WaterWorks: The Thoughts and Comments of a Coatings Chemist in the 21st Century

British Petroleum Posts Live Video of Oil Spill...

2010-05-21T13:09:00.016-04:00

So how long will this sick show go on for? Have the great minds at BP, as prompted by federal officials, in providing live streaming video of crude oil gushing out of the Deepwater Horizon well head, deluded themselves into thinking that this will make us feel better or more connected to this possibly unstoppable ecological disaster?

http://bp.concerts.com/gom/rov_crater_withRITT.htm

As I sit and watch millions of gallons of crude oil, mixed with a toxic chemical dispersant (containing 2-butoxyethanol), spew into the Gulf waters, I can only think of the horrible downstream consequences to come. In order for you to get a better grip on my thoughts about the witches brew of crude and chemicals being pumped into the Gulf of Mexico, I invite you to read one of my older posts; "Canada Moves on 2-Butoxyethanol". In this post I discuss the basic concerns of the ethylene oxide compound known as 2-Butoxyethanol, as well as the clean air concerns of ethylene off-gassing into the lower atmosphere.

http://targetcoatings.blogspot.com/2007/06/canada-moves-on-2-butoxyethanol.html

Water Based Resin Costs Sky Rocket !!??..

2010-04-09T15:01:00.006-04:00

Please feel free to call me out on this if you think I've missed some massive economic boom during these past 6 months. So with this said, how and why are acrylic resin prices sky rocketing out of control during the deepest national economic recession since 1982? MegaCorporate greed perhaps? I've been in the water-based coatings business for 27 years and when I see price gouging on the order 4X+ on raw material prices within a 90 day period I can only think of one cause- corporate shareholder satisfaction.

Read the two attached links and learn why custom paint/coatings manufacturers are freaking out about the abusive pricing tactics being pressed onto their already squashed balance sheets...

http://www.icis.com/Articles/2010/04/05/9347992/us-acrylates-market-beset-by-supply-issues.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/11602453/Dows-Answer-to-Rohm-Haass-Lawsuit

Zero VOC House Paints Make Progress

2010-02-13T13:04:00.003-05:00

There was a time when Zero-VOC interior house paints were shunned by average home owners, let alone professional painting contractors. But, like all technology, advancements find their way to the forefront when products are in demand. In this case, Zero VOC wall paints continue to improve and flourish, even in a stagnant marketplace.

Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/garden/11roadtest.html?scp=1&sq=zero%20voc%20paint&st=cse

Waterworks Blogger Returns...

2010-02-08T17:53:00.004-05:00

It is obvious that I have been away from my blog entries for quite some time now. Shame on Me. There have been a spat of illicit posts from individuals and robots that seek easy access to forums to solicit their babble. These posts have been deleted.

I will return to my regular blog entries, as many people have approached me to resume them, therefore I will continue.

Thank you for your patience.
Jeff

History Ignored = The Price We Pay

2008-03-13T21:35:00.011-04:00

With crude oil approaching $110.00usd a barrel we all better hunker down and get very serious about reducing our personal and professional oil consumption. As a young boy in the 1970's I watched my family, who were heavily entrenched in the old-world solvent paste wax industry, get their markets decimated by the 1973 Oil Embargo and the staggering inflation that soon followed. I learned two important lessons: 1) Never trust politicians who pander to the oil industry; 2) Find alternatives for your petroleum/oil-based main stays: In short- Learn to use waterborne technologies that feature HAP's-Free water soluble solvents and resins that are further removed from the crude oil food chain. A well engineered waterborne coating should feature P-Series glycols (propylene series), which are derived from propylene oxide. When neutralized with water the propylene oxide becomes highly stable very safe to use...

Water-Based Finishing: It's Easier Than You Think!

2008-03-02T19:46:00.007-05:00

Are you considering the jump from solvent-based wood finishes to a water-based system? Are you inundated with comments from your peers about the good, bad, and ugly aspects of your decision to switch? Do you think to yourself, “Now is the time to change to water, but how?” Making the switch from old world solvent-based wood finishes to modern, well engineered waterborne systems still has its challenges, but these challenges are not nearly as harrowing as it was 8 to 10 years ago. With the right line of products and with a few minor tweaks in your finishing process you can make the switch to a water-based system sooner then you think.

