Paint Booths Archives : Tools USA

Change is coming with aluminum alloy body … we’re getting ready.

The new pickups from FORD feature a high-strength, aluminum alloy body and bed can reduce the weight of that vehicle up to 700 lbs.! It has also increased mileage and towing-hauling capacity. Body shops will need to prepare for new challenges that aluminum body repair work will entail. At the top of the preparation list is the proper handling of messy and potentially explosive airborne dust caused by grinding or sanding of the aluminum panels.

The aluminum body revolution is a body shop industry game changer, and thoughts are, its impact will only increase in the years ahead. General Motors has already given notice that its new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups will feature weight-saving aluminum bodies by the fall of 2018.

By 2025, “Seven out of 10 new pickup trucks produced in North America will be aluminum-bodied” and “every leading automaker will have several aluminum body and closure panel programs,” according to a 2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study by Ducker Worldwide, a premier consulting and research firm.
To meet the coming demand, body shops will need to adapt to the challenges of working with aluminum with dedicated tools, equipment, and proper training. Failing to do so may mean missing out on one of the fastest growing markets in the next decade.
Ford, for its part, is at the forefront of setting the guidelines and requirements for working with aluminum bodied vehicles for both Ford dealership and independent body shops. Stay tuned as we at Standard Tools and Equipment address the full range of aluminum issues: from isolating aluminum vehicles from traditional steel repairs with a separate room or curtain system to dealing with aluminum dust to dedicated aluminum welding, and dent removal systems.
We’re preparing now because we want to be ready for the opportunity to help equip our customers with safe, quality, cost effective solutions in this arena. Tools USA has booth products available for aluminum prep work and painting. Give us a call.

Protect Your Investment: Paint Booth Protective Film

Paint Booth Protective Film

A customer sent us a photo of their booth, which looked like one they ordered recently. The walls were a beautiful white and the filters had been recently changed. The floor in the booth was also a beautiful grey with little residue of paint or over-spray. I was shocked to hear that this booth was 10 years old, used every day….. and still looked this great!

I had to know what the booth owner was doing to keep his booth so nice. His answer was paint booth protective film, ordered from ToolsUSA.

When protective films are used on the walls, floors and lighting glass in your booth, they protect the surface, while being able to easily be replaced. You can easily get more out of your paint booth, while reducing the booth maintenance and improving the booth brightness.

ToolsUSA is an exclusive distributor of RBL Products, who manufacture protective film for the spray booth’s walls, floors and light boxes. It eliminates the time-consuming task of cleaning of your paint booth floors, walls and glass. Just use the film, and replace every 60-90 days to keep your paint booth looking brand new.

The floor film is a clear heavy-duty protective film to keep floors clean. It is easy to apply and comes on a reverse wound roll with the adhesive to the outside that enables easy layout of the film to the floor.

Dry, non-skid surface
Film resists temperatures up to 200⁰ F which is great for booths with an air make-up unit.
Eliminates cleaning the floors with chemicals
Resists tears, punctures and disintegration
Replace every 60-90 days

The wall film comes in a clear, non-yellowing film and applies directly over booth walls and doors.

Durable puncture resistant plastic film with UV inhibitor.
Self-adhering film leaves no adhesive transfer.
Easy to apply. Easy to cut film with SNIPPET KNIFE or razor blade.
Remove when desired and apply new film.
Film resists heat up to 200°F (93.3°C).
Preserves booth lighting without distortion or deflection

The self-adhering light box glass film covers light box glass. The adhesive is designed for glass only, not recommended for booth walls.

Eliminates the labored cleaning method of glass cleaner, razor blades and rags.
Temperature resistance up to 200°F (93.3°C).
Fast, accurate and economical!
Preserves booth lighting without distortion or deflection
At end point, tear at perforation or if between perforations, cut with razor blade or SNIPPET Knife

Whether you are awaiting your new paint booth to arrive, or have an older booth you want to protect, check out the adhesive films from ToolsUSA.

Infrared Curing Lamps -Plug It In & Get To Work

Infrared curing lamps are a cost effective way to speed up the process of drying or curing most air-dry coatings. Infrared curing technology has been used by auto body repair professionals for a long time. The vast majority of infrared curing lamps are using short-wave infrared lamps to speed up the drying process of putties, fillers, primers, base coats and clear coats.

Why do auto body repair professionals use infrared lights?

