New EPA rules

[Restorer32]

Went to an EPA seminar the other night. Effective January of 2011 there are a raft of new rules which body shops must follow. All professional automotive painting operations must be registered with the EPA. All painters must be "certified" every 5 years. All paint guns must be HVLP or equivalent and must also be "certified". The new rules on volatile organic compounds will effectively mandate water born base coats. Many other rules involve record keeping and paint booth and gun maintenance but one in particular affects the hobbyist. Effective January 2011 the home "restorer" can paint a maximum of 2 vehicles per year. No vehicles or parts can be painted by the home restorer for financial remuneration. All vehicle and parts painted professionally must be painted in a paint booth with 98% efficient discharge filters. Hobbyists do not need a booth and are exempt from all but the 2 per year rule. How will they track how much paint work the hobbyist does at home you ask? Paint suppliers must keep records of who buys auto paints, primers etc. and how much. These are Federal laws folks. Individual states can mandate more restrictive rules but must at least enforce the Federal EPA's rules. Big brother will be watching even closer.

[msmazcol]

Doesn't the EPA have many of these rules in place already? I watched the guys cleaning out spray guns one day at a nearby shop. They sprayed the thinner into a funnel going into a 55 gal barrel. I asked why? Just what you had mentioned. A certain amount of "spoiled" thinner had to be accounted for as proof of compliance. HVLP guns are S.O.P. of most of the best painters nearby.

As far as the hobby restorers and painting, if you read any of the material data sheets on this stuff you may as well shoot your self on the spot. The days of filling the garage with overspray and opening the door for a minute with the box fan running should be gone.

Our last "hobby" restoration of my Willys fire engine was our first ever painted in a spray booth. I'm not sorry we went that route at all.

For the record I've been watching Big Brother at work for awhile now too.

My buddies think I'm a head case when I get on my soap box. WE'LL SEE!

[Restorer32]

The new rules prohibit spraying thinner thru the gun as a final cleaning effort. Also NO paint, primer, sealer etc can ever be sprayed out in the shop. The EPA also has a bug up its butt about even small amounts of MEK (paint remover). We must now track every bit of paint remover we use and maintain those records for 5 years.

[msmazcol]

I'm beginning to believe that the paper work is all that really counts anymore.

I spent a portion of my day filling out paperwork and complying to a DOT physical. I've been required to keep it current as it is one of the first things Johnny Law asks for when they pull me down as I go about my day doing my job. This year especially the questions get more detailed all the time. I do believe it will get to the point that most of the guys I know won't be able to comply, after all we are the healthiest bunch around spending our entire day on our butts behind the wheel.

The tougher regs will have worked out great. No one will be able to drive a commercial rig any longer.

That won't be an issue right? Nobody likes the trucks anyway right?

OK I'm off my soap box.

[joe_padavano]

The question I have is how do these rules apply to, for example, the farmer who must repaint his farm equipment. I can still buy lacquer paint in quarts for my John Deere, for example.

[joe_padavano]

By the way, if you can't get around the two cars per year rule, you really aren't trying. How do they know how much paint is required to paint your car? Frame, body, door jambs, underside of trunk... it could be gallons! So what if you want to paint the "front" of your car with one color and the "back" with another?

Besides, I don't know about you, but I have LOTS of friends and relatives who can buy paint for me.

Frankly, I'd be thrilled if I could actually get two cars ready for paint in a single year.

Finally, don't knock the waterborne paints. The technology has come a looooong way in the last ten years.

[Restorer32]

We are just now tooling up to spray water born, which is actually a misnomer. The products still contain a reasonable percentage of solvent. Those who have used it have had no real problems. Air flow thru the paint booth is critical and it requires a dedicated gun with the proper nozzle. According to the rules as explained to us even the farmer would be prohibited from spraying more than 2 vehicles/year. Aerosol cans are exempt as are any spray guns holding 3 ounces or less of paint.

[msmazcol]

So when we painted my buddies 62 Buick Special with a case of rattle can green we were in compliance. It was back in the seventies though before we got so cracked up about ozone and all.

Thank God!