Paints,Varnish & Pigments

Paints
• Paints are dispersions of finely divided pigments consisting of resins or binders and volatile solvent in liquid phase.
• Pigments are inorganic substances or organic materials like dyes. The organic dye may also be precipitated on inorganic
carriers like aluminum hydroxide, barium sulfate or clay, constituting a lake.
• Pigments extenders or fillers are added to reduce the costs of paints and also to increase its durability.The solid particles in
paints reflect back much of the destructive light rays, thus increasing the life of paint.
• The pigments should be opaque to increase the covering power and also chemically inert to have long lasting life.The
different pigments have different covering power per unit weight of the paint.
• The films of oil paints are formed by drying unsaturated oils. The drying process involves oxidation and polymerization.
Reactive oils such as linseed oils, soyabean, castor and safflower oils are used.
• The pigment volume concentration (PVC) is the ratio of volume of pigment in paint to the combined volume of
pigment and non volatile constituents in the paints. The PVC is useful to the paint formulator as it serves as a guide for
reformulation work by using different pigment or vehicle combinations.
PAINTS ARE THE FINELY DIVIDED PIGMENT MATERIALS DISPERED IN A LIQUID PHASE.
WHAT R PIGMENTS? PIGMENTS ARE INORGANIC/ORGANIC MATERIALS LIKE DYES, THEY HELP IS REDUCIMG
THE COST OF THE PAINT BY ACTING AS A FILLER OR EXTENDERS. THIS ALSO INCREASES THE DURABILITY
OF THE PAINT. AS THE SOLID PARTICLES REFLECT THE DESTRUCTIVE LIGHT BACK THIS INCREASES THE
LIFE SPAN.THE PIGMENT MUST BE OPAQUE AS IT INCREASES THE COVERING POWER.
THE OIL FLIM THAT IS FORMED ON THE SURFACE OF PAINT IS OBTAINED BY DRYING THE UNSATURATED
OILS. DRYING INVOLVED OXIDATION AND POLYMERIZATION PROCESS.
 Base & pigment
• Body of paint – solid substance (base)
White lead,red lead,lithophone,Zinc oxide,Iron oxide,Titanium
white,Aluminium powder etc.,
It makes the paint opaque,harder,elastic and prevents formation of
shrinkage cracks
• Pigment –colour,powder form
For white,black & very dark shades – base act as a colouring pigment
For light or bright colour – Pigment
- Prime pigments – Hide undesirable surface flaws(TiO2)
Responsible for Colour or whiteness
 Pigment
Extender Pigments:
• Fillers – Increase its Bulk volume, Paint’s overall sheen,colour
retention,Abrasion resistence and strengthens the film
• Silica and silicates– durability
• ZnO- prevent mildew and corrosion(outdoor application)
• Eg: Chalk,Gypsum,Baryte,Silica and Magnesium silicate
 Binder(drying oil)

• Resin/Vehicle/Glue
• Oil which is dried on exposure to air helps keeping the pigment and other components of paint in
solution.
• Adhesion is used as a binding the pigment
• Binder oil helps in keeping the final coating tough and durable
• Eg: linseed oil,fish oil and dehydrated castor oil
Solvent(carrier/Thinner)

Solvent helps in transporting the binder and pigment to the substrate surface which makes the application
easy,smooth and uniform.

Eg: water, turpentine, petroleum spirits, coal tar hydrocarbons

turpentine– thinner in oil paints
Water – emulsion paints
 Driers & Additives
• Driers and additives accelerates the process of drying of the paint
Eg: cobalt,lead,Manganese dissolved in volatile liquids.