So, what stumbling blocks lay ahead in making the switch? First, you need to find a supplier with a solid track record in waterborne technology. There are several to choose from and due diligence on your part is the key to success or total frustration. Many of the old school solvent houses are still figuring out how to remove the lids off their water based resin samples without wearing flame retardant clothing. In addition, there are companies who have jumped onto the bandwagon with less then modern formulas purchased through acquisition, which skips the tried and true R&D process that ensures top shelf performance. Also, and most importantly, several coating manufacturers have their products tweaked, dialed, and set to make the process less painful then it may actually seem as a concerned finisher. Finding these companies and their products requires up-front time and effort, which naturally costs you money. Next, you will have to determine whether your spray equipment is up to making the changeover along with you.

During the next set of blog installments I will guide you through the process that will make the switch from solvent to water in as few steps as possible. Now, not all applications are the same. Door and window manufacturers require a different set of standards then does the cabinet or furniture maker or even the boat builder. Will you be finishing one-off custom pieces or are you finishing dozens or hundreds of the same parts and dimensions day after day? These are the reality checks of our industry, and these are the fine points that I hope to guide you in as you make your switch to a low VOC waterborne system that will satisfy your customers' standards. So tag along and have some fun while we help you make the changeover to a friendly waterborne technology- you'll be glad you did!

Alternative Toymakers Make Good

2007-12-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

With the ongoing ruckus about the use of lead paint on toys made in China, it is good to learn that a few small, crafty American toymakers are profiting from mega-corporate misdeeds. Although the clock is running down on this season's holiday shopping blitz, bookmark the following web sites for future, alternative toy giving ideas. Ask your local, privately owned toy store to stock wood toys that are finished with non-toxic natural oils or water-based wood finishes. With a little investigation, a modern toymaker can find water-based paints and clear coats that are 100% non-toxic when cured that will demonstrate exceptional durability in the hands of a rambunctious youngster.

Please note that none of the companies listed below are customers of Target Coatings. We are bringing their presence to light, because we firmly believe in the American manufacturing and entrepreneurial experience and the national benefits of buying products made in the USA and Canada.

The attached photo is courtesy of Maplelandmark.com

http://www.vermontwoodentoys.com/

http://www.maplelandmark.com/

http://www.lauritoys.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/us/23toys.html

http://www.maplelandmark.com/imports.shtml

Get The La-La-Lead Out...

2007-09-15T15:40:00.000-04:00

So, what does China have that the United States does not have? Lead paint, that’s what. Anyone over the age of 40 should remember that lead paint was banned from use in consumer/residential paints back in 1978, due to well-founded health risks caused by the exposure of very low quantities of lead when ingested or inhaled. More recently in 2003, the consumer paint industry was instructed to take the warning of exposure to lead one more step by implementing this warning on all paint cans:

WARNING! If you scrape, sand or remove old paint, you may release lead dust. LEAD IS TOXIC. EXPOSURE TO LEAD DUST CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS, SUCH AS BRAIN DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN. PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD ALSO AVOID EXPOSURE. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator to control lead exposure. Clean up carefully with a HEPA vacuum and a wet mop. Before you start, find out how to protect yourself and your family by contacting the National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD or log on to http://www.epa.gov/lead

Skip forward to 2007 and read any national newspaper or watch your national news, and we learn that China is painting popular child toys with lead paint. If you think children are not at any less risk to becoming dim-witted from sucking on lead encrusted objects then we were as toddlers, then you better smell the multi-national coffee brewing and make your next Christmas toy shopping list read MADE IN USA.

