Paint

Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, is converted to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color or provide texture to objects. the History of Paint Colour has fascinated culture throughout history, every age and every region has produced dyes and pigment depending on the available resources. Colour has been with us for more than 20,000 years. Evidence survives in early cave paintings and the ancient Chinese are considered to have brought its manufacture and use to a state of perfection tens of thousands of years ago. For centuries, paint was essentially lead. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans made a sort of paint by treating lead with wine or vinegar. Later painters mixed up white-lead paste, then added linseed oil, turpentine, a drier, and colored pigments in oil. Such paint had turpentine, a drier and colored pigments in oil. Such paint had great hiding power, was easy to work with, stuck where it was applied, and weathered well. Unfortunately, it also poisoned people, by skin absorption, respiration, or ingestion (the paint chips tasted sweet). Today, paint with more than .06 percent lead by volume is banned . Over the centuries, other colors were formulated and perfected. Artists devised their own paint recipes, which were often jealously guarded. Paint as a method of decorating buildings did not become common until the nineteenth century. There's also been a shift away from oil as the base for paint. It began during World War II, when linseed oil and the solvents that cut it were scarce. By the mid-'5Os, synthetic replacements were outperforming natural ingredients. Yet for all this it was discovered that none of the worlds civilizations has named many colors. In the 1960s two anthropologists conducted a worldwide study of color naming. Many languages only contained two color terms, equivalent to white (light) and black (dark). Of 98 languages studied, the highest number of basic color terms was to be found in English - where we have eleven: black, white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, grey and brown. The other millions of colors have 'borrowed' names, based on examples of them, such as avocado, grape, peach, tan, gold, etc. Today, practically all paints consist of some form of synthetic resins or polymers. Modern solventthinned paints still work like the old oil-base paints, only more effectively; alkyds (a hybrid word designating the combination of alcohols and acids that produces the synthetic resins) have replaced most or all of the natural oils. Alkyd formulations are comparatively low in cost and have excellent color retention, durability, and flexibility.

But the most dramatic shift has been away from solvent-thinned paints in favor of water-thinned ones. Today, latex is the consumer standard, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the paint sold.

Components of Paints Pigments, which give colour and opacity/covering power, are finely dispersed solid particles. In some cases they can be used to impart certain protective properties e.g. rust prevention and to control gloss levels. Varnishes, which form transparent or semi-transparent films, are made up of the last three components, with coloured varnishes containing small amounts of pigment. Paints and varnishes may contain pigments or additives to lower the gloss levels in satin or matt finishes. The binder is the material that forms the film, giving protection to the substrate and keeping the pigment in place and evenly dispersed. It may be made up of a single component, or a combination of several resins or polymers. Solvent/liquid carrier - the binder and pigment remain in the dry paint film. The solvent is used to effect the application of the coating. It thins the paint or varnish, allowing it to be brushed or sprayed. Once on the substrate, the solvent will evaporate, leaving the dry film. The term liquid carrier is considered more appropriate as it may not be a true solvent for the binder, but may act as a carrier.Solvents are various low viscosity, volatile liquids. They include petroleum mineral spirits and aromatic solvents such as benzol, alcohols, esters, ketones, and acetone. The natural resins most commonly used are lin-seed, coconut, and soybean oil. Additives are used, in small amounts, to modify the film or paint. Examples are driers promoting the drying time of some coatings, flow control agents giving a smooth surface, defoamers preventing the formation of bubbles that could dry in the film, anti-skinning agents preventing the paint from skinning in the can.they are added to enhance certain properties such as ease of brushing, mould resistance, scuff resistance, drying and sag resistance.

Manufacturing The manufacturing process involves five critical parts:

Part 1 Accurate measurement of ingredients Ingredients are typically measured by weight on scales, and in some cases by volume in calibrated vats and graduated measuring containers. For larger batches the vats are loaded onto load cells connected to accurate electronic scales. Part 2 Mill-base preparation and pigment dispersion Pigments are powders of typically small size that tend to stick together to form clumps or agglomerates. These must be broken down into separate particles that must then be wetted by resin and additives to stop them sticking together again. This is the process of dispersion. The paste mixture for most industrial and some consumer paints is now routed into a sand mill, a large cylinder that agitates tiny particles of sand or silica to grind the pigment particles, making them smaller and dispersing them throughout the mixture. The mixture is then filtered to remove the sand particles. Pigments are added slowly to a portion of the liquid paint components. Part 3 Let-down In a separate, larger, vat the rest of the paint (resin, solvent and additives) is combined and mixed. This is called the let-down. When the let-down and the mill-base are completed, the mill-base is added with stirring to the let-down. At this stage, if required by the formulation, any final additions are made and added in. Part 4 Finished product and in process laboratory testing Product quality is monitored throughout the manufacturing process. Critical ingredients are tested before manufacturing starts. The mill-base may be tested for dispersion; if necessary further processing may be required. The let-down may be tested to ensure it is sufficiently mixed. The completed batch (mill-base plus let-down and any final additions) is thoroughly tested . These final tests evaluate properties such as degree of dispersion, viscosity (consistency), density, hiding, tint strength and colour, application, dry time, gloss and dry film appearance.

