Water-borne paint is here
Over the past 20 plus years of running Bertolli's, there have been many changes in the way we paint cars. Before my time, there was lacquer. A thin hard paint that was applied in many coats and polished to look great. Unfortunately, the hardness of the paint led to a short paint life and eventually the paint would crack into 'chickenfeet'. You can see this on some classic cars that haven't been restored.
When I entered the industry, urethane was just taking hold. Single stage paint was still being used, but more and more manufacturers were using a base coat/clear coat system which looked shinier and had more durability due to the clear coat. Solvent based urethane has worked well for almost twenty years, but the effect on the environment has brought us water-borne paint.
We have been using water-based primers for a few years and have had excellent results. This was the first stage in lowering the VOC or volatile organic compounds, that are released into the air during the paint process. Solvents are mixed with pigments and applied through spray guns, and then the solvent would evaporate, leaving the color behind. Now water will be used instead of solvent.
We have heat for our paint booth, but we will need air flow to dry the water-based paint. The clear coat is still solvent based, so the heat will still be used for the top coat. The painter needs to have two paint guns in order to avoid contamination. We will also need an additional paint gun washer specifically for water-based sprayguns.
Water-borne finishes take longer to cure, so only a mild soap and water solution should be used for cleaning for the first three weeks. After that, the finish can be maintained as before.
When I entered the industry, urethane was just taking hold. Single stage paint was still being used, but more and more manufacturers were using a base coat/clear coat system which looked shinier and had more durability due to the clear coat. Solvent based urethane has worked well for almost twenty years, but the effect on the environment has brought us water-borne paint.
We have been using water-based primers for a few years and have had excellent results. This was the first stage in lowering the VOC or volatile organic compounds, that are released into the air during the paint process. Solvents are mixed with pigments and applied through spray guns, and then the solvent would evaporate, leaving the color behind. Now water will be used instead of solvent.
We have heat for our paint booth, but we will need air flow to dry the water-based paint. The clear coat is still solvent based, so the heat will still be used for the top coat. The painter needs to have two paint guns in order to avoid contamination. We will also need an additional paint gun washer specifically for water-based sprayguns.
Water-borne finishes take longer to cure, so only a mild soap and water solution should be used for cleaning for the first three weeks. After that, the finish can be maintained as before.
Comments