Paints and Coatings in California

Finding a good durable paint for machine tools in California is challenging due to the strict VOC limits. Can anyone suggest a paint that they are using for painting machine tools that will be exposed to oils and flood coolants and is available in California?

Two part or one part?

I use the DuPont Industrial Coatings brand. In California the different districts restrict what you can and cannot purchase. My district is more strict than most but the Industrial Coatings brand has been available to me at NAPA for 14 years. It costs less than their automotive grade varieties but it still flows good. You will need a fresh air breathing system.
See second page, red can and gray can.

http://www.colormatch.com/uploads/pdfs/DIC_Brochure_Final.pdf

Sherwin Williams "Polane"

Two part Urethane...
Requires special reducers, and catalyst..as well as special primer.

Very hard, scratch and chemical resistant....gives smooth "Wet Look" finish.....

Air mask and protective clothing required.

Available through your industrial Sher Will outlet .....










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Cheers Ross

Ross,

Those are beautiful machines and I've seen pictures of your shop before on this forum, but for the life of me I can't comprehend how you keep things so absolutely spotless. I don't see one chip or speck or errant iron anywhere. You must have a full time house cleaner.

Stuart

How about a trip to Vegas to buy paint. I go to Reno or Carson City to buy roofing tar.
Almost did a trip to buy quick dry floor varnish but I used what I could get here. just took 24 hours over 100 degrees to dry enough to walk on.
Bill D.
Modesto, CA

We hire after school high school chaps that come in and tidy up....They like the experience and being around the cars...
I like having a clean house....Gets plenty dirty here, but i don't usually take photos of things in that condition....
Cheers Ross

Frankly, I'm surprised you can buy Polane in California.

Wrench:

Polane is available in California...there does not seem ot be any restrictions on purchase.
However its only available through the Sherwin Williams "Performance Coatings" outlets...not your corner home paint shop....

Might need to be a business and have a "C" number, not sure on that......
Has new formula , its called "Polane 88-80" and indeed its legal here....
Cheers Ross

rgerlach said:

Finding a good durable paint for machine tools in California is challenging due to the strict VOC limits. Can anyone suggest a paint that they are using for painting machine tools that will be exposed to oils and flood coolants and is available in California?

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As someone above mentioned, I've also used Dupont "Imron Industrial Low VOC" (there are many types of Imron... I use the Industrial low VOC one). I bought mine at Finishmaster. I chose this paint after a ton of research and talking to a friend who showed me all of the machines he used this paint on, which look brand new despite lots of use and exposure to the elements.

This paint can be brushed on if you have them mix it specifically for brushing. I have not tried this, but a friend has with good results. It's also apparently way, way safer in terms of exposing you to isocyanates versus spraying.

2 protips:
1. Any 'good' paint like this has isocyanate in it. This stuff will kill your nervous system and you will die if you breathe/ingest it. Seriously -- this is a whole new level of poisonous compared to most other poisonous things you have dealt with. You are supposed to only spray it with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and supplied air (think SCUBA). I personally sprayed my machine with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and an organic charcoal filter from 3M. The danger with this is that, when the filter gets used up you start breathing poison, which does not have a scent. The point is, know the risks and do your research before you try any isocyanate paint.

2. I've had great luck with epoxy 2-part primer, which I learned about from a bunch of guys who restore cars. I personally used SprayMAX Epoxy Primer, which is a true 2-part epoxy in a spray can. The can has a bladder with the hardener in it, and you push a button to puncture the bladder & mix the 2 parts. You then have a couple of days to use up the can before it hardens to a rock inside. One can is easily enough for a large drill press all taken apart -- maybe 2 drill presses.

This epoxy primer was deliberately formulataed to work well under Imron. You can apply it wet on wet (Imron on epoxy), or you can leave the epoxy primer on your machine for 5 years and then just rough it up before topcoating. Really cool stuff.

Wonder what Mexico and Canada have.
Bill D

Most of the automotive paints are a bit less nasty than Polane/Imron.

The problem with isocyanates [in imron, auto acrylic urethane, spray foam] is that they are sensitizers.

use them once ok
twice still ok
three times, ten times, fifty times, depends............bang full on allergic reaction, drive by a body shop you start itching

So, follow the above advice.

I would stick with the automotive paints as they have less content in them.

