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Classification | Paint |
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Uses | Graffiti |
Inventor | Erik Rotheim |
Spray paint (formally aerosol paint) is paint that comes in a sealed, pressurized container and is released in an aerosol spray when a valve button is depressed. The propellant is what the container of pressurized gas is called. When the pressure holding the gas is released through the valve, the aerosol paint releases as a fine spray. [1] Aerosol painting is one form of spray painting; it leaves a smooth, even coat, unlike many traditional rolled and brushed paints. Aerosol primer can be applied directly to bare metal and many plastics.
Most aerosol paints also have a metal, marble, glass or plastic ball called a pea inside of the can, which is used to mix the paint when the can is shaken.
Aerosol propellants consist of flammable gas combinations that can lead to fire and explosions if they are sprayed, punctured, or exposed to flames. [2]
Aerosol paint needs different types of plastic-like polymers to make it work. The most commonly used are alkyds and acrylics. Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) is another substitute for acrylics. Different companies will use specific mixes of polymers and plasticizers (like dibutyl phthalate and dibutyl meleate) to make the spray paint flexible and durable. [3]
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In 1926, Norwegian engineer Erik Rotheim applied for the first patent for an aerosol can that could hold products and dispense them with the use of propellants. By 1931, Rotheim was recognized for his invention and considered a pioneer in this field. [4]
In the 1940s, the paint industry took another step forward with the invention of the aerosol can. Originally developed by the military as a tool to dispense insecticide, aerosol systems were quickly adapted to other product categories including spray paint. In 1948, the Chase Company in Chicago became one of three businesses licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture to make aerosol mosquito repellents. Using similar technology and equipment, a few years later they became the first commercial producers of spray paint. In 1949, Edward H. Seymour, of Sycamore, Illinois, [5] added paint to existing spray can technology at his wife Bonnie's suggestion. It was initially designed to demonstrate an aluminum paint he developed. [6] His patent was awarded in 1951. [7] Spray paint has been used in modern graffiti since its origins, originating with TAKI 183's marker tagging, and expanding into spray paint. [8]
Acrylic-based craft primers and vinyl dye can be used on plastics like models or miniatures.
Most brands include a wide variety of paints, including primers, heat, and traffic resistant enamels, gloss and matte finishes, metallic colors, and textured paints for home decor.
Aerosol paint is useful for quick, semi-permanent marking on construction and surveying sites. Inverted cans for street, utility or field marking can be used upside-down with an extension pole. APWA (American Public Works Association) has standardized colors for utility and excavation markings. Hiking trails can also be marked with aerosol paint trail blazes.
Small to medium-sized repairs to automobile bodywork can be completed by enthusiasts at home using aerosol paint, though to paint an entire vehicle in this manner would be difficult and expensive. The main disadvantages, compared to a professional spray gun, include the limited quality provided by the built-in nozzle and the lack of infrared baking after applying the paint, which indicates that the paint could take several months to obtain its final hardness.
Spray paint is a popular medium among graffiti artists due to its portability, permanence, and speed. The product's presence in the United States goes back to 1949, when it was designed with the purpose of painting radiators with aluminum paint. [6]
Speed, portability, and permanence make aerosol paint a common graffiti medium. In the late 1970s, street graffiti writers' signatures and murals became more elaborate and a unique style developed as a factor of the aerosol medium and the speed required for illicit work. Many now recognize graffiti and street art as a unique art form and specifically manufactured aerosol paints are made for the graffiti artist.
Graffiti artist paints tend to be more expensive, but have a wider selection of rich colors, are thicker and less likely to drip. They are produced in standard high-pressure cans for fast, thick coverage and lower pressure cans for more control and flexibility. Most art brand paints have two or three mixing peas in a can. A wide array of actuators or caps are available, from standard "skinny" caps to wider "fat" caps, as well as caps that control the softness or crispness of the spray. Calligraphy caps create fan spray instead of the standard round.
