Cleaning before painting

[cdavi126]

What are you steps before you paint? How do you keep foreign objects from landing on your work pieces before you get to paint.

I am spraying cabinets with HVLP sprayer. Getting specs left in my paint.....

I've set up a plastic tent in my garage, added a utility blower to blow the air out of the tent and I am still getting specs in my paint.......  Before I spray, I sand, blow off the dust then either wipe the piece down with acetone and a rag or a tack cloth.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bertv]

My guess is that by blowing air out you are pulling contaminated air in. You should probably use a dedicated respirator with air supply and turn of the fan.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I spray in my garage too. I mount a plastic drop cloth like a curtain around 3-sides. I run my air filtration box well before I start to paint and leave it on (I put a cheap filter in front of it).

Wondering it the utility blower is kicking up dust?

Just before painting I will, like you, wet wipe the surface with a mix of 50% water and 50% DNA. I saw this trick elsewhere but just before spraying I pull the trigger in slightly so it only dispenses air and blow off the part and then spray.

Mike

 

[nclemmons]

I think the blower might be your problem with airborne dust that takes time to settle. 

Ideally, set up your spray area -
- final sanding done day before to allow dust to settle
- plastic barrier around the perimeter
- fan to blow air out with a filter to capture dust as it moves
- vacuum the floor
- wipe down the pieces for dust
- let them set and dust settle out for an hour or so
- re-wipe the pieces
- spray

Given the hours of build, I find taking my time for finish is well worth the effort even though we always want to get it finished!

 

[cdavi126]

Here is the blower I am attaching to the plastic tent/booth. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

I've set up a plastic tent in my garage, added a utility blower to blow the air out of the tent and I am still getting specs in my paint.......

Sorry, but the only way to get rid of dust in the air on a professional level is a full blown spray booth. Then both the intake and the outtake air is completely filtered.

 

[Gregor]

I've set up a plastic tent in my garage, added a utility blower to blow the air out of the tent and I am still getting specs in my paint.......  [...]
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

I would suggest to reverse that blower, add a HEPA filter to the blower inlet, connect to a large air diffusor located at the top of the tent, tighten the tent except a small but even gap around the bottom (as the outlet for the air being added at the top).

Reasoning:
The filter to remove any dust sucked in,
the large diffusor to avoid punctual air drafts so you get an even spray,
the outlet around the bottom (in conjunction with the inlet at the top) to generate a downdraft so dust won't float in upwinds (as there are none),
the reversal of direction in the blower to avoid pulling in a potentially flammable gas mixture which could (in combination with with a little spark from the motor) make spray painting way more memorable than it needs to be.

The simplest (but quite effective) DIY air diffusor is just a tube of fabric (polyester is my choice as it's evenly woven so it gives an even airflow over the whole surface - plus being cheaply available in the form of curtains when buying what's on sale from color/design being out of fashion) with the hose in on one and closed at the other end. Easy do to with a sawing machine, easy to hang into the tent and won't hurt you (like one with a frame could) in case it falls down or you run against it with the head (in case of a low ceiling). In case of no sawing machine available: An old pillowcase (or a duvet cover, should your tent be big enough) can also do the trick, just let the blower run for a while (while tapping the 'diffusor' a bit) after installing so any dust that might stick to/in it will be removed before you being cleaning your workpieces.