Coatings in the Andes.

This month's Coatings Clinic is quite a change from my usual articles. In September 2007, I made a trip to the Andean countries of South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador) as a semi-official representative of the FSCT. During my trip, I gave several full-day and evening presentations on "Paint Failures." I combined all of this with a few days of tourism in Ecuador. My presentation was made up of a series of lectures on coatings defects on application and in the field, the means for preventing such defects, techniques for investigating them (including a detailed discussion of light microscopy), rheology, testing for prevention, and case studies of coating failures. In Ecuador, I also gave separate presentations on surface preparation and other problem prevention strategies for a local paint company.

Colin Penny, the FSCT Director of International Affairs, had indicated my availability and possible lecture subjects at a meeting of paint organizations in Santiago, Chile, in January 2007. STAR of Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru and ASETER of Ecuador expressed interest and agreed that they wanted me to talk about paint failures. After many emails and phone calls, details were worked out and a schedule was arranged. Flight and hotel reservations and airport pickup arrangements were made for me (all of which worked perfectly). Everywhere, I was met by kindness and wonderful hospitality. My English presentations were translated instantaneously and broadcast to earphones worn by most of the attendees. However, some people did not need the translation. Many excellent questions were asked. It became clear that people had all of the same problems that we experience in North America--craters, popping, sagging, adhesion failures, insufficient cure, corrosion, etc. I was impressed with the paint knowledge of the attendees, the depth of their questions, and the difficulty of their problems.

My first lecture tour stop was Valencia, Venezuela, an industrial city of about one million people, which is set in attractive hill country not far from the coast and Caracas. Valencia is the Detroit of Venezuela with several auto plants and a number of paint companies. Attendance was exactly one hundred. The lectures went well and there were a number of good questions, particularly on automotive coatings and architectural paints.

My next stop was Bogota, Colombia, a very large and interesting city of about seven million with mountains all around. You do not see the highest Andes from there, but with the city at 8,500 feet, the mountains above it are pretty high by U.S. standards. Bogota is the capital of Colombia and a center for all kinds of manufacturing, including several auto plants. Many paint products are manufactured, although the market for exterior architectural paints in Bogota itself must be miniscule. During sightseeing with my hosts, I was surprised to see that nearly every building was made of brick, including many very tall ones. My presentation was well attended and there were many, many excellent questions, particularly on automotive original coatings, but also on auto refinish and industrial coatings.

Lima, Peru, is another very large city (eight million people). I found that its reputation for good food is well-deserved. I was greeted by an earthquake my first morning there, but it was only six on the Richter scale. Again, there was warm hospitality, an excellent turn-out for my presentation, and a number of good questions. After some touring in Ecuador, I went back to work, giving a one-evening short version of the presentation in Quito, the capital which has about two million inhabitants. It is at 9,400 feet and there are two magnificent 20,000 foot snow-capped volcanoes nearby. The old town of Quito is magnificent with many beautiful colonial era buildings. I ended my trip in Guayaquil, an attractive port city on a river near the coast, with the presentation broken into two evenings. In both cities, the main interest was architectural paints. It was a very enjoyable and satisfying trip. I thank Colin Penny for all of his hard work in arranging it and I hope that other FSCT members will consider making similar speaking tours in the Andean countries in the future. The people there know a lot about paint, but they could use more how-to-do-it, how-to-test-it, and how-to-fix-it information and guidance.

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"Coatings Clinic" is intended to provide a better understanding of the many defects and failures that affect the appearance and performance of coatings. We invite you to send your questions, comments, experiences, and/or photos of coatings defects to Cliff Schoff, c/o "Coatings Clinic," CoatingsTech, 492 Norristown Rd., Blue Bell, PA 19422; or email [e-mail].

By Clifford K. Schoff

Schoff Associates