When aerosol paint is used, a stencil can keep the paint constrained to one area. This protects the masked area from being covered in unwanted paint. Stencils can be purchased as movable letters, ordered as professionally cut logos, or hand-cut by artists.
Stencils can be used multiple times for recognition and consistency. Official stencils can be used to quickly and clearly label objects, vehicles or locations. Graffiti writers can use stencils to quickly mark in busy places or leave recognizable tags over a large area. Stencil artists often use multiple colors, or create elaborate stencils that are works of art in themselves.
When aerosol paints are dispersed into the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds and other pollutants may contribute to air pollution. Dangerous ingredients including formaldehyde, benzene, and lead are also included in aerosol paints. If these compounds are released or disposed of improperly, soil and water sources can become contaminated, endangering species and ecosystems.
Aerosol paint is not recyclable and should be emptied before discarding as they can explode risking harm to sanitation workers and pollution. This can be accomplished by fully emptying the can or with official waste management locations. [9]
A major challenge that the aerosol spray paint industry faces includes environmental regulations meant to control VOC emissions and global warming, legal issues regarding safety labeling, and continued product abuse by graffiti artists. [10]
Unauthorized graffiti is considered to be vandalism in most jurisdictions mainly because the work or display is done without permission of the property owner. The term "aerosol art" is commonly used for displaying art form "with" permission of the property owner. The UK and many cities in the United States prohibit the sale of aerosol paint to minors as part of graffiti abatement programs. [11] While major industrial and consumer aerosol paint companies like Krylon and Rust-Oleum actively participate in anti-graffiti programs, art-brand companies are often supportive of writers and graffiti culture, though most do not endorse illegal writing.
Graffiti is removed through four main methods. The first is pulsed laser cleaning (PLC). Some common methods include using pressurized water or chemical treatments. Another method is covering up the graffiti with a coat of paint, though this is not an ideal method since it causes heavy paint build-up and leaves an obvious patch of paint that draws the eye. When removing paint, the following factors need to be taken into account: pigment (what material(s) make up the color and opacity), binder (what holds the paint together), and solvents and additives.
Aerosol spray is one of many inhalants that may be abused by individuals. Abused inhalants generally fall into four categories, including volatile solvents, aerosols, gases, and nitrates. Those who abuse inhalants are at risk for heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and damage to the optic nerve. Some individuals experience heart failure, kidney failure, or liver failure. [12] Death may also be caused by asphyxiation, which occurs when the inhaled substance displaces oxygen in the lungs. Spray painting has been associated with respiratory symptoms and lung function changes in exposed workers. [13] Other dangers when using aerosol paint as an inhalant includes respiratory, eye, and nasal irritation. This can lead to illnesses that damage the lungs such as bronchitis and pulmonary edema. [12] Indicators of inhalant abuse include paint stains on the individual, chemical orders, appear disoriented, have nausea, lack of appetite, and slurred speech.
Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water, or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor, a gouache, or an oil painting, or it may have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.
Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. They are inhaled at room temperature through volatilization or from a pressurized container, and do not include drugs that are sniffed after burning or heating.
Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based, and each has distinct characteristics.
A propellant is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the engine that expels the propellant is called a reaction engine. Although technically a propellant is the reaction mass used to create thrust, the term "propellant" is often used to describe a substance which contains both the reaction mass and the fuel that holds the energy used to accelerate the reaction mass. For example, the term "propellant" is often used in chemical rocket design to describe a combined fuel/propellant, although the propellants should not be confused with the fuel that is used by an engine to produce the energy that expels the propellant. Even though the byproducts of substances used as fuel are also often used as a reaction mass to create the thrust, such as with a chemical rocket engine, propellant and fuel are two distinct concepts.
Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object. The holes allow the pigment to reach only some parts of the surface creating the design. The stencil is both the resulting image or pattern and the intermediate object; the context in which stencil is used makes clear which meaning is intended. In practice, the (object) stencil is usually a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, wood or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material.
