Pace 24" Mini Plus Spray Booth
For the longest time I've been wanting to set up a spray booth, this year I finally decided to quit putting it off and bought one. After researching the possibilities on the internet, including building one, I finally settled on purchasing the Pace 24" Mini Plus.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0153.JPG
Pace website here -> Link.
The 24" Mini Plus is the no frills model in the pace line up, I chose this one of the three as given the differences in price I didn't really need or want the larger model or the extras, and I felt I could add the light and deal with the power supply in a more cost efficient and just as effect manor.
The retail Value of this particular booth is $265.00 + $25.00 packing and handling. If you are in the U.S. shipping is free, however as I live in Canada it cost roughly half of the purchase price agian for shipping. It came via UPS, which does't ship to box numbers so I ended up going up to pick it up from the depot. The Pace Spray Booths are manufactured by a Gentleman by the Name of Robert Pace, as he does not have a world wide distribution network while similar booths may have a higher retail cost, they may cost less overall if they are purchased locally if you are outside of the U.S. That said I'm happy with my new booth given what I spent on it, and would recommend to anyone, as it fits my requirements very well.
------------------------------------
Word of warning, don't underestimate the size of the box based on the dimensions of the booth like I did if you are going to pick it up rather then get it delivered.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0073.JPG
The booth itself comes well packaged and survived the trip intact.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0076.JPG/>
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0077.JPG/>
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0079.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0083.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0084.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0085.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0086.JPG
The Blower is a Dayton model 1TDP7 in case anyone is interested and it works quit well. I should add that I also ordered 3 extra replacement filters with mine. One advantage of the filters is they are a common size and not expensive, cheap and easy, just the way I like 'em.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0082_zps170f53db.jpg
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0088.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0087.JPG
And here everything has been loosely assembled in the desired location. What has been done to the blower is a base and 4" adapter for the ducting has been added and then it has been re boxed.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0091.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0089.JPG
At this point I turned it on to check that things were working properly and test it for flow, it isn't the quietest thing, almost as loud as the old Electrolux I'd say, but I'm willing to live with it. It all checked out ok so I can say that it will work just fine out of the box. There were a few things that I needed to change to install it so I did a couple of tweaks along the way.
Unfortunately it's not all purdy peaches and cream, there are a few niggles, one of the first things I found was the holes for the screws in the side of the booth were much to large for the screws.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0099.JPG
Now if you are wondering what this screw is for, it is to prevent the filter frame from being pushed back and up inside the booth without actually screwing anything into the frame and thereby interfering with the filter. One could easily use a larger screw and all would be ok.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0102.JPG
As the thing is made out of sheet metal, the same stuff used for furnace ducting etc. the pluses are that it is a of simple construction, lightweight and sturdy, the down side is that there is a bit of flex to it, it doesn't sit flat(there is a bit of a bow in the bottom, and it likes to slide around a bit. None of this is a truly serious issue and for all intents and purposes it will work just fine right out of the box.
Eliminating most of the flex, and it really isn't that bad, is no complex procedure, I just went to the hardware store and grabbed a couple of screws along with some aluminum duct tape. Those screws in the side of the booth do serve a purpose so it's not a good idea to leave them lose or out, in my opinion.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0111.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0114.JPG
The other thing is air leaks, I think that an open hole offers less resistance to draw then a filter does so any openings in the casing are going to reduce the efficiency of the filtration process. Again not a serious issue but one that could use a little tweaking. The biggest gaps are just over the filter
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0094.JPG
with a few smaller ones on the corners
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0116.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0113.JPG
I should also add that while things may look a little rough, after giving mine a good once over there were no sharp edges that I could cut myself on, I do like to reassure myself about these things.
