I was so excited to use my new airbrush, I put DH's car cake in a large box turned on it's side and went to work painting it red - THREE coats. Well, that was Sat., I'm still wiping red off my granite and finding more areas that are now tinted with a pinkish film. My ENTIRE floor, a window sill in the nook over 15 ft away. We have an open floor plan so I can only imagine how far it has reached. UGH!!! The guy at the airbrush store said I shouldn't even bother with a booth , I can't even imagine if I hadn't used a box. Machine is now in my garage and DH is going to build Earlene's box for me.

OH dear! That is a nightmare.

Ooohhhhh yes!
I remember one gal saying she had a 2 story house and all white furniture and she found red spray on the upper floors!

The UPPER floors ??? OMG, I can't imagine how this stuff travels so far, if only cleaners would work so well. I'm so lucky my DH isn't mad at me, all he did was offer to build me a space in the garage, no comments whatsoever. I have to admit I would not have been nearly as nice if the situation had been reversed. Hopefully this post will help others avoid the same mistake. I still don't understand why the airbrush guy told me it was no problem to use in my kitchen and not to bother buying a spraying booth.

Yeah, my husband made me put mine in the basement when I got it........I've only used it once, (haven't had it long), but even in the basement I could see it in the air when I sprayed...........geesh............
I need a box or booth or something.......

As I know nothing about the airbrushes, do you wear a mask??

Have you tried using the clorox kitchen/bath spray cleaner? It has a little bleech in it, so it may help get rid of the red better. By the way, your husband is a saint, cause just like you said, if it was my husband I wouldn't have been so nice either.

<------ crossing airbrush off my Christmas list

My DH made Earlene's cabinet when I first bought an airbrush. I've now graduated. I bought one unit of a kitchen lower cabinet and the counter top for it. We put it against a wall and added plywood sides to it. I had the electrician install a light and bathroom fan in the ceiling above the cabinet. I then bought the curved shower rod and installed it as close to the ceiling as possible. Then I bought yards of frosted vinyl (easier to work with) and made a ceiling to floor 'shower curtain' and hung it on the rod. I then took remaining vinyl and made a sort of awning that was stapled from the ceiling and hangs over the open area of the shower rod (it really does look like an awning).

The inside of the unit--I stapled foam core boards onto all of the walls. I bought a bundle of newsprint paper (you can also use examining table paper) and lined the counter top. I push pin paper onto the lower part of the walls. When it's all a mess I remove one layer from the countertop and replace the paper on the walls.

No overspray; no mess. You MUST wear a good respirator mask. Think about it. If you find the overspray all over your house; you're inhaling it too.

I found red in EVERY single room of my house for MONTHS after the Spiderman cake I did......I mean EVERYWHERE! I don't ever plan on airbrushing red anytime soon....or ever! LOL

What are ya'll using?

I have an airbrush and never have any of these issues! do I have a dud?

I do agree a mask can be helpful but I rarely have the color in my nose. At first I did but not so much any more. I don't get a lot of over spray and it's a breeze to clean up. I am so surprised to read this. Sorry about all the red everywhere, that has to be a pain!

You must also be very careful walking from the kitchen tile to the carpet as the soles of your shoes are picking up color. Or, you can do what I do and put on a pair of old socks and 'dry mop' after airbrushing. Grrr....

I, too, have an open floorplan and have found color upstairs MONTHS after a project!!

I don't have that much of an issue with mine. (thank goodness!) Do you all have a regulator that you can adjust the pressure on the compressor? You don't need a lot of PSI to airbrush a cake. Mine makes a bit of a mess on the SS table - but I have very little overspray at all.

Let me say that I haven't airbrushed a cake yet but My ex and I had an Autobody shop for 15 years. I have painted fenders and doors.

You might want to lower the air pressure. That might help with the overspray. If your compressor doesn't have an air pressure regulator, you can buy one to put on it. I think you might be able to find one at the place you got your air compressor or at a Lowe's or a Home Depot. You should wear a mask. Make sure you have proper ventilation. It may not be automotive paint, but you don't want it floating around in your lungs either. A window with a fan in it should work fine. The fan will draw the over spray away. Don't give up on airbrushing. It's a wonderful tool.

Well, that's my two cents. I hope it helps.

Thanks! I do have a regulator, I have it set to around 18-20 psi. Should I lower it? TIA.

Try it out and see how it does. One good thing about cake decorating is that our trial and error experiments are so darn tasty. lol.

I have a airmaster and depending on how hard I push on the nozzle that controls the spray, no dial on my compressor.......but I airbrush all the time. Generally I just stick a piece of foam core up behind the cake and airbrush away. I do have to wipe down the counter I'm working on when I'm done, but I never thought it was that big of a deal. I don't get THAT much overspray anyhow and I am NOT careful. I do however need to get a mask!

My airbrush hardly ever comes out for the same reason, I am fed up with cleaning up the entire house afterwards. The thing that gets me about it is the time it takes for all the colour to settle. You clean up and wash the floors, just to come back a couple of hours later and discover your feet are picking up colour from the floors again. That colour just floats around in space forever.

I tried to do it outside but it is so humid here most of the year that combined with the moisture from the airbrush my cake just melted, so not really an option for me.

Shame my hubby is not DIY inclined, so if I want an airbrushing cabinet I am going to have to build one myself.

40 PSI is way too much pressure! Most of the time I am airbrushing cakes at around 3 or 4 PSI.

Loucinda, I had my 40 compressor regulated to 18 or 20, I guess I should turn it WAY down.

I think it would be interesting to find what brand airbrush and compressor everyone has, what the psi is and whether or not they get a LOT of overspray

I'll start

1. brand of airbrush
2. brand of compressor
3. psi (if able to change, what the range is)
4. is there a lot of overspray??

1. Iwata, w/ a little cup on the top for the color
2. Kopykake Airmaster (it's lit. grey)
3. don't know the psi, it's regulated w/ how far I pull back on the airbrush lever
4. I don't notice too terribly much overspray, just generally within 2-3 inches of the cake I"m working on.

1. Paasche VL double action siphon feed, also has opt of little silver cup on top for small amts
2. Central Pneumatic 40psi w/regulator
3. 18-20 psi (will be lower next time)
4. red picked up on paper towels from all over my 20x24 kitchen and I'm sure in the rest of my house too with red when cake was sprayed in a cardboard box. Overspray just on island when used black no box just newsprint held behind.

*edited for typos. Not easy to type while holding a newborn.