"Ionic Breeze" Topic

I've been having trouble with large particles in the air while working with miniatures, glue, and paint. Of particular problem is fluffy dust and small fabric particles.

Has anyone encountered this problem?

Has anyone tried to counter it by using an Ionic Breeze type air purifier?

Does it work?

I don't know if an ionic breeze will help with painting but they sure do take stuff from the air that you never knew was there.

I have never used an air cleaner.

I remember that Consumer Reports found some models did remove dust well, but the Ionic Breeze seemed to be one of the very worst air cleaners on the market. Their reports, including the additional testing they did after Sharper Image complained, are online at consumerreports.org

(Complete articles might be available only to subscribers.)

I have had a few Ionic breeze units - I generally love them, except they have a bad tendancy to die after a while, as when some particles get in the wrong place it sort of shoerts the thing out. I see they now have a 5 year replacement plan which would fix that issue.

Andif yopu plug the filter thginy on when it is all wet it kills it.

However, they do generate charged particles that 'may' end up settling on whatever is nearest with the wrong charge. Much like to find lots of dust on your TV due to the static charge.

I think first and formost paint in a room that you can vaccum with oneof the machines with the very fine filter, and keep it clean. Someitmes its worse to have cleaner air moving, that dirty air sitting still.

Thanks for the extra information on the Ionic breeze, gentlemen. Hours of infomercial brainwashing was starting to break my will to avoid buying the product.

Now lets see if any Sharper Image Sock Puppets show up ;-)

If you have ducting as part of your AC system in your house, you might want to consider getting the ducts cleaned. I've found that dirty ducts can be a primary source of that kind of fluffy stuff you describe. If you have a clothes dryer in your house, you will want to check the exhaust connections to make sure they are tight and not leaking lint into the house. Also, cleaning off the lint screen on a clothes dryer should be done outside if possible to reduce these types of fluffy particles in the air of your home.

Before plunking down the kind of bucks it costs to buy an expensive ionic air cleaner, you might try a more conventional air purifier (that use disposable filters)first. I have a small Hamilton Beach True Air unit. I bought it when I moved into my last place. The carpets had not been cleaned prior to moving in and it became painfully obvious that the previous tenent had an indoor cat. Cat dander is one of the few things that will get my asthma going. The little one-room air purifier did a good job of removing the offending particles from the air of my bedroom. You might try running a similar small unit in your work space for a short while before working on your figures. It's a less expensive option should it work.

Thank you everyone.

"Blueair" seems to be a good air purifier. Expensive but good. Online review sites also said the Hamilton Beach line was good for the money.

I'll add that I don't think I have too many dust problems, even though I have way too many pets and children in the house and I don't clean often enough. I spray primer outside then double-check figures and remove any hairs or fibers stuck in the paint. There sometimes are a few, but I consider it just another part of the process to notice them and remove them.

I usually let primed figures dry inside under a ceiling fan to disperse the fumes. In a different home it might help to shut the fans off to avoid disturbing dust.

Changing or cleaning the air filters on the airconditioning probably helps, assuming you have it (it is mandatory in the southern USA). Cleaning central A/C ducts occasionally is also a good idea.

When I have had severe problems with fuzzy figures, it seemed to be due to using old primer or spraying on days with high humidity.

I live in DRY dusty northern Arizona.

I find it helpful to have an old very soft brush to "dust" the miniatures before primer and after. Once I start painting it is not much of a problem, unless the mini's sit for a long time in between paint sart and completion, and then I do "dust" them again.

Never tried an air purifier and probably won't

We use a few air purifiers in ourapartment because my wife has major dust allergies. We don't, however, actually have one in the room I paint in (which is also the 'computer room') because she doesn't spend as much time in there, and because I've never really noticed a problem.

If I were to notice a problem, sure, I'd start using one in there.

You can buy an electrostatic air cleaner that fits in place of the furnace filters in air ducts.

These DO work. I had the worst allergies as a kid, even when in doors. My parents picked one up at SEARS, installed it, and no more pollen problems.

Electrostatic purifiers can and do work, the Ionic Breeze is just a bad example... :)

I use an electrostatic generator in the painting room. Its a blessing and a curse.

The blessing is it rips stuff out of the air with amazing power - even smells cannot escape the room. On a calm day there are no free floating particles in the air at all.

The curse is the area near the generator - all the crap in the air is electrically bonded to all the surfaces in the vacinity of the generator - requiring occasional but tedious cleaning.

This gadget is not an air cleaner per se. It is just a coil with an aimable pin sticking out to direct the charge. It costs about $75, lasts forever, and is available from most hydroponic supply stores. Most of the junk from the air is stuck to a paper towel that is wrapped around the coil and clipped on and easily replaced.

~mArK