Tropical Heat Wave Hits Vancouver Island!

Well, perhaps not quite that extreme – but as this is written (July 26) there is a strong possibility that the summer of 2012 has finally arrived. We thought it would be timely to review the impact of high temperatures in the booth – and what can be done to avoid difficulties.

So – what are “high temperatures”? Typically, anything in the 28-30º C and higher.

What are the possible impacts of higher temperature? Any or all of the following:
• A noticeable reduction in the “flow” of the finish on the substrate
• Possible ‘tiger striping’
• Lacquer skimming over
• Bubbles not breaking before rising to the surface.

What to do?
• Add retarder to your lacquer. 3% Becker Acroma Retarder 0987 (absolute maximum 5% in extreme conditions).
• Switch from catalyst 309 to Catalyst 494. Slows the dry time and is particularly useful with high gloss finishes.
• Check viscosity. As temperature goes up, viscosity goes down. You may find that you need less thinner than usual in order to maintain your usual viscosity level.

Humidity – High humidity can also benefit from “slowing down” the finish in order to enable moisture to escape and thus avoid cloudiness.

The final word word(s): Have a great summer!

  Professional Air Spray Kit: $395  

Is a complete kit which includes a 2.25 gallon pressure pot, 25 foot twin hose set and an A-910 professional spray gun. 

The heavy duty commercial pressure pot is built to last with thick gauge all-steel construction. It features top quality regulators with glass face gauges: one for setting fluid pressure to a maximum of 50 psi, and the other for setting the air gun atomizing air to a maximum of 100 psi. It resists tipping and is easy to clean with its inner Teflon coated tank. 

The air hose in this kit is made from tough, solvent and wear resistant EPDM rubber. The fluid hose has a strong outer jacket and is lined with a smooth layer of solvent proof polyethylene/thermoplastic for fast cleaning and maximum durability. 

The A-910 conventional spray gun in this kit is designed for furniture finishing, cabinet spraying, castings, railings or contractors doing general fine finishing work.  The fluid needle and seat are made of stainless steel, and the entire gun can be placed in a gun cleaning cabinet. The A-910 is supplied with a 1.4 mm general purpose nozzle for thin materials such as lacquers, varnish, stains, urethane and enamels. Larger nozzles are available for thicker materials such as glues, latex and primers.

 Klingspor Velcro Discs

Klingspor PS33 Velcro backed paper disc for quick disc changing. The PS33 range, grey coloured, semi open stearate coated resin bonded disc produces superior surface finishing on flat surfaces. Used for refinishing, preparation and de-nibbing. Suitable for all woods and fillers, particularly suitable for processing finish coatings.

 5”    $19.95 (box of 100)

6”    $25.99 (box of 100)

 All standard hole patterns, Grits from 40 through 600, Klingspor’s “Best Value” Discs ^[1]

 Prices in effect for orders received by end June, 2012

[1] The November/December issue of “Fine Woodworking” magazine includes a “Tool Test” in which discs from six different manufacturers were tested.  Klingpsor discs were rated “best value.”

COLUMBIA INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES

                 “YOUR ISLAND OWNED SUPPLIER OF THE FINEST WOOD FINISHES SINCE 1995”

831 Shamrock Street, Victoria V8X 2V1, Telephone (250) 475-2295, Toll Free (800) 606-2295

Fax (250) 415-2112       columbiaindustrialsupplies@shaw.ca    

                                                                     columbiaindustrialsupplies.com                                                                                 

COLUMBIA INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES

    Presents

 Wood finishing seminars with wood coatings and application systems expert Norm Smith

These seminars will be presented by Norm Smith, Industry Advisor – Finishing Specialist, FPInnovations-Forintek. Norm has extensive hands-on industrial experience in wood finishing products and application systems gained from over twenty-five years in the industry. Norm provides his technical knowledge to the furniture, millwork and kitchen cabinets sectors across the western provinces. His knowledge extends from specifying the proper coating to applying the product in such a manner that productivity and quality are maximized.

