Are you trying to spray paint or prime miniatures indoors? When it’s raining, hot or humid, you may be forced indoors to paint models. This makes aerosol or spray cans harder to use, if not impossible. Using an airbrush to prime and paint your miniatures indoors is a great way to continue working efficiently even during bad weather. But, spraying models with an airbrush can be hindered without a proper setup.
In this post, I’ll go through the 7 reasons why a hobby spray booth is an excellent tool for miniature painters who want to work fast.
7 Reasons Why You Want a Spray Booth
A hobby spray booth is important for painting things like miniatures and models. It cuts down on the amount of time it takes to paint these items. The air pressure in the booth paints the item evenly, which may not happen if you’re trying to paint outside of it. It also creates a cleaner environment that is good for all ages since it prevents fumes from getting into your lungs. Here are three reasons why you would want to purchase a spray booth for your painting needs.
1. Airbrush Indoors
A spraybooth is a great way to airbrush during inclement weather or when the sun is too bright to see your work. With a spray booth, you can airbrush your models indoors. Even if you have no window, a spray booth filter will still work to prevent overspray and airbrush paint from aersolizing into the rest of your room.
My current spray booth is an Ophir Spray Booth, which is similar to the popular Masters Spray Booth that many miniature painters use. Both use external hoses to vent exhaust away from your the spray booth hood.
If you’re looking to paint models indoors using an airbrush, a spray booth is perfect. I suggest getting one with a ventilation hose (which snakes out the back) to exhaust any excess overspray. But, in general, if you have no window for your spray booth, you can get away with the filtration built-into the system.
2. Faster Miniature Painting
A spray booth also speeds up the painting process. It encourages you to paint using your airbrush, which is efficient for priming and painting large models, as well as multiple smaller miniatures. The consistent airflow keeps the paint off of your hands and clothes and it dries the paint faster than if you were to paint outside (or without a spray booth indoors).
Here are more tips for speed painting miniatures, which is useful for those huge armies you’ve got lying around in bare gray plastic.
If you spend hours at a time painting one model or miniature, a spray booth can help you reduce that time down to minutes by allowing you to continue spraying without worrying about bad weather or fumes.
3. More Consistent Paint Jobs
A hobby spray booth will also help to create a more consistent paint job on your models. This is because the booth provides a controlled environment for painting, which helps to avoid any outside variables that could affect the end result, such as wind outdoors, dust, or other workspace debris that may get into your current working surface.
4. Keeps You Organized
A spray booth compartmentalizes your hobby area. It creates a dedicated space for certain miniature painting tasks. This can help to declutter your work surface and keep you more organized. Not only is organization important for being productive, it can help reduce stress!
It’s easier to find what you need and put things away when they are in a specific place. A spray booth is THE place for spray applications on your models, for example. And, this is the dedicated area where you may keep all those tools and supplies.
5. Safer Miniature Painting for Your Home
It goes without saying that containing overspray is a good way to reduce health hazards with airbrushing or spraying models. When painting, a spray booth helps create a safer, cleaner environment.
This is especially important for families or those of us with pets, because it offers a safer room to work in, e.g., prevents fumes and aerosolized paint from entering your lungs. You will have to use your best judgment when it comes to how well this works for you though. Some people may be comfortable painting outside of a tabletop spray booth, while others may not.
6. Protects Your Painted Models
An understated reason you need a spray booth for painting miniatures, is that it can protect your finished (or unfinished) models. For example, hobby spray booth can gives your freshly painted models or miniatures a good place to cure and dry.
After varnishing my models in the spray booth, I leave them there for 30-60 minutes with the vent fan on. This keeps the fumes filtered, as well as protects the models from settling dust or other contaminants in the air from sticking to the models while they dry.
The spray hood also acts like a shield against hazards like spills, a clumsy arm, or even the wayward feline pet. It offers an ideal space for “storing” your creations that may not be available on your hobby desk, which is generally better for actual work.
7. Affordable
The final reason why you might want a hobby spray booth is because they are actually becoming more and more affordable. I’ve noticed this over the years with different brands on the market aimed at hobbyists, who are looking for a way to speed up their miniature painting. Competition, perhaps?
As our hobby grows, it seems that companies are creating more of what we need. We don’t need those giant, metal fume hoods for chemicals or biological materials that laboratories use. The tabletop spray booths for airbrushing models are compact, portable, and easy to use.
What Spray Booth Should I Use?
Spray booths are very versatile tools that can come in many different sizes. Some people may prefer working with smaller models and miniatures, while others may need a booth that is larger in size. So, it is important to find the right size for your individual needs.
When purchasing a spray booth, you will also want to make sure that it has the right features. The most important feature is that it needs to be able to create a positive air pressure. This is what helps to keep fumes and dust from getting out of the booth and into your lungs.
You will also want to find a booth that comes with accessories like fans and filters. Having these items will make the booth more effective overall, which is what you want when looking for a spray booth.
The bottom line is that your specific requirements for using a spray booth should dictate the size and types of features you need to look for in one. You can decide on these factors by assessing your current painting needs, and finding a model that can accommodate them.
What I like about my tabletop hobby spray booth is that has all the essentials you need a highly functional, safe place to airbrush and spray paint miniatures. It includes air filters and a powerful fan for venting fumes. The flexible hose and window adapter give me the option of venting the fumes directly outside, if I so choose.
Do I Need Other Accessories with a Model Painting Spray Booth?
There are many different items you can use while painting with a spray booth. One of the most important items for working with your spray booth is a model holder, which can be helpful for holding your models or miniatures while you spray paint them. You can use things like toothpicks, corks, or other implements as holders, but having an dedicated holder platform or clip stand will make it easier for you to paint your models.
Spray painting pedestals or airbrushing stands give you a stable place for your models while you paint them in your spray booth. Some types of stands have platforms that rotate, like a lazy Susan, or have clips or clamps to secure smaller parts so they aren’t blown away during spraying. Most hobby painting stands will fit in any sized spray booth and can provide a great way to hold your models. You may even find that the spray booth you buy has a rotating spray stand already included with the kit.
Top 3 Tabletop Spray Booths for Painting Miniatures and Models:
Check out these popular spray booths for airbrushing and spray painting your miniatures, e.g., Warhammer 40k, 3D prints, and more!
- Paasche Airbrush HSSB-22-16 Hobby Spray Booth (Large, Industrial)
- Master Airbrush Portable Hobby Airbrush Spray Booth with LED Lighting (Most Popular)
- OPHIR Portable Airbrush Lighted Hobby Spray Booth (Best Value)
Conclusion: Is a Spray Booth Worth It?
A spray booth is a must have for any miniature painter and hobbyist. It will not only protect you from the harsh overspray that are in some paints, a spray booth will also help compartmentalize your work and make paint applications more efficient overall.
If you’re forced to paint indoors because of bad weather or poor environmental conditions, a spray booth encourages you to keep painting. You’re able to continue working with your airbrush to prime and paint your models whenever you need or want to. There’s nothing holding you back!
Do you use a spray booth? Or, are you trying to decide whether a spray booth is worth it? I hope you found this article helpful! If so, let me know and leave a comment below.
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