Document 2qNyzvkNjy1EdmDZ3je3Gaam7

V 7 "la It Safe to Paint Uy House Now?" There is a very understandable tendency to feel that anything manufac tured during the war-tine period of scarcities must necessarily have been infexicr to that sane article manufactured pre-wax. We are in clined to believe that anything made during the war must have been a "Victory" or a "War Emergency" model, which we patriotically accepted without complaint when our country was at war, but which we feel we should not have to put up with when raw material supplies improve. Because we all are inclined to think this way about practically every thing we buy or use today, it is not surprising that we are asked almost every day, "Is your house paint back to pre-war quality? Is it safe far me to paint my house now?" People always arc a little sur prised and often a little skeptical when we tell them that if they can yet the paint it is perfectly safe to paint their house now -- that the house paint we mads during the war was better in quality and performance than the paint we made pre-war - and that we won't go back to pre-war quality, but will continue to make the kind or paint we made during the war, because it is better! The real truth of the matter is that the necessity for conservation of J our limited supplies of drying oils during the war forced the paint iivI dustry into a technological advance which it might otherwise have taken ' years to accomplish without this incentive. The move was toward the use I of substantial quantities of bodied oils in house paints. This was by no moans 3n entirely novel step, but it is true that this type of binder had not been used generally for high grade exterior paints prior to 1943. The principal difference between the pre-war house paints and the current type is that we now use lass total oil binder. We make up the binder using a substantial proportion of fairly heavy kettle bodied linseed oil blended with some raw, rather than practically straight raw linseed oil. The increase in the quality of the binder gives improved performance characteristics, even though the volume or weight of binder is smaller. As oil gains viscosity through heat bodying its penetration properties are reduced* When the old pre-war, high rew linseed oil paints were ap plied on new wood, a considerable amount of the oil was lost by penetra tion into the wood. Even on repaint surfaces this loss was not incon siderable. The use of substantial quantities of bodied oils permits con trol of penetration to the exact point desired. This may be seen very readily in the filter paper penetration test shewn on Plate I. In this simple test a can lid is filled with the paint to be tested and a filter paper pressed down lightly around the rim of the lid so that the paper is in complete contact with the paint. The oil bleeds away from the lid rim according to its penetrating tendencies and becomes visible as a translucent border, as shown in the photograph, A canparison of the two filter paper tests shows that the 1942 SWF QId s s White 0007--SWP--043912 N23308 exhibits about 2-1/2 tinea the penetration of the present formula* It la easy to aee that the bodied oil In the present formula helps to con trol the penetration of the rew oil. In this way the total binder is held in the paint, where it does some good, and is not lost to the depths of the wood, where it is practically useless. Tl use of bodied oils in the house paint vehicle contributes many other advantages, among which may be included bettor wetting of the pigments ehich helps to give better grind and dispersion of the pigment and better gloss - better flow, better drying, and greater durability, The current house paints, with their considerable content of bodied oils, have slight ly more feel under the brush than the pre-war paints, with their high eonteht of raw oil, but they still are entirely satisfactory as to brushing. The somewhat greater feel under the brush results in a slightly reduced spread ing rate. This would tend to counteract slightly the drop in film thick ness due to the use of actually lower binder volume, kny decline in film thickness is further reduced by the considerable reduction of penetration into the substrate* Thus, the actual differences in film thickness be tween the old and the current paints are relatively unimportant and may vary, depending on the circumstances of application and the surface being painted. This point is emphasized because it is recognized tliat other things being equal and within practical limits, the durability of paint films 1s proportional to the film thickness* One of the outstanding advantages of our current SITP is its Increased flow. This results in Improved smoothness of film, which not only gives ua a more attractive finish, but has the further very practical advantage that the smoother film catches and holds less dirt than the pre-war paints, which had more prominent brush marks. Plant II shows In a very simple way the greater flew of the current Sff? com pered with the jre-war formula. This is the simple flow plate test in which equal amounts of each paint are placed in the circular depressions shewn, any excess scraped off, and the plate then tipped to start the paint flowing* In the picture shewn the plate was tipped to an angle <;f 45 and the paints allowed to flow for IS minutes. The current formula flowed about 3-1/2 times as far as the pre-war formula in-that time. Obviously this increased flow could go too far. We actually have con trolled the flow at the point where we get a beautiful film with only low rounded brush marks, but with no danger of sags or curtains. House paints should not flew too much as they should obliterate Incidental mars in the repaint surface, such as blistered areas or where the old paint has peeled or flaked off in spots. If the paint flows too much it follows the contours of these depressions and they are never covered up and hidden. 