If you are going to paint your own car, please consult the MSDS (material
safety data sheet) on any product you are considering before you buy it.
Vendors are required to supply you with MSDS's, but only if you request
them. Many auto paints are highly toxic and must be used with great care in
order to avoid poisoning yourself.
While I don't work professionally with auto paint, I do work professionally
with a wide range of paints, dyes, and other toxic materials and I assure
you this is not something to be casual with.
My car is painted with epoxy primers (on bare metal) and urethane modified
acrylic top coats. Urethane paints are among the most toxic auto paints.
MSDS's generally recommend air-supplied respirators and full skin coverage,
as using urethane paints exposes you to isocyamates, which are highly toxic,
potentially lethal due to their ability to induce cardiac arythmia, and
cannot be stopped by any filter or absorptive cartridge yet developed for
conventional respirators.
You can use these products safely (I have) you just need to do your homework
and follow the manufacturer's recommendations as outlined on the MSDS for
the product. The great thing about most urethanes is that you can "color
sand" and buff out the paint once it has hardened thoroughly the same as if
it was lacquer to get a really smooth, glass-like finish with no orange
peel, which is an big advantage if you are not an expert with a gun. It
also dries to a point where it doesn't collect dust very quickly, almost as
fast as lacquer You also get the durability of enamel, which is the weak
point of lacquer. Conventional enamel (alkyd) is very tough when it has
cured, but dries very slowly, so working in a less than dust free
environment is a real issue, plus you can't color sand to get rid of orange
peel without losing the gloss, which can't be restored by buffing.
I don'y want to discourage you, as painting a car is a hell of an
interesting project and saves you thousands of dollars. (From my one
experience, the estimates of materials costs and of jobbing the whole thing
out that have appeared in the last week sound about right.) Just do your
homework so you make informed decisions and don't hurt yourself.
Jim Knight
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