John Leeke, Preservation Consultant wrote:	

 >> Please tell us more about Tnemec paint. I'll be supervising the
 >> painting of some exteior cast iron blauster this season.

Hi John,

When you use Tnemec, or probably any two part coating system, your 
people will REALLY have to pay attention to the MSDS sheets and you will 
need to insist on them wearing respirators with chemical cartridges, 
even if the work is being done outdoors. This is not "paint" in the 
regular sense of the word even though it is "painted" on, and workers 
have to educate themselves about the stuff.

We painted lintels in a large courtyard on a sunny windy day, and the 
vapors, which seem to be heavier than air, sickened people inside the 
building. The next day we moved to the rooftop to avoid this problem and 
still had reports of people inside the building complaining of the smell.

Also, your people will need to wear gloves, and eye protection. Clean up 
is with MEK (Xylol) if I remember correctly and that stuff's not a walk 
in the park either although people widely disregard its hazards.

The only other thing I would have to say is to put the Tnemec on in 
thinner, rather than thicker coats even though it cures rather than 
dries. On a lintel, you want self-levelling with the pits filled in, but 
on an ornamental piece like a gate or balustrade, it is easy to lose 
detail with it.

~deb "mom" bledsoe

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