Paint drying booth

While in Idaho Falls this past weekend I hit a number of yard and garage sales looking for models.  No real luck there, but I did run across a "wine cooler"  It is about the size and has the appearance of a small home bar refrigerator.  The lady only wanted $5.00 because it did not work.  






For $5.00 I thought it might be a good base for a paint drying booth.  I bought it and took it to my daughter's house where my son-in-law and I stripped the mechanicals out of it.  The case itself is in good shape and the door seal appears to be air tight in spite of the obvious dust on the inside of the case.  After cleaning the case up I intend to install a light bulb to supply the necessary heat to the booth.  If nothing else the case should give me a relatively dust free place to put newly painted bodies.  I'll let you know how things turn out.

It's a good size. If you're doing any cutting, the outside metal and, if that's metal inside, drilling and/or cutting may be a challenge. Still, it's a cool setup when you're done. Take your time.

Good score, John. I'd gamble 5 bucks on it too. If it's no good as a booth, you've got a display cabinet!

Chris

Great idea John, I hope it works out for you. I suspect you will need more than one low wattage bulb though.

Whatever you do, test the heat 1st and don't let it get above 110f.

Well, it's a fridge, so it's insulated, probably with polyurethane as it's a commercial cabinet.

Shouldn't need much heat.

That's a good reuse of it!

I agree with Al. You need to check the temperature before putting bodies in it. I have heard 108 is the top for styrene plastic.

Yes, heat must not get above "a bit warm."  The round dehydrators used sometimes have very small elements and barely get warm, yet they can speedily dry paint.  It only takes a little heat. Heat element at the bottom of the unit and vented at the top. There must be some do-it-yourself examples on the web, maybe you tube.

Scale Auto magazine had an article on using a dehydrator to cure paint quicker, a few months back. The main point they made was that no matter which one you used check the heat. No more than 108 degrees. I have been thinking about doing something along these lines but so far haven't pulled the trigger.