Part 5 Canning When testing is completed the batch is passed for canning. During canning two samples are taken; a retain sample, which is stored in case it is needed for future reference, and a Final Inspection sample. The Final Inspection sample is tested to guarantee conformance to relevant standards and

specifications. After this final stage of testing is complete the batch is passed for use in the warehouse and dispatch to branches as required. Types of Paints Oil Paints Pigment bound to an oil mixture creates oil paints considered to contain the richest of hues and produce the best detail. Oil paints have a long drying time that can be shortened by adding a medium such as turpentine, also used in cleaning up oil paints. To prevent cracking and enhance colors, always apply oil paints in thin layers of color that become more detailed as they progress.

Acrylic Paints Pigment contained in an acrylic polymer creates acrylic paints, thought to be a type of crossover between oils and watercolors. Acrylics thin with water to achieve a watercolor paint effect or with certain gel mediums to create an oil paint effect. Fast drying and permanent once dry, acrylics mix well with many other medium such as sand for thick or textured effects and clean up with water.

Watercolor Paints Watercolors contain pigment suspended in mostly water. Though highly portable and easy to use due to their need only for water as a cleanup and thinning agent, they also present a challenge due to their fast drying time and difficulty in correcting mistakes. Once mastered, however, their distinctly transparent quality becomes a valuable tool for artists.

Tempera Paints Traditional tempera paint contained egg mixed with pigment. Today, tempera usually refers to common school or children's paint that contains no egg and has nothing to do with traditional tempera paint. Today's tempera paints contain pigment mixed with water much like watercolor; however, it contains more pigment and an additive such as chalk to make the paint more opaque.

Achieve cleanup and thinning with water.

Enamel Paints

Although not usually considered a traditional artists' medium, an artist may find enamel paints useful. An artist may use this type of paint when painting a design or picture on a concrete floor or when painting wood objects for outdoor settings. Similar to oil paint, enamel paint has a longer drying time than does acrylic paint.

6. Color changing paint

Various technologies exist for making paints that change color. Thermochromic paints and coatings contain materials that change conformation when heat is applied, and so they change color. Liquid crystals have been used in such paints, such as in the thermometer strips. Photochromic paints and coatings contain dyes that change conformation when the film is exposed to UV light, and so they change color. These materials are used to make eyeglasses.

Paints are exhaustively used every day. Few of them are listed here 1) It helps to protect the metal from corrosion 2) Art work 3) It is used as a "reflective coating" for traffic system 4) It is also used as "water insulation for roofs and ceilings" 5) Used as thermal insulation to reduce the energy consumption of cooling appliances in houses 6) Used as "Noise protection Insulation" 7) As a "Fire resistant coatings" 8) Research is in progress to use paint for generating electricity from heat energy.

Failure of a paint The main reasons of paint failure after application on surface are the applicator and improper treatment of surface.

Dilution - This usually occurs when the dilution of the paint is not done as per manufacturers recommendation. There can be a case of over dilution and under dilution, as well as dilution with the incorrect diluent. Contamination - Foreign contaminants added without the manufacturers consent which results in various film defects. Peeling/Blistering - Most commonly due to improper surface treatment before application and inherent moisture/dampness being present in the substrate. Chalking - Chalking is the progressive powdering of the paint film on the painted surface. The primary reason for the problem is polymer degradation of the paint matrix due to exposure of UV radiation in sunshine and condensation from dew. Cracking - Cracking of paint film is due to the unequal expansion or contraction of paint coats. It usually happens when the coats of the paint are not allowed to cure/dry completely before the next coat is applied. Erosion - Erosion is very quick chalking. It occurs due to external agents like air,water etc. Blistering - Blistering is due to improper surface exposure of paint to strong sunshine. .