STEM 12ST Reena de Jesus, Julia Galang, Peachy Inoferio

Title

A Comparative Study of the Quality of Usage of Organic and Synthetic Paint Remover to Eliminate
Vandalism on Retail Steel Shutters

Background

According to Rebecca Pirius, a legislative analyst in Minnesota House of Representative,

vandalism is an intentional act that defaces, destroys, or otherwise damages another’s property without
permission. People who resort to this activity are called vandals.

In the Philippines, one of the rampant problems arising in local communities is vandalism. This
focuses on vandalizing properties by using spray paints and other mediums of painting. According to
Namibian Police Force, in general, vandalism can happen at any time of the day or night but it mostly
happens in the evening when fewer people are around and property isn’t under as much in the public eye.

Vandalism tends to be a crime mainly committed by juveniles. Dr. Jeffery Chase, a license
clinical psychologist and psychology professor at Radford University in Radford, Va., says many times
people, especially children and adolescents, will use vandalism to vent. Mostly the mediums these
vandals use should be accessible to them such as spray paints.

According to lance Looper from HowStuffWorks.com, spray paints are paint that is contained in
an aerosol can for the purpose of spraying onto a surface. Spray paint works the way it does because it’s
actually a combination of paint and a gas propellant.

Spray paints such as the usage of acrylics and enamels are relatively cheap which can be found in
hardware stores that cost about less than 300 Php (Based on the price lists in CitiHardware, Ace
Hardware and Wilcon Depot.).

Spray paints are water-soluble but become water-resistant when dry. According to Glenda Taylor
from HowsStuffWorks.com, spray paints on metals which are more than a year old are hard to remove
since the paint was already fully adhered to the surface, however, spray paints which are recent can be
removed easily by the use of paint removers.

To know more about how to remove spray paints on metals, the researchers should look into the
general components of the spray paint.

1. Pigment
a. Pigments are synthetic
STEM 12ST Reena de Jesus, Julia Galang, Peachy Inoferio

b. Manufacturers make pigments to add more bonds which produces the colour of the
spray paint.
c. Compounds include: Cadmium sulphide, Pure cobalt powder, different iron oxides
etc.
2. Binder (Resin)
a. This is the liquid part of the paint that does the drying part.
b. The binder is mostly made of carbon and hydrogen
3. Solvent

Additional (specifically for aerosol paints): it uses Chlorofluorocarbons but it is banned. It has been
replaced with the use of hydrocarbons (organic compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon).

To remove spray paints on steels or metals, people buy paint removers, strippers or gels from
hardware stores which can cost up to 1000php. Mostly these removers are chemical paint removers which
can have harmful toxins such as lead and methyl chloride which can produce health risks if not used
properly and is flammable. Cheaper version of paint removers are paint thinners and turpentine which are
solvents used in the arts which removes unwanted oil-paint but can be used to remove spray paints as
well. The problem of using these frequently is that it can easily be corroded and both products are
petroleum which can be flammable and produce odour which harms the person’s lungs.

In Carmella Valley Homes, a local subdivision located in Talisay City, vandalism is mostly
present in walls, monuments of famous people and in retail stores when they are closed. But in this study,
the researchers will be focusing on finding a cost-effective yet an ecological solution to remove fresh
vandalism (at least 2 day-old) in retail steel shutters by producing an organic paint remover which does
not use harmful chemicals that can be a danger to the environment.

The reasons as to why the researchers prefer removing vandalism on steel shutters is due to its
prevalence compared to the community’s walls and other public buildings. Most retail stores are in
danger to vandalism, especially when stores are closed shut with a metal shutter. This also prevents the
researchers to undergo the limitation of finding more substitutions that are suited for both porous and
non-porous surfaces which can be hard.

Objectives

1. To be able to solve the prevalent problem of vandalism in retail stores by:

Creating a product that removes spray paint on metal shutters that is eco-friendly and does not use
harmful chemicals.
STEM 12ST Reena de Jesus, Julia Galang, Peachy Inoferio

a. This should be composed of materials that are accessible such as products available at
home or in nature.
b. The product should be cost-effective (estimated budget around 300 Php) which is
accessible to all residents in Carmella Valley Homes, Talisay City.
c. The product could be a liquid that can be sprayed and be wiped off by a rag or in paste-
form.
2. To be able to remove at least a 2 day-old spray paint on metal and prevent vandalism.
3. To be able to compare the quality of the researchers product and the synthetic products to be
produced by factories and manufacturers

Research Questions

1. What organic ingredients can effectively remove spray paint on metal that is two (2) days old?
2. What are the specific characteristics of an organic spray paint remover?
3. How effective is the researchers’ product compared to the synthetic products?
a. Can the researchers’ product completely remove the spray paint on the metal?
b. How long does it take to remove the spray paint on the metal?
4.

