Glossary

Acid Having a pH of less than 7; turns blue litmus

paper red

Alligatoring Breaks in the coating film which are wide and

extensive, but which do not penetrate to the
substrate

Alkaline Having a pH of more than 7; turns red litmus

paper blue

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Aromatic: of, relating to, or characterized by

the presence of at least one benzene ring —
used to describe cyclic unsaturated hydrocar-
bons and their derivatives

Binder The non-volatile part of a medium

Blistering Isolated convex deformation of a paint film in

the form of blisters arising from the detachment
of one or more of the coats

Blooming The formation of a thin film on the tip of a paint

film thereby reducing the luster or veiling its
depth of color

Blushing The formation of a milky opalescence in clear

finishes caused by deposition of moisture from
the atmosphere and/or precipitation of one or
more of the solid constituents of the finish

Body Used to indicate the consistency of a paint

Catalyst A substance whose presence increases the rate

of a chemical reaction

Checking Slight breaks in the surface of a paint film which

do not render the underlying surface visible
when the film is viewed at a magnification of
ten times
 irregular pattern type Checking in which the breaks are in no definite
pattern

line type Checking in which the breaks are, in general, in

parallel lines

crow-foot type Checking in which the breaks are in a series of

three-pronged formations in which the prongs
radiate from a point with an angle of approxi-
mately 120o between prongs

Chipping The removal of paint and surface contaminants

from a substrate by means of impact from a
sharpened tool

Coalescent United to a whole; fused; grown together

Cobwebbing The formation of fine filaments of partly dried

paint during the spray application of a fast
drying paint

Corrosion The deterioration of a substrate (usually metal)

or its properties because of a reaction with its
environments

Cracking Formation of breaks in a paint film that expose

the underlying surface

irregular pattern type Cracking in which the breaks are in no

definite pattern

line type Cracking in which the breaks are, in general, in

parallel lines

sigmoid type Cracking in which the breaks are in relatively

large curves which meet and/or intersect

Crazing The formation of minute criss-cross cracks on

the surface of a paint film

NOTE: Crazing resembles “checking” but the

cracks are deeper and broader and exhibit a
polygonal pattern resembling crazy paving

Crinkling The development of wrinkles in a paint film

during drying
Curing Mechanism The means by which the coating goes from a
liquid to a dry film

Drier A compound, usually organi-metallic and

soluble in organic solvents and binders, which is
added to paint to accelerate drying by catalytic
oxidation

Drying Oil An oil which possesses to a marked degree the

property of readily taking up oxygen from the
air and changing to a relatively hard, tough,
elastic substance when exposed in a thin film to
the air

Dry film Thickness (DFT) The thickness of a coating after all the solvent
has evaporated and the coating has cured

Ester An often fragrant compound formed by the

reaction between an acid and an alcohol

Evaporate To convert from a liquid into vapor

Filler A composition used for filling fine cracks and

indentations to obtain a smooth finish prepara-
tory to painting

Flattening Agent A material added to paints, varnishes, etc. to

reduce the gloss of the film

Gloss The visual impression created by the reflecting

properties of a surface

Grinning Through The effect observed when a paint does not

totally obscure the underlying surface

Hardener A cross-linking agent used to cure a resin or

paint system

Hiding Power The ability of a paint to obliterate the color

difference of a substrate; opacity

Holidays Defects characterized by a film having areas of

insufficient thickness, even to the point where
parts of the surface may remain uncoated
Hydrolyzed To undergo a chemical process of decomposi-
tion involving splitting of a bond and addition of
the elements of water

Inhibitor A material used in small proportion to slow a

chemical reaction

Ketone An organic compound; some of the more famil-

iar ketone solvents are acetone and methyl ethyl
ketone

Kick Out Separation of constituents of a coating caused

by addition of incorrect solvent

Leveling The flowing out of a paint film after application

so as to produce a level surface

Litmus A chemical that turns red in acid solutions and

blue in alkaline solutions and is used as an acid
base indicator

Mastic A heavy-bodied, paste-like coating often applied

with a trowel to produce a thick, protective film

M Ohm 1,000,000 ohms

Non-Drying Oil An oil which does not of itself possess to a

perceptible degree the power to take up oxygen
from the air and lose its liquid characteristics

Non-Volatile Vehicle The total sum of the constituents of the liquid

phase of the paint, not readily vaporizable at a
relatively low temperature

Ohm The standard unit of electrical resistance

Opacity The ability of a paint to obliterate the color

difference of a substrate; hiding power

Orange Peel The pock-marked appearance of a sprayed film

due to its failure to flow out to a level surface

Overspray Sprayed paint which misses the surface to be

coated

Oxidation Combination of coating molecules with atmo-

spheric oxygen
pH A description of the degree to which a substance
is acid or alkaline; pH is expressed by means of
a scale of 0 to 14, with 7 representing neutrality

As shown on the scale below, numbers less than

7 indicate acidity; the lower the number, the
more acidic the substance

pH numbers greater than 7 indicate alkalinity;

the higher the number the more alkaline the
substance

Increasingly Increasingly
Acidic Alkaline

______________________________________

0 7 14

Pigment A substance, generally in fine powder form,

which is practically insoluble in media and
which is physically dispersed in the binder to
impart specific physical and chemical properties
(optical, protective, decorative, etc.)

Pinholes Minute holes in a dry film which form during

application and drying of paint

Plasticizer Chemical added, especially to rubbers and

resins, to impart flexibility, workability, or
stretchability

Polymer A chemical compound or mixture of compounds

formed by polymerization

Polymerization A chemical reaction in which two or more small

molecules combine to form larger molecules
that contain repeating structural units of the
original molecules

Primer The first coat of a painting system that helps

bind subsequent coats to the substrate and
which may inhibit its deterioration
Resin A natural or synthetic material used to bind
pigments together and to the substrate

Retarder A slow evaporating solvent used as a thinner to

slow down the speed of drying of a paint or
lacquer to improve the application properties or
produce a better film

Seeds Undesirable particles or granules other than

dues, found in a paint or varnish

Spreading Rate Refers to the area, in square feet, which can be

covered by one gallon of coating at a given Wet
Film Thickness (WFT)

Solvent A liquid, single or blended, which is volatile

under normal drying conditions and in which
the binder will dissolve completely

Streaking The formation of irregular lines or streaks of

various colors in a paint film caused by con-
tamination of insufficient or improper incorpo-
ration of colorant

Substrate The surface to which a coat of paint or varnish

is applied

Teardrops Drops of paint which collect on the bottom

edges of items painted by dipping

Thinner A volatile liquid, single or blended, added to

paint to facilitate application by lowering the
viscosity

Thixatropic The property of a paint whereby the consistency

is reduced on brushing or stirring by lowering
the viscosity

Too Thick Coatings Mil thickness is greater than specified; can

result in blisters or other failures

Too Thin Coatings Mil thickness less than specified; can result in
premature coating failure
Vehicle The total sum of the constituents of the liquid
phase of the paint

Wet Film Thickness (WFT) The thickness of a coating immediately after

application, before any solvent has evaporated