Additives: Used to modify the properties of the liquid paint or dry film
- Stain blocking or mold killing properties
Thickener – thicken the paint to make the application easier
Surfactant – disperse pigments within the paint
Co-solvents – film formation and prevent damage which helps in making the
application easier by lengthening the amount of time
 Manufacturing process
• Paints are opaque solid coatings whose films are formed by polymerization of polyunsaturated oil in batch process.
• In the feed tank solid pigments and liquid portion vehicles are supplied. This mass is sent to weigh tank then to the mixer.
The feed is mixed thoroughly and sent to grinding mills.
• The various grinding mills used are buhrstone mill, ball and pebble mills, steel roller mills and high speed stone mills.
The type of pigment and vehicle used determine the choice of the mill.
• The mixture is then sent to the tinting or thinning tank. The centrifuging is done to remove non-dispersed pigments then it
is filtered in pressure filters.
• The paints are poured into the can or tank and labelled.
Pigments:
• The pigments are colored organic or inorganic insoluble substances used in surface coating industries.
• Inorganic pigments are used in metal,glass and ceramic industries.
• Organic pigments are used in textile and polymer industries.
• Major pigments are: White (Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide, Lithopone, Zinc sulfide), Black (Carbon black, Graphite, Iron
black), Blue (Ultramarine, Copper phthalocyamine), Red (Red lead, Iron oxides, Cadmium reds), and Metallics
(Aluminium, Zinc dust, Bronze powder).
Pigments
• It is the principal white pigment used in paints, paper, plastics, floor coverings, rubber,
ceramics and textiles.
• TiO2 occurs in two crystalline forms, anatase and the more stable rutile. Anatase can
be converted to rutile by heating to 700 to 950°C. In paints it is used in rutile form.
• The two methods used to manufacture TiO2 are sulfate and chloride process. The
chloride process is most commonly used and has replaced the sulfate process.
• The chloride process involves the reaction of rutile ore containing 95% by weight
titanium dioxide, TiO2 with chlorine to give titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), a liquid
that can be purified by distillation, boiling point 136°C.
• The titanium tetrachloride is then oxidized to pure titanium dioxide and the chlorine is
regenerated.
• 3TiO2 + 4C + 6Cl2 --> 3TiCl4 + 2CO + 2CO2
• TiCl4 + O2 --> TiO2 + 2Cl2
• The titanium tetrachloride is distilled to remove impurities and then reacted with oxygen
or air in a flame at about 1500°C to produce chlorine and very fine particle titanium
dioxide. The chlorine is recycled.
Green Pigments:
• Pythalocyanine green is the major green pigment which is a complex copper compound and has excellent
opacity, lightfastness(resistance to fading when exposed to light) and chemical resistance. It is used as
solvent and water based paints.
• Chromium oxide green is one of the oldest green pigments, and has many
disadvantages such as : high cost and lack of brilliancy and opacity.
It is made by calcining either sodium or potassium dichromate with sulfur in a reverberatory furnace.
• Guignet’s green (emerald green) is a hydrated chromic oxide, Cr2O(OH)4. It is prepared by roasting a mixture of
sodium dichromate and boric acid at a dull red heat for several hours.
• Chrome green is a mixture of chrome yellow and prussian blue. Inert fillers are added with this pigment
while making paints. It has higher lead content and hence being phased out from usage.
Varnish
• A Varnish is an “unpigmented” colloidal dispersion or solution of synthetic/natural resins in oils & thinners. It is
used as a protective and decorative coating for various surfaces. It furnishes a transparent film which
enhances the appearance of the surface coated.
• When varnish is coated on a surface the solvent portion evaporates and the other constituents oxidize or
polymerize, giving a transparent durable coating.
• The various classes of varnishes are:
• Oleo-resinous varnishes
•
 Oleo-resinous varnishes (Spar varnish)
• This is a mixture of drying oils and resins that are heated and dissolved in turpentine or petroleum products.
• These varnishes dry by evaporation of solvent and by hardening of the resin oil mixture when it combines with
oxygen
• The oil reduces the natural brittleness of the pure resin film.
• For exterior use, oleo-resinous varnishes are preferred since they are more durable.
Spirit Varnishes (Shellac resin solution in alcohol)
• These are solutions of resins in volatiles solvents like methanol, alcohol, hydro-carbons, ketones.
• They are prepared by active stirring and heating of the components and dry up rapidly but are likely to be brittle and
eventually crack and peel off, unless suitable plasticizers are used.
• For interior use, modified spirit varnishes are used.
Oleo-resinous varnishes, like Spar varnish, blend drying oils and resins dissolved in turpentine or petroleum. They dry
by solvent evaporation and resin-oil hardening through oxygen exposure, making them durable for exterior
applications. These varnishes reduce the brittleness of resin films naturally.

Spirit varnishes, such as Shellac resin in alcohol, consist of resin solutions in volatile solvents like methanol, alcohol,
or hydrocarbons. They dry quickly but may become brittle and prone to cracking and peeling without plasticizers.
Modified versions are suitable for interior use.
• Paints are formulated according to their
proposed use - primer, undercoat, special
finishes (matt, gloss, heat resistance, anti-
corrosion, abrasion resistance). The pigment
powder is broken down into individual
particles which are coated by and
dispersed in the binder (resin) - known as
'wetting out'. Solvent is then added to give
the required consistency. Each batch of
ingredients is thoroughly mixed in large,
stirred containers with the required additives
(Figure 1). Amounts ranging up to 40000
dm3 of paint may be made in a single batch.