The Voice of Experience

Question:

I look forward to an opportunity to write to you, giving me a chance to "remember when." The January 2004 issue has given me the opportunity.

With regard to your Paint Odors and Fumes Question
(www.pfonline.com/articles/clinics/0104cl_paint2.html)—D.B. smells the fumes in the business he is considering buying. It is apparent that the current owner has not done too much to switch to compliance coatings. You did advise DB to check into the fumes. He may really run into a problem because of his lack of knowledge regarding paints and exhaust systems. I would urge him to hire an environmental consultant to evaluate the facility. If he is contemplating buying the company, he must have already checked the customer base, pricing and profit margins. He should do the same with the facility. By the way, if conventional solvents are being used, they may involve the benzene ring and can be extremely harmful to his employees' health. Unfortunately, our current society is litigation prone, so beware.

With regard to the question on Fish Eyes
(www.pfonline.com/articles/clinics/0104cl_paint3.html)—Someone a long time ago taught me that sometimes, “it doesn’t pay to beat a dead horse.” You won’t get very far. I have seen situations that, regardless of what you do to eliminate fisheyes, they still are there in the final coat. I remember that there was—and probably still is—a product that I used to eliminate fisheyes. I was told that this was actually a silicone that changed the surface tension of the coating and changed the flow characteristic of the final coat. It was measured in drops per given quantity of paint. Perhaps T.L. might have to consider this approach.

With regard to the question on Color Matching Metallic Paints
(www.pfonline.com/articles/clinics/0104cl_paint5.html)—I remember getting a call from one of my very good customers about a poor color match on sea foam green metallic gloss bake enamel. Being always prepared, I carried a pressure cup gun in the trunk of my car for demonstrations and situations such as this one. I sprayed seven panels showing the customer how the slightest variation in needle valve adjustment and atomization air pressure, overlap and speed of application gave me seven different shades of sea foam green. I do agree with your answer that a skilled sprayer “should” be able to get pretty close on the color. If there are various components to be used they should be sprayed at the same time under the same conditions. Amazing, isn’t it, that this occurred more than 30 years ago, but don’t ask me what I did yesterday. S. B.

Answer:

Thanks for your comments and advice, S. B. You are not only the “Voice of Experience,” you are the “Voice of my Conscience.” As I have said before, I don’t know all the answers, but I do know where to get them. S. B. has been very helpful by putting me on the right track.