Static Eliminators and Dust Control

Gizmos versus spray products for keeping dust off pieces you're finishing. February 29, 2012

Question
Has anyone used a cartridge places in an air line? It claims to reduce dust on a finished product. When the air line is used to blow off the piece before spraying, elements in the cartridge charge the air, making it electrically conductive. In turn this charged air pulls the static electricity from the panel preventing dust to be attracted.

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor H:
I haven't used this product. I recommend a product to some of my customers for use on their products to remove static buildup and repel dust. In the panel industry, it is common to use a station ionization bar that will blow ionized air on their products. This will create a positive electron flow that will "charge" the panel to help repel dust, etc.

I believe it can help with finishing in that this will remove a static charge from a panel. This can help prior to spraying to prevent that attraction of dust to the panel. If you have a dusty shop and a problem of dust on your panel prior to spraying, no matter how much you clean the panel with an air gun you will need an ionization system.

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From contributor J:
Everyone laughs when I tell them this, but I use Endust on a clean towel to tack my projects off, it also removes the static. I use it for my car painting too. I’ve been using it instead of tack rags for over ten years now and have never encountered a problem. It really works better.

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From the original questioner:
I'll try the Endust on a cloth. It sounds like a good idea. I'm set to spray a high gloss finish. This should eliminate the last of the dust.

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From contributor G:
To contributor J: The Endust idea intrigued me but I still had my doubts so I looked up the MSDS. It lists the following ingredients:

Petroleum distillates
Iisobutane
Naphtha (petroleum), hydro-treated heavy
Terpenes and terpenoids, sweet orange-oil
Propane

The only thing that looked at all worrisome was the sweet orange-oil. I have no idea what the terpenes and terpenoids are either. I spray mainly CV so adhesion and contamination is a big issue with me. Have you used Endust with these products with success?

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From contributor J:
No, I have not. But I use Endust on all my car collision repairs and car paint is
real sensitive. If it works there, it should be pretty safe. (I do a lot of car repairs, my woodworking is only in the winter). The key with Endust is having clean
dedicated rags that are safe and only a light mist spraying is all that's needed. Nothing ever gets wet with it. It really sucks the dust out of wood pores.

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From the original questioner:
I don't have a huge dust problem, but it sounds interesting, and I know car finishes usually do include a hardener and are similar to catalyzed wood finishes.