Today’s consumer and industrial paints manufactured in the US and Canada contains no lead, whether they are water-based or solvent-based. If you can’t find any American made toys in Wal-Mart, then perhaps we as a nation should have a collective re-evaluation of our priorities as to what is more important to our families and country. The Wall Street popularity of out sourcing manufacturing jobs to unregulated countries for the sake of the shareholders best interest versus the best interest of the consumer may have just taken a sharp turn into a brick wall- which seems to be covered with lead paint. It’s either cheap, unsafe products made by a unregulated, communist-turned-industrial society, or fewer, better made products manufactured in the United States, Canada or a EU country that follows the consumer safety rules.

The China White-Lead debacle is a textbook example of how the demand for low prices puts quality at risk. You get what you pay for. Perhaps the time is right for manufacturing jobs to come back to the United States. The dollar is weak, our work ethic is strong, and American innovation is at an all time high.

http://www.mattel.com/safety/us

http://children.webmd.com/news/20070823/more-toy-recalls-due-to-lead-paint

Got Water Based Lacquer?!

2007-09-04T17:11:00.000-04:00

I wish that I could say that I have been enjoying the summer sun, fun, and temptations of goofing of on a distant trout stream. Unfortunately, though, this has not been the case. Once again, Mama Summertime found me crawling through the shops and factories of my many customers, learning more about how they use our water based wood finishes and finding ways to improve on our line. The wood coatings industry is an aggressive, competitive business, and if you stand still long enough you become dead meat to your competitors. So stay tuned- I have more new products and innovative processes ready to run with for the high volume users! I hope the competition had a nice, lazy summer....

New Whistler Public Library Goes Low VOC Green

2007-07-16T20:35:00.001-04:00

July 15, 2007
Whistler, BC Canada:

The new Whistler Public Library project is well on it way to completion and is heading towards a Silver or possibly a Gold LEED Certification rating for clean-air emissions and optimizing energy resources. Designed by HCM Architects of Victoria and Vancouver, BC., this state-of-the-art 14,500 sq ft. public space features innovative energy and atmosphere controls, water efficiency and innovative materials and resources such as the ultra-low VOC water based coatings manufactured by Target Coatings.

The Water-Based coatings that are specified into the project are the Target EM9300 Polycarbonate Urethane Exterior Wood Finish for use on the laminated beams, as well as the Target Oxford Ultima Series Water Based Lacquer Series for all of the interior running trim, window and door packs. When fully cured these materials release ZERO formaldehyde, ethylene glycols or other HAPS (Hazardous Air Pollutants).

Low VOC Coatings Help to Eliminate Smog

2007-07-12T07:57:00.000-04:00

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a new study which illustrates the extreme challenges that the east coast of the United States will face within the next 50 years if greenhouse gas emissions are not challenged and reduced. Considering how the massive population centers located between Atlantic City, New York City and Boston are already stressed due to excessive smog (low level ozone), poor storm water drainage and a depleted agriculture and fisheries industry, the near-future does not look promising if sea levels continue to rise and air quality plummets.

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/global-warming-to-hit-0044.html

By switching to a low VOC water-based coating that features P-Series glycol ethers and other HAPs free solvents you will help to reduce the output of low level ozone, commonly known as smog. Smog is one of the many heat trapping by-products of the industrial revolution that has made our modern lives so rich and fulfilling. Now that the environmental tables have turned we owe it to ourselves and future generations to reverse the negative environmental impact that we have imposed on ourselves and our only home- Planet Earth.

Canada Moves on 2-Butoxyethanol

2007-06-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

One aspect of the move towards water-based coatings is that we often read and hear about how harmful the aromatic hydrocarbon and ketone solvents are to the human population and the environment as a whole. However, we hear very little about the toxicological aspects of some very popular water-soluble solvents called glycol ether's. Glycol ether's are ethoxylated alcohols and range in molecular composition with mono-, di-, tri- groupings. Not all glycol ether's are the same, or even of the same alcohol groups. Some glycol's are ethylene or E-Series derivatives, while others are propylene or P-Series derivatives.

