VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Acrylic Lacquer Retarder

Thanks for all the replies...just a few items...I did find my DTX 1140 Ditzler retarder...I know there are many brands out there but I started bodywork and painting in 1964 and have ALWAYS used PPG products and have had great results...I know there are more durable paints out there but I like Acrylic lacquer, I know how it works and doesn't work, (Mike has valid points) it HAS been pretty durable in most cases and I'm used to working with it...those new paints have Isocyanates (sp.?)in them that could be disastrous to your lungs unless you use an external source of air..more hoses to trip over or accidentally rub in the paint etc. etc. Acrylic lacquer was original on my 64 too..so I'm sticking with it for the 64 and the 38..but appreciate all the info I've seen. Chipper...what exactly do you mean by "GM reflowed" the paint so no rubbing was required??? Always wondered about that...thx..Billu38

I feel the exact same way as well. I love Nitro and Acrylic Lacquer and they are both easy to work with and they are very forgiving.

Billu38,
You are correct that most modern paints have isocyanates either in the base paint (single stage urethane) or in the catalyst or curing agent. They can be absorbed through the skin as well as into the lungs and are very reactive particularly with water. Care and common sense with reading the label will keep you safe.

Reflowing is the use of heat and a special solvent blend to soften and level the paint surface. The basic process is to coat the parts and then put through the oven. Generally the ovens operate at 400 deg. F on the production lines. That is why many body parts have to tolerate that temperature to be used on GM cars. When I worked at a major chemical company we developed a "reflow" system that could be used in body shops. It was not successful due to several reasons. One of the technical successes that was a market failure. I know of many others too.

Chipper, I knew that factory lacquer was baked but did not know that a solvent used. Is that what makes the factory finish much harder and resistant to dissolving with solvents (thinners) thus making it last longer than an applied finish?

That is a big part of the resistance of both lacquer and enamel factory finish to solvents. Baking out the solvents densifies, crosslinks the polymer as it levels the surface.

That is also why later applied paints don't last as long as factory. I am sure you also realize that color changes are much more likely with after factory applied finishes. Some high end restoration and body shops used to have bake ovens to produce a tougher more color stable finish. Don't know of any now primarily because of the change to urethane based and catalyzed paint systems. The cross linking dramatically increased paint properties.

I HAVE LACQUER RETARDER IN A QT. "PPG"