Help! with 2K clearcoat

[jimmyhorns]

Hi again all...

Another request for help for me im afraid.

Way back when I used to mess around with cars, I used to spray both Cellulose and 2-Pack paints.

I didnt have a booth, but I did have an air fed respirator mask, a nice Devilbiss gravity fed gun (not HVLP), and a compressor up to the task.

Ive now had a couple of goes at canopy painting, and looking at my last attempt, fuel has eaten its way into the clearcoat

As this was a 1 pack clearcoat for cellulose this wasnt too much of a surprise, so I popped to my friendly paint supplier and got a 2K (isocyanate) clear coat.

Now the good news is that I still have a compressor good enough to run a mask and the gun for small jobs (I think it would manage a car panel, so a canopy should be just fine), I still have the gun, and its in working order, but I cant find the respirator.

So my question is, do I really need it for such a small job? I already know the textbook answer (yes), but wondered....

Do I need to be wearing the mask to mix the paint, hardner and thinners?

Given that the canopy is a 6 pass job per coat (two per side, then one top and bottom), im guessing this is going to take me about 30 seconds. Could I not just hold my breath and move to the direction of clean air once these 6 passes are done?(out of the garage and into the house)?...

Non-legally bind answers most welcome

James

[Welder8uk]

Maybe not the right answer, but I use two pack with garage door open ( jst wet the floor with a hose pipe to limit dust) and I've done car panels and motorbike tanks ect jst using a particulate respirator. Not sure I'd do a full car, but small jobs I wouldn't worry about it

But there again I have loads of bad habits so maybe I'm not the best to give advice hahahaha
steve

[dave j]

breathing in isocyanate can cause all sorts of long term health problems so i wouldnt recomend it to be honest

[JoeBailey]

I use an army issue gas mask with a fresh cannister every time I spray. Can't smell or taste a damn thing through it so it must be doing something for me.

Joe

[Boggy]

I'm with Dave. Isocyanates build up in the body over time,you never get rid of the stuff! if its a canopy your painting could you not rig up some kind of mdf booth with an extractor at the rear piped well clear of yourself?

[jimmyhorns]

I was thinking of converting the respirator I have, so that it runs off the airline with a reservoir bag (like I use for resus at work).

But I thought this was a lot of faff I didnt really need (potentially)

[Welder8uk]

I totally agree, but it's all about risk and probablity.

Lots of things are really bad, drinking, smoking , riding motorbikes. If yr going to stand there breathing in lung fulls of the stuff, then I totally agree with you.

I used to make bio diesel, have you ever read the cosh data sheet for methanol? You wouldn't go near it with a barge pole, but how many nitro users on here get covered in the stuff and think nothing of it, and glo fuel is around 80% methanol.

But totally agree, isocyanides are really really bad for you. But I still use glo fuel and have salt on my chips lol

[Boggy]

salt on chips!

[Welder8uk]

I know, I take things to the edge lol. Even use cider vinegar, no malt crap for me lol.

[jimmyhorns]

Well I didnt do myself any favours using methylated spirits in the acrylic base coat as a thinner.... There is something in that that makes you feel properly terrible, and it cant be the methanol, there is far too little in there....

[Welder8uk]

Methylated spirits isn't the same as methanol.

Not sure happens with meths and acrylics, obviously something lol. Mixing bleach and vinegar isn't v good for you either lol.

You do have to be carefully what yr doing, and everyone that says use an air fed mask is totally right.

But how many people even use a particulate mask when using rattle cans, and I'm sure theyve got cellulose in them, and you can't buy cellulose paint for spraying cars cos it was banned, but yr still allowed 2k

[jimmyhorns]

Methylated spirits is 95% ethanol, 5% methanol, a dye to make it purple (that isnt light stable) and something to make it taste awful.

It shouldnt do anything other than be a solvent for acrylic paints.

My bet is that it is the vapourised pyridine (stuff to make it taste horrible) that sent me a bit doolally. In all of the painting so far ive only use 50mls of meths as the hinner, so thats only 2.5mls of methanol... much less then I guess I get on a days flying.

[p4ddy]

I have a Gimp mask you can borrow if you like

[jimmyhorns]

Is that for before or after

[buckers]

Generally speaking, most masks (unless they're rated for 2k), won't prevent the iso's getting through to you, whether you can smell them or not. (These do not need to be inhaled, but can get in via your skin. Bad stuff.)

If you're gonna connect breathing gear to your comp, you obviously need proper filters to get rid of the oil from the compy, which is almost as bad as the iso's. These alone can cost £100's.
HTH