Equipment needed in the application of TC Ceramic

Airless sprayer:
Recommended sprayer would be a Graco Bulldog 33:1 or 41:1, Graco electric 1095 or 1595, Graco Mark V, Mark X electric sprayer or the GM 5900, 7900 or 10000 gasoline powered units. Pump must be capable of pumping no less than 1.25 gallons (4.7 liters) per minute at 3000 psi. For Bulldog pumps, adjust the pressure to create 3000psi in the hose.

Tips:
Recommended tip size is a 5/21 reversible nozzle tip, depending on the surface to be coated. (Tips 4/19 to 7/27 can be used depending upon the application)

Spray gun:
Graco Contractor gun. Recommended is the Silver Plus with a 3/8inch (0.95cm) hose swivel. NOTE: Remove all filters in the gun handle and pump pick up tube! For smaller jobs, a “homax Texture Spray gun can be used. This gun requires compressed air at 80-120 psi with a air tank of 20 gallons/75 liters. See: and "HOMAX" PRO HOPPER FOR TEXTURE or GTX HOPPER FROM Graco (Graco texture machine) Hose: 50 feet (15 meters) of 3/8 inch (9.5mm) hose. Never use a 1⁄4 inch (6.35mm) hose, from the pump to the spray gun, Always use a 3/8 inch (9.5mm) inch hose or larger. When the distance from the pump to the point of applications exceeds 100 feet (30 meters), the first 2 sections of 50 foot (15meter) hose needs to be 1⁄2 inch (1.3cm), then stepped down to 3/8 inch (9.5mm) hose for no more than 2 sections of 15 meters each. Keep in mind, the longer the hose and then higher the elevation from the pump to the spray gun, the greater the problems. In this case a 1⁄2” (1.3cm) hose may be required. If possible, have the sprayer at the height as the spray gun.

Mixing equipment:
1⁄2 inch (1.3cm), 5 amps or more, variable speed electric drill with “mud paddle”.

Cleanup:
Access to water and water based solvents or paint solvent.

Surface Preparation
1. Clean the surface with a pressure washer, leaving the substrate free of solvents, grease, dirt, rust or dust.

2. If the surface has been cleaned with a solvent, make sure that all solvent oils and protective compounds have been removed from the surface.

3. Once cleaned, make sure the surface to be coated is completely dry.

4. Although primer is not required for most surfaces, if rust or other conditions persist after cleaning we would recommend a high temperature inorganic zinc primer that can withstand the temperature of the surface to be coated.

Product Preparation
1. For ease of mixing and storing, TC Ceramic is packaged in five gallon (19 liter) hard plastic pails. TC Ceramic is ready to use as packaged. No additives or product combination is required.

2. TC Ceramic is best mixed using a standard “Mud” paddle (normally used to mix light plaster materials or dry wall compound) powered by a 1⁄2 inch (1.25 cm) electric variable speed drill, 5 amps or more. Do not exceed 300 RPM. When properly mixed, TC Ceramic will have a smooth creamy texture with no lumps or foreign matter. TC Ceramic is not a paint. It is an insulating coating. Do not use TC Ceramic with high speeds with the mud paddle trying to make it look like ordinary paint. High speed mixing can break the microscopic beads.

Application Parameters
The temperature parameters for TC Ceramic allow the product to be applied, in most cases, without disruption of service or having to shut down a hot surface. The application temperature range is 45°F to 300°F (7.2°C to 150°C). If a hotter surface needs to be coated, contact Universal Flexible Energy for additional instructions. TC Ceramic must be applied in successive thin coats and each coat must be allowed to dry completely prior to the application of the next coat. One “coat” is approximately 15 mils (15/1000 of an inch or 0.375mm) which is approximately two to three passes with the spray gun. One Gallon of TC Ceramic will cover approximately 50-60 square feet (4.65 to 5.58 square meters) at a thickness of 15 mils 0.375mm) to 18 (0.5mm). To calculate an uneven surface such as uneven metals or corrugated metal surfaces, 25% of product in the calculation of the amount of product to be used.

Mixing Procedures and Application Instructions
1. Remove the top from a five gallon (19 liter) pail.

