Q: I am one step closer to being able to spray powder in Germany. I’m visiting Oregon and Washington State next month and might pick up some supplies, like a couple pounds of powder.
Do you have any quick tips on powders to start with, or which kinds to avoid as an absolute beginner? I think I’d like to try the textured and candy colors, but I will start with some basic polyester powder and see how that goes.
A: It is very important to note that polyesters in the United States are rather different than polyesters in the European Union. It’s all about the curing agent used. In the EU, TGIC is considered a genetically harmful chemical and requires special labeling that includes a skull and crossbones. In the U.S., we understand that it is an industrial chemical and handle it accordingly (i.e., N95 dust mask and good exhaust and hygiene).
I wouldn’t buy powder in the U.S. to use in Europe. Carrying it through an airport might cause an unwanted adventure. Powder coatings are very safe, but not all airport security personnel will know that. They might even think of your samples as drugs or explosives. Hence, I would recommend buying all your powder coatings locally.
As for type of powder, here are a few notes:
- Don’t buy any acrylics. These are great coatings for aesthetics and durability, but they cause contamination of other more conventional powders (polyesters, epoxies, urethanes, etc.).
- Hybrid powders (aka epoxy-polyester) are really good for indoor applications but will chalk and fade outdoors.
- Forget fluoropolymers. They are uber-expensive, though they do have amazing performance for architectural applications (20-30 years Florida durability).
- Polyesters in Europe are crosslinked with HAA instead of TGIC. HAA is a more benign chemical, with performance similar to the TGIC powders we use in the U.S.