Putting the duct tape here serves the dual purpose of reducing a bit of the flex as well as sealing up an air leak.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0112.JPG
The Aluminum duct tape also works well as it blends in rather well with the rest of the booth so it doesn't look like you've gone all Red Green on it for those who are wondering
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0115.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0117.JPG
After giving it some thought I decided to mount the thing on a base. I had an old shelf that was bigger then the desk top I chose to set it up on so I cut that to size with just a bit of over hang to use for mounting things. Putting it on a base also helped reduce the flex as well as reducing the tendency to slide around
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0129.JPG
Here I have disassembled the blower to make the required adjustments so as to have it facing in the correct direction. Just as a heads up the Philips screws attaching the motor to the fan body are very tight, I used a ratchet with an extension,
giving the extension a tap with a hammer to break the screws lose.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0097.JPG
Next up is the fan, here it can be seen how the holes in the base are drilled to accommodate the blower body
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0103.JPG
And the base as it sits lined up with the holes that have been drilled into the booth
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0104.JPG
All of which adds up to things pointing in the opposite direction of desirable
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0105.JPG
And here is where it's going to end up facing
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0107.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0108.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0109.JPG
After drilling the new holes I covered up the originals with duct tape. Next I reassembled the fan, the motor was given a quarter turn on top of the housing and the whole assembly was lined up for the elbow. I just used the thin aluminum dryer ducting and sealed up the joints with duct tape.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0127.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0125.JPG
And here it is all ready to be tied into the outside vent
I'm fortunate in that the room I use for my hobby room was once used as a laundry room so it had a dryer vent hole that had since been plugged off, so it was a simple matter of going to the hardware store and picking out the vent of my choice and shoving it through the hole. Being that as it was installing the ducting had no impact on the time space continuum. I use an adjustable elbow at the blower for a more rigid connection, and flex piping elsewhere to give things some flexibility and a couple of brackets to secure things to the wall. Once everything was in place the joints were sealed with duct tape.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0133.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0134.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0131.JPG
Since I can't actually use it to paint anything just yet, waiting on air pressure parts, I like to sit in front of it, flick the switches and pretend
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0144.JPG
problem is I keep looking at that switch "just" under the shelf looking back at me with an evil grin that says "go ahead, break me, ya know ya wanna"
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0142.JPG
So I just had to move it, the problem is is that the only other place that the switch can go is in the knockout plug on the other side of the box from the power
supply,
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0127.JPG
so with some careful drilling and a bit of power gouging with the Dremel I managed to punch a hole through the plug with out knocking it out
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0146.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0145.JPG
And this way too I was able to lower the bottom shelf a bit as well, before
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0147.JPG
And after
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0148.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0148.JPG
Now that I've installed it and played around a bit I'm quit happy with it despite the exorbitant shipping costs. It works really well, when it's running if I close the door to the room i can feel the air being pulled in through the window.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0139.JPG
On the outside it sounds about as noisy as dryer and inside about as loud as a vacuum but definitely not as loud as my shop vac. It might be a bit on the small side for those who build larger models but it's more then adequate for what I'll be doing
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0093.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0092.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0125.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0144.JPG
The light was $34 Canadian at Home Depot
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0135.JPG
For the longest time I've been wanting to set up a spray booth, this year I finally decided to quit putting it off and bought one. After researching the possibilities on the internet, including building one, I finally settled on purchasing the Pace 24" Mini Plus.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0153.JPG
Pace website here -> Link.
The 24" Mini Plus is the no frills model in the pace line up, I chose this one of the three as given the differences in price I didn't really need or want the larger model or the extras, and I felt I could add the light and deal with the power supply in a more cost efficient and just as effect manor.
The retail Value of this particular booth is $265.00 + $25.00 packing and handling. If you are in the U.S. shipping is free, however as I live in Canada it cost roughly half of the purchase price agian for shipping. It came via UPS, which does't ship to box numbers so I ended up going up to pick it up from the depot. The Pace Spray Booths are manufactured by a Gentleman by the Name of Robert Pace, as he does not have a world wide distribution network while similar booths may have a higher retail cost, they may cost less overall if they are purchased locally if you are outside of the U.S. That said I'm happy with my new booth given what I spent on it, and would recommend to anyone, as it fits my requirements very well.
------------------------------------
Word of warning, don't underestimate the size of the box based on the dimensions of the booth like I did if you are going to pick it up rather then get it delivered.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0073.JPG
The booth itself comes well packaged and survived the trip intact.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0076.JPG/>
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0077.JPG/>
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0079.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0083.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0084.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0085.JPG />
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0086.JPG
The Blower is a Dayton model 1TDP7 in case anyone is interested and it works quit well. I should add that I also ordered 3 extra replacement filters with mine. One advantage of the filters is they are a common size and not expensive, cheap and easy, just the way I like 'em.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0082_zps170f53db.jpg
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0088.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0087.JPG
And here everything has been loosely assembled in the desired location. What has been done to the blower is a base and 4" adapter for the ducting has been added and then it has been re boxed.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0091.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0089.JPG
At this point I turned it on to check that things were working properly and test it for flow, it isn't the quietest thing, almost as loud as the old Electrolux I'd say, but I'm willing to live with it. It all checked out ok so I can say that it will work just fine out of the box. There were a few things that I needed to change to install it so I did a couple of tweaks along the way.