The more harmful of the two groups are the E-Series glycols. One such E-Series glycol is 2-Butoxyethanol, or better known as butyl cellosolve. Recently, the Canadian Government enacted a ruling to limit and control the levels of 2-BE in consumer products, including water-based paints and coatings. Here is a link to the Environment Canada web site that illustrates the proposal and ruling:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/DOCS/consult/2-Butoxyethanol/en/index.cfm

2-Butoxyethanol is used in a wide array of industrial and household paints, cleaning solvents, adhesives and fabric finishes as the primary co-solvent due to its slow evaporation rate and excellent solubility in water. The down side of butyl cell is that it messes with your kidneys and liver, causing adverse hematologic changes as well as metabolic acidosis in dosages much lower then other ethoxylated alcohols. Included with the hematological concerns are adverse effects on the human reproductive system. To review the US EPA IRIS Toxicological Review for 2-BE, click on the assigned EPA link and enter 2-butoxyethanol into the IRIS search engine. http://www.epa.gov/iris

Hot Rods Go Water-Based

2007-06-01T15:34:00.001-04:00

Most savvy wood finishers and painters understand and accept the fact that they have to go water-based when finishing wood and architectural components. But what do the automotive guys think about this trend? Well guess what- automotive paints are going water-based. Is this a true sign of the times?

Oddly enough, automotive finishes have been moving towards water-based coatings for the past 10 years. First came the specialty interior finishes such as "soft touch" faux leather finishes that are actually spray applied waterborne urethanes customized with unique flattening agents that set up to give the same touch and feel under the fingers that a nice, expensive dead cow would also feel like. Next came waterborne "ground" or base colors that were then over-coated with solvent based clears. Now we have full blown, 100% waterborne base and clear coats. Is this kool or what!?

Water Based Coatings vs. The Smog Monster

2007-05-25T20:56:00.001-04:00

Do you remember the movie, "Godzilla vs The Smog Monster"? What a classic. I must have watched that movie half a dozen times at the old Rivoli Theater in my hometown of Rutherford, NJ when I was a kid. I would sit and watch Godzilla save the day as he put a serious whoopin’ on the evil smog-generating destroyer of Tokyo. Who would have thought that a prehistoric reptile who was resurrected by the atomic age would rise up to save the world from an acidic, smog- festering mass of industrial waste that could also fly at super-sonic speeds. I wish I thought of that movie script…

Maybe the real-life movie should now be called Water-Based Coatings vs. The Smog Monster.
Smog is a popular term used to describe polluted air. It was originally used as an abbreviation of the combination of coal smoke and fog that, along with sulfur dioxide vapor, characterized polluted air in London and other British cities in the 1950s. The term came into more widespread use as a summary description for the quite different pollution mixture of ozone (O₃) and other photochemical oxidants (e.g., hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical peroxy acetyl nitrate) that characterized the air pollution in Southern California beginning in the 1950s, and in many other urban areas in the United States in the decades that followed. In the United Kingdom, the smog was black and acidic, while the smog in California was lighter in color and more highly oxidizing.

Water Reducible Coatings: Hybrids Come in Many Forms...

2007-05-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

Water Reducible Coatings are film-forming agents that usually contain a oil modified or epoxy-borne resin structure that is pH modified, or neutralized, to increase the ability of the resin's solubility into water via an emulsification process. These resins are blended with alcohols, glycol's, and intermediate surfactants to allow the absorption of water into the oil phase of the resin, creating a homogeneous solution of oil and water.

Commercial architectural painters and industrial flooring specialists will recognize this technology in the form of 2-part epoxy coatings used for concrete, masonry and structure steel coatings. Modern applications vary, ranging from chemical and fuel resistant coatings applied to aircraft hanger floors to specialized paints used to protect the hulls of supertankers and modern Navies. Likewise, the modern woodworker and cabinetmaker will recognize the term, “hybrid varnish” when shopping for alternative wood finishes to replace their dangerous, solvent based lacquers…

Water Based Finishes: Let's Drill Deeper into the Name Game

2007-05-07T18:37:00.000-04:00

As we discussed earlier, water-based coatings are available under many different names; however, specific values should be applied to differentiate between the sub-groups. Waterborne coatings are resinous or polymeric film forming compounds that require a blend of coalescing and dissolving solvents to achieve a proper film formation based on the MFT, or Minimum Film Forming Temperature of the solids being transformed into a uniform film. The coalescing agent usually remains behind within the resin for a longer period, supporting the film integrity after the much faster, fugitive solvents off-gas along with the water. These fugitive solvents are the VOC solvents I discussed earlier in this blog.