Limitations

1. Materials for testing (buying of paint removers by various companies) and for the product itself
can be costly.
2. Substitution of the ingredients that are organic in paint removers may be hard to resource since it
may undergo chemical process like distillation and other apparatuses.
3. It may be hard to find people who are experts in this field to be able to learn more about the
paint’s components and its chemistry.

Significance

Combined with the fact that it is not sold in the city makes it difficult to avail the product. With this study,
it can greatly benefit the ones who are easily affected with graffiti -- them being store owners, local
government, schools, hospitals, public infrastructures, professionals (Chemical Engineers, Researchers,
etc.).

However, for this research topic, we will be focusing on the residents in the local community of Carmella
Valley Homes, Talisay City; especially the store owners and the people who own certain public buildings.
STEM 12ST Reena de Jesus, Julia Galang, Peachy Inoferio

The succession of this product can greatly influence these people, economic-wise and environmental-
wise. With the use of homemade products as the components for this alternative coating paint, it easily
becomes budget-friendly.

Instruments

1. Interview
a. Interviewing experts on this particular field will greatly help the researchers to innovate
their product more accurately to get better results.
2. Experiment
a. Particularly, the researchers will be having trial and errors to test their product’s quality
of removing the spray paint.

Respondents

The respondents of this study are the chemical engineers or the experts in pigments and paints to be
interviewed.

Methodology Expected Outcome)

Based on the preliminary researches of the researchers, they found out that:

1. Vinegar
a. Prevents the metal to rust
b. Is effective on removing dried paint in porous and non-porous surfaces
2. Soy beans
a. Soy bean extract (soy bean oil) blended with a water-rinsing surfactant.
b. Contains methyl soyate (Technical Resources International Inc: shows promise as an
industrial solvent to substitute for chlorinated hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon solvents )
c. Many manufacturers choose soy-based products for graffiti removal because of their
ability to safely remove paint and ink (source: Randy Frees, President and CEO of Soy
Technologies, Nicholasville, Ky).
d. Effective on stainless steel and aluminon
3. Citrus peels (e.g. lemons, calamansi, and orange)
a. Citrus-based
b. Great for removing grease, grime, smoke film from hard surfaces such as stainless steel
c. Otherwise the product of Limonene
i. These are commonly found in the oils of citrus peels
STEM 12ST Reena de Jesus, Julia Galang, Peachy Inoferio

ii. It is also used as renewable-based solvent in cleaning products.

iii. Can be extracted by centrifugal separation or steam distillation
4. Baking soda
a. According to Smith and arrow, baking soda and boiled water works best to clean off
spray paints on metals.
5. Acetone
a. Can remove a day old spray paint
b. The common ingredient for lacquer thinners
c. Is the least hazardous chemicals in paint removers
d. Otherwise found in nail polish remover
6. Isopropyl Alcohol
a. Rubbing alcohol
b. It can be used to clean certain permanent markers

These are some of the ingredients which can be effective to remove paints on metal which does not
produce odour and contains less harmful chemicals than caustic spray paint removers. All of these
ingredients can easily be accessible at home and is affordable when bought.

All of the ingredients will be mixed in order to create a new product which can remove spray
paints on metal shutters. This can be in a form of paste if baking soda is used or a colourless liquid to be
sprayed and be wiped off by a rag. The researchers will do trial and errors to see if it works.

Sources (materials and process):

 General industrial paint components. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/chemicals/paint-components-general-industrial
 How to remove paint from metal. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-
improvement/home-diy/painting/how-to-remove-paint-from-metal.htm
 Thomas, Baker, "All About Exterior Paint", "This Old House Magazine"
2012. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20586187_21145196,00.html
 Graffiti removal techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved
https://city.milwaukee.gov/GraffitiRemoval#.XBevPhYRWaM