0007-SWP-043913 0007-SWP-000127263 \ o> N A h (3 f > Flats HI shorn the comparison in flew of SlfP Gloss White pre-war and I current formula ae they were actually brushed on primed beveled siding. It is very apparent that there are still evidences of brush marks in our present formula, so that there la no danger of sagging, but the brush marks which ramain are soft and rounded. Another outstanding advantage of the present formula ia its faster dry and better through drying. The pre-war oil-rich house paints had a tendency to skin dry and wrinkle when applied in heavy films, and the drying was quite slow at lower temperatures. The current SWF has pro portionately mare pigment and less oil. and almost one-half of the oil has already been processed to a comparatively advanced state of poly merization. The net result is that the film gels rapidly, sets out of dust quickly and dries through much more thoroughly than the old oilrich paints. Actually, this means that our present house pAinta are I much mors fool-proof from the standpoint of drying of accidental heavy spets and unfavorable drying conditions. Plata IV shows these differences in drying quite graphically. The average SVFP film will probably be spread at about 5CO square feet per gallon, one coat application, or even higher. In the exhibit in Plata IV the paints have bean applied on plate glase by doctor blade at excessively low spreading rates of 300 and 1>0 square feet per gallon, respectively. The photograph shows the condition of the films after over night drying at roan temperature. In the areas marked "1" on the two films at the left (st spreading rates of 300 square feet per gallon) it may be seen >t that the pre-war film was easily gouged with the finger nail, showing soft 1] top drying. The current SWP has dried through very firmly, showing con11 siderable resistance to gouging. In the areas marked "2" a lead pencil was drawn on the paint surfaoa until the films ruptured or showed up the pencil mark. It is obvious that on the pre-war paint film the pencil cut right through the top dried film. The current SWF has dried through hard enough so that the pencil marked the paint without cutting through unless considerable pressure was exerted. In the area "3* the very heavy bead at the batten edge of the film wrinkled in both cases. However, when the bead of the pre-war paint was punctured liquid paint flowed out, showing that only a skin had formed and that the paint ranained wet underneath. When the heavy bead of the (current paint was punctured no liquid paint appeared. The whole bead had thickened to a consistency sbcut that of tooth paste. This illustrates the capacity of the current formula to dry through in rather considerable depths of film. When the two pdints were applied at the extremely low spreading rate of \350 square feet per gallon the entire surface of the pre-war paint top {dried end wrinkled. The ourrent SWF dried through without wrinkling. 0007--SWP--043914 0007-SWP-000127264 - / Whenever possible, house paints should be applied so that they will enjoy the moet favorable drying conditions. Keeping this in mind, painters usually avoid starting work too early in the morning, when there is dew on the surface being painted, and they also try to stop work early enough in the afternoon so that if there ere dews in the early evening they do not flatten the drying paint film. Since low temperatures retard the drying of paint, it hae been necessary to wait late enough in the spring to get reasonably good drying conditions and not to delay painting until too late in the fall for the same reasons. It should bo obvious that the Ilf better drying of the current formula extends the permissible painting '<1 hours during the day and the painting season far the year* Of course, it is possible to take too great an advantage of the hatter drying of our present production on house paints. One should never start painting so early in the morning that the sun has not had an opportunity to dry the dew off of the surface to he painted, and in all eases painting should be suspended early enough so that the film has a chance to set before the evening dews strike the surface. We have already remarked upon the better flow of the current formula, stating that bodied oils produce smoother films which catch and hold less dirt. There is another reason why the present SWP catches and holds less dirt. Due to the faster and more thorough through drying there la less liquid oil in the dried film which may Bppear at the film surface and make the paint tacky or sticky. The freshly dried binder consists of some liquid metariel hold in a gel of eolidlfied oil. There is * ten dency for this liquid to squeeze out. Since the amount of liquid component in tho newly dried film of our current production is less than that of the old oil-rich formula, this tendency to squeeze out liquid components has been sharply reduced. The better appearance of the bodied oil type of house paints in the first year or two of exposure has definite appeal to the public. General ap pearance la improved because of the smoother film end cleaner appearanna due to loss dirt retention. Naturally, after peints are well exposed they usually chalk fast enough to shed dirt so that dirt retention dif ferences may disappear in the later years, before the house must again be repainted, l Plant 7 shows the difference In dirt retention between the pre-war and I the current SWP house paints after six months* exposure at our Chicago J Exposure Farm, The cleaner, smoother surface of the present house paint is quite obvious, Plate VI shows a typical siding exposure fenoe at the Chicago Exposure Farm* In this case wc show the south vertical exposure, although seme of the peints are also exposed north, and a smaller number east and west. The overlapping of the beveled siding and the general construc tion of the fence fcftve been designed to approaoh as closely as possible actual exposure conditions on the average frame house. 