One example of a waterborne acrylic blend is the Oxford Ultima Spray Lacquer, manufactured by Target Coatings, Inc. This system is based upon a 100% acrylate compound that reacts with its co-solvent package much as a nitrocellulose lacquer does in terms of continuous burn-in of additional wet coats when applied over cured layers of itself...

Water Based Finishes: So What's In a Name

2007-05-06T13:12:00.000-04:00

As water-based wood coatings find their way into new woodworking markets, many users remain confused about the origin, use, and expectations of these sophisticated coatings. Terminology, resin make up, final hardness and specifics for use have become less complicated over the past 5 years, but many finishers who want to make the switch from solvent to WB’s are still confused over what exactly it is that they are working with. Terms such as “water-based,” “waterborne” and “hybrid” are now common when shopping for a new finish, but little information is available as to what these terms actually mean.

The word “Water-Based” is used as the generic, benchmark term for coatings that are formulated in a water suspended medium of varying proportions, whereby water is acting as the diluent or secondary solvent used in conjunction with resin (polymeric or resinous) dissolving solvent. Water is not the true dissolving solvent, but is the latent solvent used as the carrier for the various resin bodies used to create the final film formation. Water-Based coatings can be either waterborne or water-reducible.

A Clean Air Wresting Match: Regional vs National Regulations

2007-05-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

States such as California and the states that make up the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions have begun to legislate and implement their own, more strict clean air regulations. As an example, California is continuing to impose stricter regulations within the SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District), while the northeast states are implementing the OTC (Ozone Transport Commission) regulations for architectural coatings. With these changes, the consumer and industrial paint shelves are starting to look a lot different then they did 10 years ago when fewer regulations allowed the continued use of high VOC, solvent-based coatings. When we take a closer look at how these regulatory districts are challenging the chemistry of industrial coatings when compared to National AIM Rules, we see that the emission ceiling for the AIM Ruling begins to look extremely high when we compare the numbers. As an example, the Federal AIM VOC limit for varnish is 450 grams of VOC's per liter, whereas varnish used in the OTC cannot exceed 350 grams per liter of VOC’s, and varnishes used within the SCAQMD are limited to 275 grams per liter regardless of the solvent platform type (water or aromatic solvent). Likewise, the National AIM Rule for wood lacquer is 680 grams per liter whereas the OTC limits are 550 and South Coast is 275 grams respectively. So as we are now learning, various regions of the U.S. are enacting stricter standards over the federal clean air rules which drives the coatings industry to adjust and adapt to the stricter rulings of the States if they wish to continue to sell product within these jurisdictions...

The History of Water-Based Coatings: Part 2

2007-04-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

It is not too hard to read a newspaper, listen to the nightly news or pickup a trade journal without the discussion of clean air regulations and stricter regional pollution controls appearing in the headlines. As national awareness increases over the concerns of global warming and C02 emissions, its no wonder that the casual user of paints and coatings is starting to sit up and take notice of what has been happening behind the scenes in terms of emission regulations and the control of consumer and industrial coatings. Under the National emissions umbrella, technically known as the National AIM Rules, consumer and industrial coatings are placed into categories that have established ceilings designated to determine the maximum amount of VOC’s allowed per gallon or liter of material sold. However, with the National AIM rules considered to be less strict then what other, more populated regions of the United States would like to see in terms of emission regulations, regional political and environmental forces have take the lead in reducing airborne pollution...