–          Accelerated drying times of all painting materials
–          No need to use spray booth for smaller jobs
–          Lower energy bills
–          Mobility of infrared lamps allows more efficient exploitation of body shop space

Infrared’s main focuses is exceptional speed, high efficiency, precision control and zero emissions. Infrared heat dries one-quarter to one-tenth the time needed when air-drying finishes. It also requires little to no air-flow reducing the possibility of dust or debris contaminating the finish. The heat is more cost efficient than convection heat since it reduces cycle times, transfers heat directly to your product and doesn’t require an expensive enclosure like an oven to keep and recirculate the heat. These heat lamps generate zero emissions and will not pollute the air.

So…plug in your lamp and speed up your work times!
If you paint and cure full vehicles often, you should consider the benefits of a paint booth.

Canadian Paint Booth Standards

NFPA-33 spray application for combustible or flammable materials is authored by the National Fire Protection Association and is regarded as the top-level standard for spray booth design, use and maintenance. This booklet is available through various online sites (e.g. www.techstreet.com) for under $50. It is used by all spray booth manufacturers in the USA and should be owned by anyone using a spray booth. It is full of information based on past issues. Standard Tools and Equipment also refers to OSHA 29CFR1910 and IFC codes to influence spray booth design, materials and manufacturing.
Continue reading Canadian Paint Booth Standards

Are Your Filters HAZARDOUS?

Just as you would in your house, your paint booth filters must be changed to protect the quality of air you breathe and the environment. For the health of painters, spray-painting operations must use paint booths with exhaust filters. Exhaust filters are designed to collect paint and other particles, preventing them from polluting the air outside the shop with paint overspray. Because the paint being collected on the filters can be hazardous, it can also make the used filter potentially hazardous. So how do you know if your booth filters are considered hazardous waste?

1.) Evaluate Your Filters. No matter which type of exhaust filter you use, all types must be evaluated to determine whether or not they are hazardous. Avoid conditions that could lead to spontaneous combustion in dumpsters. Both hazardous and non-hazardous filters have been known to spontaneously combust.

2.) How Can You Determine Hazardous Filters? Determining a hazardous filter can be done in two ways.

a.) Through knowledge of waste

-Only use paints and coatings which contain regulated metals.

b.) Use of laboratory testing

-Arrange a testing with a company capable of performing TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) test.

Get more information on paint booths, filters and environmental concerns from the Environmental Protection Agency.

If your filters are hazardous, you must store them in a non-leaking container marked with the words “Hazardous Waste” with the waste description attached. To select the proper container you may want to contact the disposal facility you are planning to use. A licensed hazardous waste transporter is required to ship the hazardous waste to the disposal facility. A special paper called a hazardous waste manifest must be accompanied with the shipment.

Non-hazardous filters cannot be disposed of in or with your normal trash. Your waste is to be sent to a permitted landfill or burner by a waste hauler. Make sure filters and the paints they contain are completely dry prior to disposal to minimize the chance of fire.

In North Carolina, if the paint on the filters is DRY then it is not considered Hazardous. If the paint is WET, then it is Hazardous. Consult with your jobber, filter supplier, and/or your local authorities for assistance in properly characterizing and handling your waste filters.

Manufactured vs. Homemade Paint Booths

We all love a handyman, a professional who can fix anything. And not just any handyman, we want the best handyman. When our pipes burst, we call the plumber. When our cars break down, we call the mechanic. So why would you try to make a homemade paint booth?

Whenever you are dealing with highly volatile products such as paint and chemicals there is the possibility of fire or the risk of an explosion. This is why homemade paint booths are not quite the route to take. Of course they are cheaper, and that is exactly the quality you will get. Dealing with something as serious as mixing harmful chemicals, a topnotch manufactured paint booth is required to keep you safe. Homemade Booths rarely, if ever, meet NFPA 33 and OSHA codes.

Many homemade paint booths have no ventilation system. A paint booth is essentially a sealed area with a powerful fan or air circulation unit installed in it. Your circulation unit should be powerful enough to circulate all the air in the room every five minutes to prevent the buildup of fumes. Both the inflow and the outflow vents should be equipped with air filters. A non-ventilated paint booth may be decent for painting small objects such as a dice; however, when painting big projects like car parts, your breathing is in trouble.

Manufactured paint booth systems are more pleasant, less likely to cause painting problems and a whole lot less likely to blow you to Kingdom Come! The technology is available to keep you alive. At Standard Tools, your safety is number one on our list. Our booths are quality to keep you safe and will not damage your pockets. Everyone wants to have quality and save money at the same time. Let Standard Tools do that for you.

