thinner highly corrosive??

prkaye · #1 02-07-2008, 06:21 PM

So installment 2 of my painting experiments tonight. I like the new colour I got him to make... a blueish grey. He got it quite flat this time too. Got the gun figured out a little better, and getting a decent enough finish for my interior (still not smooth, but since I'm using a flattened paint, the fine "pebbly" or bumby texture actually looks nice for the interior).
The guy at the paint shop sold me a big metal pail of "gun wash" (his term for it) for clean-up. The can says "thinner"... and it has 3 warning symbols - flammable, toxic and the one that looks sort of like an explanation mark with a bar across the top, meaning "materials causing other toxic effets".
This stuff seemed to actually eat through my rubber gloves. Certainly disintegrated my thin latex ones i was wearing at first. When it got on my hands they felt a warm burning sensation. This stuff does not seem to be the same as the hardware-store paint-thinner I'm used to. Is it actually corrosive? Is it going to eat away at my drain pipes??

az_gila · #2 02-07-2008, 06:49 PM

Probably got MEK or an equivalent in it. Melts the cheap gloves...

Get better gloves - the auto paint store should have them - and make sure you wear a good respirator...

gil A

flytoboat · #3 02-07-2008, 06:55 PM

Or use Stewart Systems paint instead - Non flamable, non-explosive, non-toxic, thin and clean up with water, same great finish...
http://www.aircraftfinishing.com/
Also, (not to start a primer war) for those who prime, the primer is also a sealer.

mannanj · #4 02-07-2008, 06:57 PM

Check out Nitrile gloves. Should hold up against most of the painting chemicals.

rv8eh · #5 02-07-2008, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prkaye

So installment 2 of my painting experiments tonight. I like the new colour I got him to make... a blueish grey. He got it quite flat this time too. Got the gun figured out a little better, and getting a decent enough finish for my interior (still not smooth, but since I'm using a flattened paint, the fine "pebbly" or bumby texture actually looks nice for the interior).
The guy at the paint shop sold me a big metal pail of "gun wash" (his term for it) for clean-up. The can says "thinner"... and it has 3 warning symbols - flammable, toxic and the one that looks sort of like an explanation mark with a bar across the top, meaning "materials causing other toxic effets".
This stuff seemed to actually eat through my rubber gloves. Certainly disintegrated my thin latex ones i was wearing at first. When it got on my hands they felt a warm burning sensation. This stuff does not seem to be the same as the hardware-store paint-thinner I'm used to. Is it actually corrosive? Is it going to eat away at my drain pipes??

READ AND UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS IMMEDIATELY.
DON'T USE ANY CHEMICALS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS, THE REQUIRED PRECAUTIONS, AND THE FIRST AID RESPONSE!

The MSDS will indicate what precautions and materials are required for your safety, and indicate the toxic components of the mixture. dissolving gloves is a very loud warning bell indicating you have inadequate precautions and incompatible materials. It also pays to think about storage requirements (what if it leaks?) and disposal (who, how, where, and how much $$).

If it were me, I'd be looking into the MSDS, and poison control center after being exposed like that. Sometimes the effects are subtle and take hours to develop. Sometimes it's no big deal if it was minor exposure.

There's only one YOU. Be careful not to waste him.

szicree · #6 02-07-2008, 07:12 PM

I've always had great success using acetone to clean paint guns. I wear a mask and open the doors. I figure that they've used the stuff in nail polish removers forever, so how bad could it be? Don't answer that.

prkaye · #7 02-07-2008, 08:23 PM

I asked the guy about Acetone... he said he wasn't sure whether it would react with the paint, and advised using hte thinner instead.

szicree · #8 02-07-2008, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Chastain

You also have to remember that most guys in paint shops are salesmen first, painters second.

Or maybe not painters at all! Most of what you hear from the paint supply guys is third-hand info from sales reps and quotes from ad brochures. Take what they say with a grain of salt and try to get first-hand info from folks who've actually used the stuff (this site can be a great resource).

prkaye · #9 02-08-2008, 07:28 AM

How heavy should my coats be, and how long should i wait between coats?

Another question - how long does this stuff take to really harden/cure? I sprayed a test piece about 13 hours ago, and I can still scrape it away if I am agressive enough with my fingernail.

SvingenB · #10 02-09-2008, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prkaye

How heavy should my coats be, and how long should i wait between coats?

Another question - how long does this stuff take to really harden/cure? I sprayed a test piece about 13 hours ago, and I can still scrape it away if I am agressive enough with my fingernail.

You should not be able to scrape off paint without scraping off metal at the same time. Are you sure you have done the preparation of the metal according to the tech sheets?