Solvents come in many “grades” and types. Water is the universal solvent for example.
In this tech tip we will deal with solvents and their use with undercoatings and related equipment as well as safety.
Some of the solvents that are used are Toluene , Xylenes, Ethanol, Benzenes, Acetone, MEK, Hexanes and Heptane or most likely a blend of any the above or others. Also known as aromatic hydrocarbons. These will have a low flash point. Meaning the will ignite readily.
A common solvent is Lacquer Thinner (paint thinner) used in body shops etc. It is widely used as a cleaner to remove adhesives, tar, grease etc. It is available in different blends often considered low flash, high flash, fast dry and slow dry etc.
Lacquer Thinners must NOT be used to “thin” any ValuGard undercoat formulas or to clean any of the equipment used in the spraying of our undercoat. These solvents will attack the seals in the equipment, cause adverse effects to the coatings and may damage the inside of the hose from the pump to the gun. These thinners can be very damaging to paint and other components of vehicles. Certain solvents can have adverse health effects as well.
To clean ValuGard undercoatings from surfaces or to clean any of the equipment use only VOC compliant Mineral Spirits such as our N-122 New Car Prep. This is a “safety solvent” with a higher flash point that is safe to use on all paint surfaces and is safe to use to clean all equipment. N-122 New Car Prep will not damage any of the seals or hoses in the spray equipment.