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint, but also ink, dye, and foundation. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is considered to employ a type of airbrush.
Spray painting is a painting technique in which a device sprays coating material through the air onto a surface. The most common types employ compressed gas—usually air—to atomize and direct the paint particles.
Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. It comprises a can or bottle that contains a payload, and a propellant under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the payload is forced out of a small opening and emerges as an aerosol or mist.
Air fresheners are products designed to reduce unwanted odors in indoor spaces, or to introduce pleasant fragrances, or both. They typically emit fragrance to mask odors but may use other methods of action such as absorbing, bonding to, or chemically altering compounds in the air that produce smells, killing organisms that produce smells, or disrupting the sense of smell to reduce perception of unpleasant smells.
A gas duster, also known as tinned wind, compressed air, or canned air, is a product used for cleaning or dusting electronic equipment and other sensitive devices that cannot be cleaned using water.
Dust-Off is a brand of dust cleaner. The product usually contains difluoroethane; although some use tetrafluoroethane and tetrafluoropropene as a propellant. It is used to blow particles and dust from computer, keyboards, photography equipment, and electronics, as well as many every day household items including windows, blinds, and collectibles. Dust-Off is manufactured by Falcon Safety Products located in Branchburg, NJ.
Stencil graffiti is a form of graffiti that makes use of stencils made out of paper, cardboard, or other media to create an image or text that is easily reproducible. The desired design is cut out of the selected medium and then the image is transferred to a surface through the use of spray paint or roll-on paint.
A number of words and phrases that have come to describe different styles and aspects of graffiti and its subculture. Like other jargon and colloquialisms, some of these terms may vary regionally, taking on different meanings across different cities and countries. The following terminology originates primarily in the United States.
Acrylic painting techniques are different styles of manipulating and working with polymer-based acrylic paints. Acrylics differ from oil paints in that they have shorter drying times and are soluble in water. Since this type of paint dries quickly you will need to work somewhat quickly if you do not want your paint to dry out. There are benefits to adding water before it dries out completely because you can reactivate the paint. These types of paint eliminate the need for turpentine and gesso, and can be applied directly onto canvas. Although they do not need gesso it can be beneficial to give your canvas a few coats of gesso to improve the life of the painting and have a smoother surface to work with. Having various paint brushes and a multi color palette is helpful in finding a technique that works for you. Aside from painting with concentrated color paints, acrylics can also be watered down to a consistency that can be poured or used for glazes.
Painting is a visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface. The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, may be used. One who produces paintings is called a painter.
Erik Andreas Rotheim was a Norwegian professional chemical engineer and inventor. He is best known for invention of the first aerosol spray can and valve that could hold and dispense fluids.
Royal Talens is a Dutch company located in Apeldoorn that specializes in art materials. The company produces and markets its own products, apart from commercializing other licensed brands, such as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Bruynzeel. Products commercialised include acrylic paints, oil paints, watercolor paintings, brushes, markers, inks, pastels, pencils, pens, gouache, canvas, papers.
An aerosol frostbite of the skin is an injury to the body caused by the pressurized gas within an aerosol spray cooling quickly, with the sudden drop in temperature sufficient to cause frostbite to the applied area. Medical studies have noted an increase of this practice, known as "frosting", in pediatric and teenage patients.
The conservation and restoration of paintings is carried out by professional painting conservators. Paintings cover a wide range of various mediums, materials, and their supports. Painting types include fine art to decorative and functional objects spanning from acrylics, frescoes, and oil paint on various surfaces, egg tempera on panels and canvas, lacquer painting, water color and more. Knowing the materials of any given painting and its support allows for the proper restoration and conservation practices. All components of a painting will react to its environment differently, and impact the artwork as a whole. These material components along with collections care will determine the longevity of a painting. The first steps to conservation and restoration is preventive conservation followed by active restoration with the artist's intent in mind.