Suitable primer for painting aluminium?

Bob

Although zinc chromate primer is a hazardous substance that must be handled; stored and used under prescribed conditions, it is not carcinogenic to humans. This Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) dated 11/18/2013 is evidence of that. Please see page 1; the paragraph entitled "Carcinogenicity".

**LINK**

Cheers from an old retired occupational health and safety officer.

Bill

The HSE have a different view see **LINK**

That's a totally different type of primer.

2-pack self etching primer is the sort of primer that performs best on aluminium. The coating to which 'Bill' links does not contain zinc tetroxy chromate (ZTC) which is an essential ingredient and it is this which is the hazardous component.( That's excepting the corrosion hazard of the phosphoric acid contained in the activator component. These primers were developed by the military in WWII based on research which ended up in a formulation which has been in use ever since, but declining.

Follow this link **LINK** to see a short history of UK/NATO use.

Unfortunately the US MSDS to which 'Bill' refers is not to GHS but also does not provide the correct substance classification which must be used in the EU.

The European Chemicals Agency have published an assessment of ZTC which contains the following summary -

Substance Name: Pentazinc chromate octahydroxide

EC Number(s): 256-418-0

CAS Number(s): 49663-84-5

· The substance is identified as a substance meeting the criteria of Article 57 (a) of Regulation

(EC) 1907/2006 (REACH) owing to its classification as carcinogen 1A2 which corresponds to

classification as carcinogen category 13.

You can search for the article its in the public domain..

In Google search - Pentazinc chromate octahydroxide EC number - ECHA.

Jerry

When I rebuilt a Stuart Turner S9, I stripped the original chipped paint, and primed it with some Zinc Chromate based green coloured primer that I found buried under the *** (stores dept) in the workshop, don't know where it came from, but that with enamel paint on top, all brushed, and rubbed down between coats looks good, and doesn't fall off. This is on cast iron, not aluminium, but it does work well on aluminium.

Ian S C

Just found out about these wipes **LINK** on another forum and thought I'd share.