A Paint Mixing Room is a Dangerous Place to Be

There are always “do’s and don’ts”, whether it’s fashion, workplace etiquette, or paint mixing rooms. That’s right! There are “do’s and don’ts” to using paint mixing rooms. Paint mixing rooms can be very dangerous work areas because of the toxic, flammable and hazardous materials stored in it. Use safe precautions to ensure your health & safety.

Keep away from. Extreme care shall be taken by individuals mixing solvent-based paints to remove from all possible sources of ignition, such as matches, cigarette lighters, and steel buckles.

Avoid contact and wash your hands! Persons handling painting materials shall avoid contact of material with skin and eyes, and inhalation of mists or vapors. When painting materials are handled, care shall be exercised to wash hands before eating, drinking, smoking, or using toilets. No food or drink shall be allowed in the paint area.

Proper attire.Personnel shall wear nonskid, rubber-soled shoes or canvas boots over their shoes when working. It is also a good idea to wear a Paint Suit to protect your clothes, skin and hair.

Illness. Workers with a history of chronic skin diseases, allergies, or asthma shall not be permitted to work with paint compounds and thinners.

Always remember skin contact, eye contact, ingestion, and breathing mists or vapors in excess of the threshold limit value, (TLV) a level of chemical substance to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without adverse health effects, shall be avoided. Follow these guidelines when working in a paint mixing room, and your well-being will be protected.

Ventilation and Exhaust Systems: A Guide to Protecting Your Breathing

Today we are all more aware of pollutants and what they do to our environment and our health. We know that pollution is not good for our breathing, so we have been taught how to take precautions, such as buying electric hybrid cars and going green. You should also be taught how to take precautions to protect your breathing in your paint booth.

Paint booths are extremely important in providing an optimal environment in which to spray paint. Solvent based spray paints are the main source of isocyanate (a harmful compound) and are damaging to human health. If you don’t take special precautions, you may end up with Asthma, persistent coughs or something more threatening.

Paint booths protect the health of your shop employees by filtering the paint overspray and fumes through the booth’s ventilation system. Three popular styles of booth include the down draft, cross draft and open front.

Open face paint booths have three walls while the front end is left open, and this is where the air is pulled in from. It is extracted by the paint booth exhaust fans which are located at the back.

A cross draft paint booth pulls filtered air in through filtered doors, and paint booth exhaust fans at the other end extract the contaminated air. These paint booths will have filters on both the intake and outtake side, so the incoming air is clean and free of contaminants to the work, while the outgoing air sends the toxic paint fumes our and away from the shop area.

A downdraft paint booth ventilation works by having multiple fans bringing fresh air in from top of the booth and exhaust fans at the bottom taking air out.

When looking to buy your paint booth, make sure that you understand the style of booth you will need for your given application. It is also important to buy from a reputable company that understands that ventilation and exhaust systems should meet the applicable requirements of NFPA 33. Some of the requirements are to make sure each booth has its own dedicated exhaust stack. Each exhaust plenum on a paint booth should have its own pressure gauge called a manometer. Manufacturers’ should supply the manometer with the purchased paint booth package. Keeping the fan clean also helps to extend its life.

“When Should I Replace My Filters?”

Proper spray booth filter maintenance is crucial to obtaining a great paint job. Without the proper air balance, your booth will perform poorly and your operating costs will be higher than necessary.

To achieve proper balance, filters must remove and hold contaminants but still allow for proper air flow in the booth. Delaying a filter change will result in poor quality jobs. We all know what that means…unnecessary added costs from buffing, sanding, booth cleaning, etc. I always say… “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right the first time”

Cross draft booth intake filters should be changed every one to three months and down draft ceiling filters should be changed every four to six months. This is on average because each operating environment is different and paint hours can fluctuate greatly. Exhaust paint arrestor pads/filters should be changed every one to two weeks or more often if the manometer/draft gage on your booth measures high.

We will be glad to assist you in determining which filters are needed for your booth. We even offer kits for our Standard Tools booths. Buying these in kit form can save you tons of money.

Kelly Goudy
Sales Manager
Paint Booths by Standard Tools and Equipment Co.

Proudly MADE IN THE TRIAD!

WFMY News 2 featured Standard Tools and Equipment on their Made in the Triad feature. We are proud to be manufacturing paint booths from our plant in Greensboro, NC.

Watch the video now!

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Category: Paint Booths