Delay New Lead Paint Rules By EPA? Why?
February 22, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Found this link today via Twitter: http://wddalliance.org/industry-resources-lead-paint.html; it’s a call by the Window & Door Dealers Alliance to contact your congressman about delaying new April 22nd rules on lead in paint. Why do this is my question?
In the paint industry we have dealt with tightening of regulations for years, from lower VOC’s to the removal of heavy metals, such as lead. We know these pigments and solvents cause people to get sick and they technically should not be allowed in a sustainable and green building.
Why should we not delay this?
1. It’s been known for some time and it’s not a surprise to anyone. Places like southern California have not been able to use certain products because of VOC’s and heavy metals for some time.
2. There are alternatives that have been around for over 25 years, one of our products for one: OPACI-COAT-300/500.
Our safe products can be used in the same equipment as ceramic enamel, so why delay, your solution is already out there.
Silicone spandrel and frit spandrel are the same thing right? Part III “Spandrel In a Vision Area”
January 29, 2010 by Kris Vockler · Leave a Comment
Same use but vastly different in not only application but composition, meaning many energy saving and environmental benefits.
OPACI-COAT Vs. Ceramic Enamel
Ceramic Frit vs OPACI-COAT-300/500® |
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| CERAMIC FRIT | OPACI-COAT-300/500® | |
| Ceramic clay applied to glass is heated to 1,100°F(600°C) and becomes fused to the glass. | 50% silicone, 50% water solution is sprayed, roller coated or curtain coated onto glass and dried by evaporation of water (either ambient or oven) curing the silicone to the surface of the glass. | |
| Unlimited, because the frit is fused to the glass. | Unlimited. Silicones have an excellent track record in construction. OPACI-COAT-300/500® has been in use for more than twenty years. | |
| Ceramic frit does not break down when exposed to ultraviolet rays. | OPACI-COAT-300/500® does not break down when exposed to ultraviolet rays. | |
| Ceramic frit has noability to help glass remain in an opening when broken. | Silicone bonds with the glass and will hold broken glass in an opening when applied at a wet film thickness of 13 mils. | |
| Cannot be repaired if frit surface is damaged. | Silicone surface can be repaired in the field if scratched, or touched up if coverage has noticeable light areas from the exterior. | |
| Matches very well with dark colors. Can have noticeable lines or streaks in light colors. Most reds and yellows are impossible. | Exceptional color matching capabilities (including reds and yellows) with 3 day lead times on most sample and production orders. | |
| Contains solvents and other heavy metals that create hazardous materials disposal concerns. | Does not contain any environmentally hazardous ingredients. No lead or heavy metals. We are Green! | |
| 5 years by fabricator | 10 years | |
| Ceramic frit cannot be applied to the reflective surface of the glass. | OPACI-COAT-300/500® may be applied to wide variety of reflective as well as pyrolitic glass surfaces. | |
What is Spandrel, Vision Glass, and the Difference Between Frit and Silicone? (3 Post Series) Part I
Most Overheard Questions About Spandrel Part II “Can I Put It In A Vision Area?” Part II
What is Spandrel, Vision Glass, and the Difference Between Frit and Silicone? (3 Post Series)
January 6, 2010 by Kris Vockler · 1 Comment
Ok, so this started out as one post but grew so much, it had to become a 3-part series. The most common questions we hear about our spandrel coatings are:
#1 What is Spandrel?
#2 Can I put Spandrel in a vision area of a building?
#3 Silicone spandrel and frit spandrel are the same thing right?
Those are indeed the top three questions I get about spandrel, the little known part of a glass building that can have the greatest aesthetic impact.
PART I – What Is Spandrel?
Definition:
span-drel [span-druhl] – noun
- Architecture. an area between the extradoses of two adjoining arches
- 2. (in a steel-framed building) a panel-like area between the head of a window on one level and the sill of a window immediately above.
Meh huh, what?
The origin of the word spandrel comes from the 1400’s as an architecture term to describe the space between two arches, as in the illustration below. It’s that arch between the arches, in this photo, where the two women reside. It’s spanning the distance between the arches and helping to give structural support.
- Courtesy http://danceswithanxiety.blogspot.com/
Somewhere along the line of history, architects or the glass industry took the word spandrel and applied to to an all glass building. If you look at the photo below, you can see where the office area would be and a shorter glass level under that. This is spandrel and it’s a level of glass that is opaque and colored, which also hides the electrical and mechanical areas between the floors of a building.
To opacify the glass, one of several products can or have been used; ceramic enamel, silicone elastomers, urethanes, films, etc. In fact, when we started ICD, the three big spandrel coatings were ceramic enamel, inexpensive urethanes, and polyester film. Around 15 years ago, due to many performance and cost issues, polyester films suddenly ceased being used. The hole left from that was filled by the two next most popular coatings, ceramic enamel and silicone (or more specifically OPACI-COAT-300).
Ceramic enamel is a very viable way to opacify glass and has had a very long history in doing so. The product is a coating that used to be sprayed on glass (and still can be in some areas), but today is roller coated or screen printed, run through a drying oven (flashing off volatiles) and then run through a tempering oven. In which the coating is fused to the glass and the glass is heat treated at the same time. To do this, the components of the coating have to withstand very high temperatures (such as heavy metals, organic pigments that have carbon in them will burn up and those temperatures). Great advancements have been made in the last few years to help make enamel more green but it still suffers due to having to use temperature resistant components.
Fast forward to today and we have ceramic enamel, silicone and to a smaller extent urethanes, acrylics and panel systems. There are some big differences between the two most used products; enamel and silicone.
So, to sum up what “spandrel” is to a building, it’s the opaque and colored section of glass between the office floors in an all glass clad building, often hiding the mechanical components of the building. I should add one more bit, due to the increases in high transmittance and high reflectance glasses today, architects can now use the spandrel cavity as either color accent or pick colors for the glass to harmonize with the vision glass. Neato!
I’ve also heard that it’s a military missile as well. =\
To Be Continued with PART II “Can I put Spandrel in a Vision Area?”
Blog Contributors
CEO of ICD High Performance Coatings, from chemist to marketing and operations.
Sales Manager & Architect Specialist of ICD High Performance Coatings.