Bill D said:

Wonder what Mexico and Canada have.
Bill D

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Mexico? Anything you can afford, and many things you'd rather not.

Benjamin-Moore has had Canadian labs - or input from them - for some time.

I like them partly because their Chemists work hard at, and have a great track-record of keeping the product working well in spite of regulatory changes and challenges.

All the "survivors" in the paints and coatings industry have to be able to do that.

B-M just seems to do it without forcing me to keep starting-over.

Cardinal industrial finishes has a couple branches in CA.
They can hook you up.

catalytic said:

As someone above mentioned, I've also used Dupont "Imron Industrial Low VOC" (there are many types of Imron... I use the Industrial low VOC one). I bought mine at Finishmaster. I chose this paint after a ton of research and talking to a friend who showed me all of the machines he used this paint on, which look brand new despite lots of use and exposure to the elements.

This paint can be brushed on if you have them mix it specifically for brushing. I have not tried this, but a friend has with good results. It's also apparently way, way safer in terms of exposing you to isocyanates versus spraying.

2 protips:
1. Any 'good' paint like this has isocyanate in it. This stuff will kill your nervous system and you will die if you breathe/ingest it. Seriously -- this is a whole new level of poisonous compared to most other poisonous things you have dealt with. You are supposed to only spray it with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and supplied air (think SCUBA). I personally sprayed my machine with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and an organic charcoal filter from 3M. The danger with this is that, when the filter gets used up you start breathing poison, which does not have a scent. The point is, know the risks and do your research before you try any isocyanate paint.

Click to expand...

Well said. The part about the nervous system is not so much "kill" but "damage". All the activity that the brain controls gets altered permanently.

rons said:

Well said. The part about the nervous system is not so much "kill" but "damage". All the activity that the brain controls gets altered permanently.

Click to expand...

Knew if we were but patient, there'd be SOMETHING you actually were a hands-on world-class expert on. Thanks for sharing your experience.

catalytic said:

You are supposed to only spray it with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and supplied air (think SCUBA). I personally sprayed my machine with a full body suit, nitrile gloves, and an organic charcoal filter from 3M. The danger with this is that, when the filter gets used up you start breathing poison, which does not have a scent. The point is, know the risks and do your research before you try any isocyanate paint.

Click to expand...

You really should get a fresh air system.

I don't understand. From what I read above, California has regulated the types of paint that are available to the point where if you want a durable, industrial finish, then it is so toxic that you must wear a full body suit and breath air from a tank. What am I missing here?

I assume that you can get the same, garden variety latex paints that are available in other states. Or can you?

EPAIII said:

I don't understand. From what I read above, California has regulated the types of paint that are available to the point where if you want a durable, industrial finish, then it is so toxic that you must wear a full body suit and breath air from a tank. What am I missing here?

Click to expand...

Simple enough. California's rules are meant to protect the innocent and unaware from dangers real or imaginary. Less risk of losing an argument over the imaginary ones, so they dominate politician's attention.

Babies, not yet born or otherwise, The elderly. Teenagers and pre-teens who know everything, but will have not yet left home to rule the world until their ears finish growing shut. Adults too drugged or ditzy to read product labels or care to try. Couch-potato fans of spectator sports they've never played nor ever COULD play. Ear-bud and cell-phone addicts, any age. Any mentally challenged not already covered, in public office, government employed or otherwise. Visitors, so lacking in situational awareness they haven't yet realized they've entered an alternate universe. Etc.

Anyone with a lick of sense is left on his OWN recognizance.

Why cater to such a nano-minority, anyway?

They don't have enough votes in total to even register on the statistics.

Wow, beautiful machines....nice job!

Sherwin Williams Automotive paint outlets (not the Industrial Coatings arm that Ross is referring to) have a low end single stage urethane enamel product that is pretty good. It still requires an isocyanate hardener but its much less expensive that Imron or Polane . I believe the product line is "Dimension" and its also VOC compliant around here, meaning you can buy it. I have had ok luck adding hardener to oil base machinery enamel, but that is getting hard to find in anything other than quarts. ITs the restrictions on VOCs in most counties that limit what you can purchase and where.

And yes, we can buy latex paint just like everywhere else. Ross- I see a few aluminum chips on the shelf near the dividing head- get on that will you?