ASTM at work on new proposed standards.

ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, has announced that three subcommittees of its Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications are currently working on proposed new standards. All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of the proposed standards.

Subcommittee D01.42 on Architectural Coatings has developed a proposed new standard called WK3931--Practice for Evaluating Accelerated Efflorescence of Latex Coatings. According to ASTM, the practice was proposed because there is no ASTM standard that covers the subject, although there are many in-house methods for evaluating latex coating efflorescence. Daniel Marschall of Marschall Labs, Clearwater, FL, explained that the practical applications of the proposed standard are the evaluation of sealers, primers, or topcoats for efflorescence resistance in an accelerated environment. "Without the accelerated tests, you would have to depend on exterior exposure testing, which can take several months for efflorescence to appear. This practice can produce results in four days," said Mr. Marschall. For additional technical information on WK3931, contact Mr. Marschall at 727.443.2771 or [e-mail].

Subcommittee D01.61 on Paint Application Tools is working on proposed new standard WK4496--Practice for Application and Evaluation of Brush and Roller Applied Architectural Paint Films. This proposed practice describes procedures for the application of brush- and/or roller-applied architectural paint films for evaluating application properties. ASTM reports that it will replace Methods 2112 and 2141 of the cancelled Federal Test Method Standard 141. Thomas Sliva of DL Labs, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, said that the proposed new practice is based on a test that has been widely used by paint companies for decades. "It allows the client to get an evaluation of paint films using typical applicators, such as brushes and rollers, rather than laboratory drawdown applicators." For additional technical information regarding WK4496, contact Mr. Sliva at 718.383.5080 x11 or [e-mail].

The third proposed new standard, WK3049--Practice for Assessing the Concentration of Soluble Chlorides on Metallic Substrates, has been drafted by Subcommittee D01.46 on Industrial Protective Coatings. As reported by ASTM, this proposed standard covers field procedures for extracting and analyzing water-soluble chlorides from steel and other metallic substrates and for determining the surface chloride concentration. Procedures used for extracting the chloride include swabbing, adhesively bonded patch cell, and adhesively bonded sleeve and wetted filter paper. The procedures used for analyzing the chlorides include paper indicator strip, drop titration, ion detection tube, probe-type conductivity meter, and concentric ring conductivity meter. Further technical information on WK3049 can be obtained by contacting Dwight Weldon at Weldon Laboratories, Inc., Imperial, PA, at 724.695.2212 or [e-mail].

ASTM Committee D01 will meet January 23-26, 2005 in conjunction with Committee G03 on Weathering and Durability in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. For membership or meeting details, contact Tim Brooke, ASTM International, at 610.832.9729 or [e-mail].