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

http://www.otcair.org/

http://www.aqmd.gov/

The History of Water Based Wood Coatings: Part 1

2007-04-19T08:06:00.000-04:00

If we could find one wood finishing application that is more shrouded in mystery, a topic so surrounded by enigma and twisted in riddle it is the history, development, design and use of water-based wood coatings. No other topic, bar none, creates more controversy, head scratching and general mayhem then the understanding and use of water-based finishes for furniture and cabinet applications. Even the names; water-based, waterborne and water-reducible, will generate bar room style brawls amongst the most amicable followers of this chemistry. So what’s it all about? Although I may not have all of the answers, I can help to shed a bit more light on the subject in order to remove the bad information that is circulating within the woodwork publishing community.

Today’s water-based wood finishes are, by most formulations, light years more advanced then the first and second generation WB efforts from twenty or even ten years ago. The resins and intermediate additive components of today’s formulations match the clarity, hardness and durability of most, if not all, of the solvent-based clear coat cousins that they are trying to substitute. Modern resins, such as ultra-small particle acrylic polymers, hybrid alkyd resins and self cross-linking copolymers are offering savvy coating manufacturers with options that were never available five, let alone twenty five years ago. As we drill deeper into the mysterious origins of these coatings we begin to see the fog of misunderstanding and poor marketing begin to lift and take shape into a highly sophisticated science.

So how did it all start? Well, from my professional prospective I can state that water-based coatings have been in use for well over one hundred years. The use of water emulsion chemistries allowed formulators to create water/wax emulsion blends for use as wood and tile floor protective waxes such as carnauba buffing compounds for wood and later, tile floors. Other uses for these blends found their way into textile and commercial applications. These early wax/oil/water compounds were created though the blending of specific oils, resins and emulsifying intermediate chemicals that allow for these opposites to remain in a homogenous, single phase blend that when dried and buffed, created a hard, water repellent shell that protected the underlying substrate. As water emulsion chemistries progressed after the Second World War, we began to see the development of waterborne urethanes that featured the early polyester and polycarbonate resins used for protective fabric and leather coatings begin to take form. Likewise, the development and advancement of acrylic polymers for the protective coatings industry began to emerge as the demand for clearer, tougher films began to increase.

The advancement of these technologies increased during the 1970’s and 1980’s and were partially perfected for the use in acrylic polymer finishes used in commercial tile flooring applications. As the use of paste wax became outdated due to liability issues and the advancement in floor polishing machine technology, the demand for clearer and harder acrylics increased. In many ways the commercial flooring industry has helped drive development of the next generation of polymers used in the early water-based wood finishes. On a similar tack, the advancement of water-based acrylics branched into the development of interior architectural paints and coatings, with the use of acrylic polymers replacing the earlier latex emulsions used in house paints. Likewise, as fabric coatings became more advanced, the availability of water-based polyester urethanes became more dominant in the R&D labs of the solvent-based urethane resin manufacturers. This research lead to the migration of this technology for use in urethane fortified architectural paints and specialty clear coats such as the early waterborne urethanes developed for wood floors. These early waterborne urethanes and acrylic polymers were the harbinger of today’s sophisticated WB architectural and furniture coatings, allowing for alternative technologies that would soon help entire industries make the change from solvent to waterborne platforms. Little did the developers of these resins know that the Clean Air Act of 1970 was about to change the way we look at wood coatings thirty-seven years later...
http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/caa70/11.htm

Target Coatings Mission

2007-04-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

Environmental issues and concerns guide our policy in the creation of new products for the wood finishing industry. We develop each of our waterborne coatings to meet or exceed federal and state clean air regulations.

Esthetic value and quality are the hallmarks of our products. Each waterborne formulation is designed to meet the strict demands of the up-scale wood finishing market.

It is our belief that each of us is directly responsible for our only home- Earth. By expanding on our long history of waterborne manufacturing and the alliances we have forged with our suppliers, we at Target Coatings have envisioned, produced and brought to market a comprehensive line of alternative wood coatings that replaces the dangerous solvent-based counterparts that are still common in the wood finishing trades. The result is a lower VOC impact in the finishing shop and on the surrounding environment.