QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FIRM A+
✔✔Where can an inspector find the procedure for mixing a specified coating? -
✔✔Product data sheet (PDS).
✔✔What is a product data sheet (PDS)? - ✔✔Document from manufacturers with
valuable product information.
✔✔What information does a safety data sheet (SDS) provide? - ✔✔Chemical hazards
and safety precautions.
✔✔What does a specification document tell the contractor? - ✔✔What and where to do,
not how to do it.
✔✔What is a standard? - ✔✔Formal document providing guidance for technical
procedures.
✔✔What is an Inspection Test Plan (ITP)? - ✔✔Quality control tool for ensuring
specified requirements are met.
✔✔What is surface temperature? - ✔✔Temperature of the surface being coated.
✔✔How does temperature affect solvents? - ✔✔Affects evaporation time and curing
rates, leading to defects.
✔✔What is the minimum and maximum surface temperature for coating? -
✔✔Minimum: 40°F (5°C), Maximum: 125°F (40°C).
✔✔What should be the substrate temperature for coating application? - ✔✔At least 3°C
or 5°F above the dew point temperature.
✔✔What are the effects of high air temperature? - ✔✔Shorter pot life, shorter induction
time, and lower viscosity.
✔✔What are the effects of high air temperature? - ✔✔Longer cure time, reduced re-coat
window, potential re-rusting, and wrinkling of the coating.
✔✔What are the effects of low air temperature? - ✔✔Longer pot life, longer induction
time, and higher viscosity.
✔✔What are the effects of low air temperature? - ✔✔Amine blush (bloom) and adhesion
issues.
,✔✔What is Relative Humidity (RH)? - ✔✔Amount of water vapor in the air compared to
maximum.
✔✔What is Saturation? - ✔✔When air contains maximum moisture and condensation
forms.
✔✔How does high RH affect coating application? - ✔✔Causes solvent entrapment and
blistering.
✔✔What is the recommended RH to prevent moisture on the surface? - ✔✔Below 85%.
✔✔What is the recommended RH to prevent corrosion? - ✔✔Below 40%.
✔✔What does RH stand for? - ✔✔Relative Humidity
✔✔How is Relative Humidity calculated? - ✔✔(amount of water vapor/maximum amount
of water vapor air can hold) x 100
✔✔What is dew point? - ✔✔Temperature at which air becomes saturated with water.
✔✔How does moisture affect the curing process? - ✔✔It can interfere with the curing
process.
✔✔What is the difference between Dew Point and Surface Temperature represented
by? - ✔✔The Greek letter, Delta.
✔✔What is flash rusting? - ✔✔Rusting caused by high humidity or low surface
temperatures.
✔✔How does high air temperature affect mixing and thinning paint? - ✔✔It reduces
induction time, pot life, and re-coat window.
✔✔What is dry spray? - ✔✔When coating dries too quickly during spraying.
✔✔What are the causes of dry spray? - ✔✔Rapid solvent evaporation, high air
pressure, or wind.
✔✔How does low surface temperature affect curing? - ✔✔It slows down curing and
affects the re-coat window.
✔✔What happens when the RH is too high during curing? - ✔✔It causes slow
evaporation of solvents.
✔✔What is surface profile? - ✔✔Maximum peak and valley depth on a surface.
,✔✔What is surface profile also referred to as? - ✔✔Anchor profile.
✔✔Why is it nearly impossible to determine the surface profile once the primer is
applied? - ✔✔The primer covers the surface profile.
✔✔What is SSPC-SP 16? - ✔✔Brush-off Blast Cleaning of Coated and Uncoated
Galvanized Steel, Stainless Steels, and Non-ferrous Metals.
✔✔What is SSPC-SP 17? - ✔✔Thorough Abrasive Blast Cleaning of Non-Ferrous
Metals or Stainless Steel.
✔✔What is an advantage of using grit abrasive for blasting? - ✔✔Simultaneous creation
of angular surface profile suitable for adhesion.
✔✔What is ASTM D6386? - ✔✔Standard Practice for Preparation of Zinc Coated Iron
and Steel Product and Hardware Surfaces for Painting.
✔✔Why do oil-based coatings perform poorly on galvanized or zinc-coated surfaces? -
✔✔Due to a reaction called saponification.
✔✔What is saponification? - ✔✔A formation of soap that causes degradation of the oil-
based binder and loss of coating adhesion.
✔✔What are some examples of oil-based coatings? - ✔✔Alkyds or epoxy esters.
✔✔What is ASTM D1730? - ✔✔Standard Practices for Preparation of Aluminum-Alloy
Surfaces for Painting.
✔✔What is ASTM D1730 Type A? - ✔✔Solvent Cleaning.
✔✔What is ASTM D1730 Type B? - ✔✔Chemical Treatment.
✔✔What is ASTM D1730 Type C? - ✔✔Anodic Treatment.
✔✔What is ASTM D1730 Type D? - ✔✔Mechanical Treatment.
✔✔What is passivation? - ✔✔Metal becoming passive, less susceptible to corrosion.
✔✔What is a passivator? - ✔✔Corrosion inhibitor that reduces corrosion rate of metal.
✔✔What is ISO 8501-1? - ✔✔Pictorial standard combining hand/power tool cleaning
and abrasive blasting.
, ✔✔What is SSPC-VIS 3? - ✔✔Power and Hand Tool Cleaning.
✔✔What does SSPC-VIS 3 align with? - ✔✔SSPC-SP2, SP3, SP11, and SP15.
✔✔What is SSPC-VIS 1? - ✔✔Dry Abrasive Blasting.
✔✔What does SSPC-VIS 1 align with? - ✔✔NACE No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4, and No.8.
✔✔What is SSPC-VIS 4/NACE VIS 7? - ✔✔Water Jetting.
✔✔What is SSPC-VIS 5/NACE VIS 9? - ✔✔Wet Abrasive Blasting.
✔✔What is SSPC-VIS 1 and VIS 3? - ✔✔Standards for visual assessment of surface
cleanliness.
✔✔What is the description for Grade A in SSPC-VIS 1 and VIS 3? - ✔✔Steel
completely covered with adherent mill scale; little to no rust.
✔✔What is the description for Grade B in SSPC-VIS 1 and VIS 3? - ✔✔Steel covered
with both mill scale and rust.
✔✔What is the description for Grade C in SSPC-VIS 1 and VIS 3? - ✔✔Steel
completely covered with rust; little to no pitting.
✔✔What is the description for Grade D in SSPC-VIS 1 and VIS 3? - ✔✔Steel
completely covered with rust; pitting visible.
✔✔What is the description for Grade A in ISO 8501-1? - ✔✔Steel surface largely
covered with adherent mill scale; little if any rust.
✔✔What is the description for Grade B in ISO 8501-1? - ✔✔Steel surface which has
begun to rust and from will scale has begun to flake.
✔✔What is the description for Grade C in ISO 8501-1? - ✔✔Steel surface on which the
mill scale has rusted away or from which it can be scraped but with slight pitting visible
under normal vision.
✔✔What is the description for Grade D in ISO 8501-1? - ✔✔Steel surface on which the
mill scale has rusted away on which general is pitting visible under normal vision.
✔✔What is SSPC-Guide 12? - ✔✔Guide for Illumination of Industrial Painting Product.