50 to cure...I'll try the hatches first.

[slippery73]

We use the oil filled radiator type heaters in our booth during winter, they are completely enclosed and don't provide any ignition source.  Downside to them is since they are radiator type heaters they don't heat the space quickly.  They do however heat an enclosed space well.  Other problem you will have with evacuating air is you'll also be evacuating your heat.  If we had to finish in really cold temps I'd just heat the booth and leave the fans off. You have to wear a good full face respirator to do this.  Booth fans would evacuate the heat in about 30 secs and we didn't have a heated make up air unit.

You will want to be really careful using a fan to evacuate the air in the shop, most paint fumes are heavier than air and will sink. If you have a fan at floor level, your asking for trouble.  If you don't have an explosion proof fan, I wouldn't use a fan to evacuate fumes. You'd be safer using natural ventilation and a heater with no ignition sources.

As soon as your done spraying i'd just close up the garage and let her cure.  Fumes wont hurt anything as long as your not in there.

[seabob4]

We use the oil filled radiator type heaters in our booth during winter, they are completely enclosed and don't provide any ignition source.  Downside to them is since they are radiator type heaters they don't heat the space quickly.  They do however heat an enclosed space well.  Other problem you will have with evacuating air is you'll also be evacuating your heat.  If we had to finish in really cold temps I'd just heat the booth and leave the fans off. You have to wear a good full face respirator to do this.  Booth fans would evacuate the heat in about 30 secs and we didn't have a heated make up air unit.

You will want to be really careful using a fan to evacuate the air in the shop, most paint fumes are heavier than air and will sink. If you have a fan at floor level, your asking for trouble.  If you don't have an explosion proof fan, I wouldn't use a fan to evacuate fumes. You'd be safer using natural ventilation and a heater with no ignition sources.

As soon as your done spraying i'd just close up the garage and let her cure. Fumes wont hurt anything as long as your not in there.

'Cept give you a good buzz.  Was wiring an Osprey console one winter when the putty was still kicking off (out-gassing).  Ended up across the street in sub-assy, my buddy who ran S/A asked what I needed.  Had no clue...

[Fletch170]

Bob,

That happened to me in college, but I would end up at 7 Eleven eating doritos, beef jerkey, and combos having no idea how I got there.

My main concern was shooting paint when the temp was low, for the few minutes when the heat wasn't cranked. I didn't know if this would effect how the paint would stick or run.....sounds like it will be OK. We'll see. My main concern is not blowing up our brand new home.

I wonder if the electric oil heaters would keep my garage warm?


On a side note, I have my engine cowl in my garage.....one side of the engine decals are so f'ed up that even with a heat gun the decals just come of in tiny-tiny pieces, and easier way to get that crap off?

[seabob4]

Bob,

That happened to me in college, but I would end up at 7 Eleven eating doritos, beef jerkey, and combos having no idea how I got there.

My main concern was shooting paint when the temp was low, for the few minutes when the heat wasn't cranked. I didn't know if this would effect how the paint would stick or run.....sounds like it will be OK. We'll see. My main concern is not blowing up our brand new home.

I wonder if the electric oil heaters would keep my garage warm?


On a side note, I have my engine cowl in my garage.....one side of the engine decals are so f'ed up that even with a heat gun the decals just come of in tiny-tiny pieces, and easier way to get that crap off?

Try softening the bond with a solvent like mineral spirits (won't hurt anything).  You want to start breaking down the bond line between the decals and the substrate.  Lay the cowling on it's side to allow as much contact with the solvents and the bond line as possible, trying to get it to "wick" in to the joint.  Old decals are a PITA to remove.  A scraper made out of starboard helps as well, and won't mar the finish of the paint...

[slvrlng]

Get one of the stripe eraser wheels for your drill. They remove the letters and the glue without hurting the paint.

http://buyaes.com/rubber-pinstripe-eraser-pad.html

[seabob4]

Get one of the stripe eraser wheels for your drill. They remove the letters and the glue without hurting the paint.

http://buyaes.com/rubber-pinstripe-eraser-pad.html

Lewis knows about this stuff...