2. Install mud paddle in heavy duty 1⁄2 inch (1.3cm) variable speed electric 5 amp drill.

3. If necessary, push the mud paddle through the top crust repeatedly, changing angles of the paddle to break up the crust, before mixing. Push the paddle down to bucket bottom and pull up and down until the mixture is semi-blended.

4. Hold the sides of the pail with feet and knees to prevent it from spilling.

5. Mix slowly, until the TC ceramic is the consistency of marshmallow cream, or thick pudding. Never use high speeds. Do not exceed 300rpm.

6. Remove all screens and filters from the sprayer feed tube and remove the filters in the gun and in the sprayer. Filters will interfere and plug up sprayer and gun.

7. Prime the sprayer using a bucket of clean water. With the pump running, and the spray gun spraying water, switch the feed pipe on the sprayer from the water to the TC Ceramic feed bucket. When all of the water has been expelled through the spray gun, the pump will sound noticeably different and TC ceramic will begin to flow. Continue spraying for about 30 seconds to get all of the water out.

Tips and Techniques
1. Make smooth, overlapping passes over the same area, using a steady uniform motion.

2. Two or three passes with the spray gun, depending on the power, will generally be about a 15 mil (15/1000 inch) (0.4mm) coating. It is okay to have slight holidays, or to see lightly covered metal through the product.

3. If the spray gun plugs up, rotate the Reverse-A-Clean tip and spray into a spare bucket. Rotate the tip back into position and resume spraying. Keep a spare tip with you, and if one will not unplug, exchange for a clean one. Soak the plugged up tip in water and clean out.

4. On hot surfaces (hot pipes and valves over 200F/93C) apply one two misting coats. Stand farther from the substrate, and allow to each coat to cure completely to avoid moisture bubbles. If moisture bubbles appear, scrape the bubble off with a putty knife and re-mist. On the next coat, move a little closer, use same technique. The substrate should reduce in temperature with each coat. It is best to coat a hot surface at 150F/65C and let each coat cure. Once the coating in total is complete, let it cure for 24 hours at 150F/65C

5. If applying TC Ceramic to a substrate with the operating temperatures between 40F/5C and - 40F/-40C, the surface and ambient air must be warm enough to cure TC Ceramic (60F/16C or warmer.) Each coat must be allowed to cure 24 hours or longer with as much air flow and heat as possible. If the substrate can be brought up to 150F/65C, let it operate at that temperature for several hours, then bring it back down to ambient. Once you have attained ambient temperature, lower the temperature of the substrate to 35F/2C for several hours. Reduce the temperature again to 28F/-2C for several hours. At this point you can drop the temperature 10 degrees at a time for several hours until the operational temperature of the substrate is reached.

6. Let each coat cure completely. While normal dry time is 24 hours per coat, ambient conditions can affect this time. Humidity or cold weather can increase dry time, while good air flow and higher heat can speed up curing of the product. When coating a surface at ambient temperatures a system that will be operating at temperatures over 150F/65C, unit should be brought up to 150F/65C for a period of 12 to 24 hours prior to elevating to the actual operating temperature. The remaining moisture will cure. Without the slow increase in temperature, there is a good chance the moisture will be trapped, which will create moisture blisters or bubbles when it is increased to operating temperature.

7. Cleanup and care of the equipment is vital both during and after the application. Always keep a pail of water near the gun at all times. If there is a need to stop spraying for even a moment or two, place the gun inside the pail of water. This will keep the spray gun cool and will help keep product from curing inside the tip or the gun. If leaving the equipment unused or unattended for more than 10 minutes, follow the cleanup techniques listed below.

8. When spraying on a roof or during bright sunlight, the applicator must be wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes and sun screen on face, ears, arms and neck to protect from sun burn from sun reflection off of the roof surface.

Cleanup
When finished with the application, immediately cover all buckets with unused product still in them. Remove pump from the product bucket. Move pump to the water bucket. Run water through the pump until all product is out of the hose. Also run water through the primer valve. Clean the gun and tip with water. Run water based solvent through the pump and primer valve. Then run paint solvent through the pump and primer valve and leave some solvent or water in the pump until the next time the pump is used.