Unfortunately it's not all purdy peaches and cream, there are a few niggles, one of the first things I found was the holes for the screws in the side of the booth were much to large for the screws.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0099.JPG
Now if you are wondering what this screw is for, it is to prevent the filter frame from being pushed back and up inside the booth without actually screwing anything into the frame and thereby interfering with the filter. One could easily use a larger screw and all would be ok.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0102.JPG
As the thing is made out of sheet metal, the same stuff used for furnace ducting etc. the pluses are that it is a of simple construction, lightweight and sturdy, the down side is that there is a bit of flex to it, it doesn't sit flat(there is a bit of a bow in the bottom, and it likes to slide around a bit. None of this is a truly serious issue and for all intents and purposes it will work just fine right out of the box.
Eliminating most of the flex, and it really isn't that bad, is no complex procedure, I just went to the hardware store and grabbed a couple of screws along with some aluminum duct tape. Those screws in the side of the booth do serve a purpose so it's not a good idea to leave them lose or out, in my opinion.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0111.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0114.JPG
The other thing is air leaks, I think that an open hole offers less resistance to draw then a filter does so any openings in the casing are going to reduce the efficiency of the filtration process. Again not a serious issue but one that could use a little tweaking. The biggest gaps are just over the filter
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0094.JPG
with a few smaller ones on the corners
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0116.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0113.JPG
I should also add that while things may look a little rough, after giving mine a good once over there were no sharp edges that I could cut myself on, I do like to reassure myself about these things.
Putting the duct tape here serves the dual purpose of reducing a bit of the flex as well as sealing up an air leak.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0112.JPG
The Aluminum duct tape also works well as it blends in rather well with the rest of the booth so it doesn't look like you've gone all Red Green on it for those who are wondering
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0115.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0117.JPG
After giving it some thought I decided to mount the thing on a base. I had an old shelf that was bigger then the desk top I chose to set it up on so I cut that to size with just a bit of over hang to use for mounting things. Putting it on a base also helped reduce the flex as well as reducing the tendency to slide around
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0129.JPG
Here I have disassembled the blower to make the required adjustments so as to have it facing in the correct direction. Just as a heads up the Philips screws attaching the motor to the fan body are very tight, I used a ratchet with an extension,
giving the extension a tap with a hammer to break the screws lose.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0097.JPG
Next up is the fan, here it can be seen how the holes in the base are drilled to accommodate the blower body
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0103.JPG
And the base as it sits lined up with the holes that have been drilled into the booth
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0104.JPG
All of which adds up to things pointing in the opposite direction of desirable
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0105.JPG
And here is where it's going to end up facing
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0107.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0108.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0109.JPG
After drilling the new holes I covered up the originals with duct tape. Next I reassembled the fan, the motor was given a quarter turn on top of the housing and the whole assembly was lined up for the elbow. I just used the thin aluminum dryer ducting and sealed up the joints with duct tape.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0127.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0125.JPG
And here it is all ready to be tied into the outside vent
I'm fortunate in that the room I use for my hobby room was once used as a laundry room so it had a dryer vent hole that had since been plugged off, so it was a simple matter of going to the hardware store and picking out the vent of my choice and shoving it through the hole. Being that as it was installing the ducting had no impact on the time space continuum. I use an adjustable elbow at the blower for a more rigid connection, and flex piping elsewhere to give things some flexibility and a couple of brackets to secure things to the wall. Once everything was in place the joints were sealed with duct tape.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0133.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0134.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0131.JPG
Since I can't actually use it to paint anything just yet, waiting on air pressure parts, I like to sit in front of it, flick the switches and pretend
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0144.JPG
problem is I keep looking at that switch "just" under the shelf looking back at me with an evil grin that says "go ahead, break me, ya know ya wanna"
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0142.JPG
So I just had to move it, the problem is is that the only other place that the switch can go is in the knockout plug on the other side of the box from the power
supply,
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0127.JPG
so with some careful drilling and a bit of power gouging with the Dremel I managed to punch a hole through the plug with out knocking it out
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0146.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0145.JPG
And this way too I was able to lower the bottom shelf a bit as well, before
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0147.JPG
And after
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0148.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0148.JPG
Now that I've installed it and played around a bit I'm quit happy with it despite the exorbitant shipping costs. It works really well, when it's running if I close the door to the room i can feel the air being pulled in through the window.
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0139.JPG
On the outside it sounds about as noisy as dryer and inside about as loud as a vacuum but definitely not as loud as my shop vac. It might be a bit on the small side for those who build larger models but it's more then adequate for what I'll be doing
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0093.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0092.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0125.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0144.JPG
The light was $34 Canadian at Home Depot
/gallery/albums/userpics/13133/IMG_0135.JPG