Fresh Air Breathing Systems For Spray Painting
by Dennis Brandt
I often spray my models with paint that is quite dangerous to breathe. With my desire to get to a decent retirement age, I realized that I had to stop painting with just a simple respirator, and get something that will protect my lungs. A little internet research turned up the HobbyAir fresh air breathing system, consisting of a turbine air pump, a 40 foot air line hose, a full face mask, (or a half face mask), and a belt attachment for the flex line for the face mask to the 40 foot hose. CLM Enterprises is who sells it online- www.clmenterprises.com
I called and it turns out they sell quite a few of these units to hobbyists and classic car buffs who like to do their own painting. I decided to get the full mask version, with the added replaceable lens protectors, and an extra 40 foot airline in case I wanted even more distance from the turbine.
Using the system is great. The idea is to place the turbine intake upwind pulling in fresh air, and paint in a downwind area some 30 feet or more away from the turbine. The unit is very simple, a little loud, but certainly does the job. The extra 40 foot line was not really needed, but I have it just in case. The throw away lens protectors are quite necessary since there can be a bit of blow-back over-spray when painting in unusual positions. It is such a relief to be able to get up close to the model as I am spraying to get a nice paint flow without worrying about breathing poisonous over-spray. The system isn’t cheap, but my lungs are quite valuable to me. I highly recommend something like this if you do any kind a spray painting on a regular basis, my only regret is I wish I had bought this 25 years ago.
Dennis Brandt