0007-53WP-043915 0007-SWP-000127265 / -5/ We have three principal points of exposure - the Chicago Exposure Farm, which is located 13 miles southwest of Chicago, Coffevville, Kansas and Uia&ij Florida* Besides this, a large number of exposures arB conducted at Clevelarxl, Ohio and other of our factory locations, as well as com plete house painting tests distributed nationally. Gloss retention is at least as good on the current SWP as on the pre-war* oil-rich formula and in some cases may he better. Obviously no convention al oil paint retains its gloss for more than a few months when exposed directly to the weather. Seme chalking is necessary to shed the dirt which otherwise would accumulate on the surface, and wo conr-ot expect to have both chalk and retention of glo's at the same time. The durability of the present SYTP appears to be at least equal to that of the pre-war paints. We have mentioned that balancing the slight reduction in spreading rates against the decrease in loss of binder by penetration there is relatively little drop in film thickness. Furthermore, the dura bility of a bodied oil binder is definitely higher than that of an entire ly raw oil binder or one containing only small portions of bodied oil. The new result is good exterior durability, with entirely adequate protec tion and pleasing appearance throughout the life of the film* The paint system weathers by controlled, shallow chalking, with a high degree of resistance to clicking and cracking, Tlie best paint technology today recommends a specially designed undercoater and a specially designed top coat, rather than the former practice or selfprlining. In self-priming the painter simply adds oil and/or turpentine or other thinner to regular house paint for the first or intermediate coats and follows with tlie same paint as a finish coat, usually without further reduction. Today, on new work we prefer one, or even better, two coats of an undercoater especially formulated to do its specific Job of priming the surface and furnishing a good ground coat for the succeeding top coat* On repaint work we recommend one coat of undercoat and one coat of top coat. Thus, the top coat can be formulated to do Its own asslgrment to beautify and preserve the surface on which it is applied and to resist the attack of the elements* liany years of laboratory and house testing, and practical experience since 1938 with the manufacture and sale of millions of gallons of SWP Undercosta: have shown beyond doubt the advantages of our SWP Underooater-SWP top coat system over SVfP self-primed. This advantage has not been changed in any way during the war period, SWP Undercoater from its inception has been built on a vehicle designed far controlled penetration, so that its bodied oil content and total binder really anticipated the so-called oil conserva tion house paints. When the oil restriction order tt-332 was issued there was no need to revise SWP Undercoater In any way because it already conformed in binder content to the restrictions of the order* This, of course, means that one of the two paints in the SKIP house paint system remained unchanged. Thus, the effects of any changes necessitated by war-time restrictions were halved. When we recall the discussion of the top coat formulation wo can apfroclate how the general quality of the SWP house paint system has been maintained, and in seme characteristics actually has been Improved, 0007-SWP--043916 0007-SWP-000127266 (Plata VII shows a Casparative performance of pre-war and current types of SVIP Gloss White after three and one-half years' exposure, south vertical, at our Chicago Exposure Farm. Neither film shears any particular failure at this point, since all that has occurred so far has been some chalking, which should be expected. The exposures will be continued to the point of seme definite film failure. However, when we realise that thle is a south exposure of panel tests which, in themselves, constitute an acceleraj tion of average paint performance on a house, it is obvious that we are I assured of very satisfactory performance and good protection. There is a world-wide shortage of fats and oils, and elmost as universal a shortage of paint pi^tents. Under such circumstances, we cannot make anywhere near the amount of EVP which people wont, and actually need* However, if you can find the paint, you can use it with confidence. It Is not a "War Baby" or a "War Substitute." It is a high grade product representing a technological advance of sufficient magnitude so that we would not revert to t.he pre-war quality even if all the present scarcities of ingredients cleared up and we could formulate on the basis of free supply. April 5, 1946 ii. VAN LOO Director of Paint Research 00O7-SWP-O43917 0007-SWP-000127267