           In these interactive seminars Norm will discuss:

•  Creating a well-defined finishing process
• Abrasives and sanding
• Stains & Sealers
• Coatings – matching characteristics to your needs   
• Spray equipment
  • Matching different types to your situation
  • Care & Maintenance
• Application techniques -& why they matter
• Drying
  • Temperature, humidity & air flow
  • Accelerated drying
• “Green Finishing”
• Problems: diagnosing and solving

 Tuesday, January 24^th 2:30 – 5:30 Inn on Long Lake – Nanaimo

    Wednesday January 25^th 2:30 – 5:30 Comfort Hotel – Victoria

   A registration fee of $20 (includes H.S.T.) must be received with your reservation to hold a spot for you or your finisher.

   Space is limited to 30 participants per seminar on a first reserved basis. Complimentary refreshments will be available.

Call Columbia Industrial Supplies at (250) 475- 2295 or (800) 606 – 2295 to register

     “YOUR ISLAND OWNED SUPPLIER OF THE FINEST WOOD FINISHES SINCE 1995”

The Skinny on Thinners

 Coating manufacturers specially formulate lacquer thinners to reduce the viscosity of thier products. Becker formulates its thinners from a variety of solvents rather than just one in order to control how the solvent evaporates and the working characteristics of the coating. These solvent blends dissolve the resin quickly while maintaining the properties of coating and workability.

 Thinners are made with two categories of solvents, diluting solvents and dissolving solvents.  Dissolving solvents are the solvents which chemically dissolve the resins quickly, where as diluting solvents are solvents that dont dissolve the resin but merely mix into the coating to reduce the viscosity.  Dissolving solvents are generally more expensive that diluting solvents, therefore most lacquer thinner is a blend of the two categories of solvent to keep costs lower. 

 Some solvents are better environmentally than others as well.  To reduce the amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (V.O.C.) or Hazardous Air Pollutants (H.A.Ps) some thinners are made with specific solvents that do not fall into either of these categories.  These thinners not only keep the air we breathe in the shop cleaner, they emit less pollution into the environment. 

 Using the proper thinners for the coating you are using will avoid many potential problems.  Most problems arise from evaporation rate of the thinners not being right for the conditions, or for the lacquer you’re using.  If the evaporation rate of thinner is too slow, the coating won’t dry quickly enough and you can get excessive dust that can settle into the coating from the atmosphere.  You can also have the surface film remain soft for an extended period, allowing for increased physical damage.  If the evaporation rate of the thinner is too fast the coating can have flow or blushing related problems.  It the coating forms a film before the surface has leveled, it can cause an orange peel effect on the finished piece.  Also, air can become entrapped in the coating from the atomization process if the coating skins over before the air can escape.  In extreme cases the coating can even dry while it is being sprayed between the spray gun and the work piece.  This is known as dry spray. 

 Not all thinners work in all products. Some thinners have solvents blended into them that do not mix with coatings.   These solvents can cause a chemical reaction in the coating, causing the coating to separate and form blobs in the coating.  This is generally referred to as “kicking out”. 

 Becker Acroma thinners are specially formulated to work with our products to gain the maximum performance from each coating.  Thinner 1309 and 140 have faster evaporation rates while thinner 219 and 419 are slower.  When a slower evaporating thinner is needed a retarder can be added.

 By using the proper solvent, the user can put less thinner in the coating to reduce the coating down to a desired viscosity.  Some thinners will reduce the viscosity of the resin in the coating in lesser amounts than others. 

 Utilizing the proper thinner the user can reap the benefits of higher solids while maintaining the workability of the coating.  Higher solids coatings allow the user to apply less coating to get an acceptable finish quality.  As well, higher solids material is more environmentally friendly, reducing the amounts of solvents being released into the atmosphere.

 Finally, a word of caution.  While it is tempting to use recycled thinners in order to reduce costs, doing so can prove to be a false economy.  The composition of these thinners is unknown, and can be the cause of complications that are more than difficult to trace.  For the relatively small cost saving for a complete coating system – hardly worth the risk!

 For more information please give us a call or drop us a line. We are always pleased to be of service!