Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Pot-life

How is possible to increase pot life of water-soluble 1 and 2K polyurethane paints? Thank you for your help.

Lenka Keyzlarova
- Uhersky Brod, Czech Republic
2002

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Hi Lenka,

I'm not sure what you exactly mean, if you need better resistant of pot (with 2K polyurethane paint), so what is the medium in this pot, what are conditions of operations, etc.?

George Shanahan
- Brighton, England
2002

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Lenka,

The potlife of many paint can be increased by cooling the paint (and the pot) while it is being used. There are air-jackets made for this, but one of the easiest methods is to take a bucket bigger than your pot, put your paint pot into it, and surround the paint pot with ice and water. Some paints pot-life can be extended by adding additional solvent after a period of time. In this case, the solvent would be water. If you have a knowledgable and responsive representative of the manufacturer of your paint, they would be the best suited to answer your question.

For those not familiar with pot-life, it is the period of time, after mixing of a paint, that it is usable. This is normally associated with paints that chemically react (epoxies, polyurethane) to cure. Once the reactions start they will progress to a point where the paint is no longer usable. The pot-life is dependent on the specific paint chemistry as well as ambient temperature, humidity...

Hope this helps!

Kelly L. Jones
- West Plains, Missouri
2002