coating

2. Guide to Protective Coatings:
Inspection and Maintenance
Tom N. Bortak
United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Service Center
September 2002

3. Acknowledgments
Several Reclam ation em p loyees help ed
p rep are this gu id e, and th eir con tribu tion is
gr eatly ap p reciated . These p eop le ar e Ku rt F.
von Fay, materials engineer , w ho set up
fund ing and show ed great patience over the
w riting interval; D. Thom as (Tom ) John son,
m aterials engineer, for h is corr osion exp ertise
contribution; Gregory J. Myers and Richard A.
Pep in, m aterials engineering techn icians, for
their initial review in ferretin g ou t obv ious
error s; an d Robert Ro od , ed itor, for his
nu m erous “I d on't u nd erstand ” com m ents that
forced m e into w riting a clearer, m ore concise,
and u nd erstand able d ocu m ent.
A d ebt of gratitud e is expressed to N ACE
International, Society of Protective Coating s,
and University of M issou ri-Rolla, Coa tin g
Institute for prov id ing all the courses and
references that m ad e this guid e p ossible.

4. Preface
In recent years, coating techn ology has
chan ged d ra m atically. The d riv ing force
behind the change h as been regu lations
affecting the en vironm ent an d p ersonn el
health and safety. For exam p le, regu lations
related to du st particles from abrasive blasting,
volatile org an ic com p ou nd (VOC) em ission s,
and hazard ous m aterials su ch as lead,
chromate, and other heavy metals have
chan ged .
Before the late 1980s, coating m aterials w ere
m or e tolera nt of less th an op tim u m su rface
p rep aration con d itions becau se p aint
form u lation contained high VOC s to allow the
m ater ial to w et or p en etrate steel su rfaces. The
most successful were red lead p rimers and
vinyl resins; however, regulations have
d iscou raged th e u se of these m aterials. Paint
m an u factu rers reform u lated their coatings to
com p ly w ith new regu lation s. This has led to
th e d ev elop m en t of a w id e v ar iety of h igh -tech
coatin g m aterials th at are m u ch m or e sen sitive
to su rface prep aration and environm ental
ap p lication p ractices. The Fed eral H ighw ay
Ad m inistration has estim ated th at u p to 80
p ercent of all p rem atur e coating failu res on
brid ge stru ctu res ar e p artially or com p letely
caused by d eficient sur face p rep aration or
ap p lication p ractices. Several organizations
such as the Am erican Society for Testing an d
M aterials, N ACE Intern ational, and the
Society for Protective Co atings hav e issued
con sensu s stan d ar d s to m inim ize su rface
p rep ara tion and ap p lication ina d equ acies.
Th is gu id e is not intend ed to be all
encomp assing; rather, it is intend ed to be an
introdu ction to specific reference standard s
an d test p ro ced u res related to su rface
p reparation, app lication, testing, and
m aintenance of coatings. Exp lanations and
p roced u res of referen ce stand ard s cited w ith in
this gu id e are abbreviated to d evelop a
w orking basis. The user is encourag ed to read
reference standard s and coating m anu als for a
m or e thor ou gh u nd erstand ing. The g u id e
focu ses on new con stru ction coa tin gs, existing
infrastructure coating m aintenance, and
galvanized coatings of ferrou s substrates for
m etalw or k item s coated in th e field . In
general, this gu id e follow s the Bu reau of
Reclam ation’s (Reclam ation) coatin g gu id e
sp ecifications.

5. vii
Contents
Page
Chapte r I— In tro duction and Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. Standard s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Coating References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3. Term inology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4. Corrosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
5. Service Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter II—M aterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6. Com pon ents of Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
7. Coating Typ es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
8. Generic Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter III—Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9. Con stru ction Sp ecification Institu te . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10. Reclam ation C oating Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11. Coating Tabu lations an d Categor ies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
12. M an u factu rer's Prod u ct Data an d Ap p lication Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
13. Add endum s and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter IV—Inspector's Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
14. Prim ary Resp onsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
15. Daily Respo nsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
16. M aterial Ap p roval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
17. Docum entation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
18. Instru m en ts, Ga u ges, an d Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
19. Su bstrate Insp ection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
20. Coating Insp ection Ch ecklist Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
21. Precoatin g Con feren ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chap ter V—M aterial Storage, Containers, an d Shelf Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
22. Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
23. Containers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
24. Shelf Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter VI—Surface Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
25. Su rface Contam inan ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
26. Presurface Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
27. Abrasive Blast Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
28. N ozzle Blast Pressu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
29. Su rface Prep aration M ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
30. Photographic Inspection Standard s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
31. Alternative Su rface Prep aration M ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

6. viii
Page
Chapter VII—Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
32. Environm ental Factors Affecting Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter VIII—Ap plication and Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
33. Ap p lication Tem p erature an d H u m id ity Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
34. Coating Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
35. M ixin g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
36. Ap p lication M ethod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
37. Ap plication Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
38. Drying, Recoatin g, an d Cu ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter IX—Field Inspection and Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
39. Su rface Prep aration Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
40. W et Film Th ickn ess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
41. H ard ened Painted Su rfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
42. Destructive Test M ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter X—Maintenance Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
43. Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
44. Pu rp ose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
45. Risk Evalu ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
46. Insp ection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
47. Toxic-Based Paints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
48. W orker Pr otection from Toxic-Based Paints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
49. Lead Exposu re Levels by Remov al M ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
50. Corrective A ction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
51. Material Selection Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
52. Sched u ling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter XI—Galvanizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
53. Galvanizing M ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
54. Zinc Cor rosion an d Service Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
55. Zinc Chemical Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
56. Con tam inan ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
57. Su rface Prep aration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
58. Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapte r XII— Coating Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
59. M aterial Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
60. Form u lation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
61. Ad hesion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
62. Su bstrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
63. Ap p lication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
64. Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
65. Exterior Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

7. ix
Appendices
A Or gan izationa l Sou rces for Stand ard s and References
B Read ing Sources
C Insp ection Ch ecklist
D Referen ce Stand ard s Cited in Gu id e
E Inspection Equ ipm ent
F Exam p le of Insp ection Daily Ch eck Sheet
G Proced u re for Detecting M oistu re and Oil in Com p ressed Air (ASTM D 4285)
H Procedu re for Detecting C hlorid es and Solu ble Salts in A brasives by Con d u ctivity Method
I Proced u res for Detecting Ch lorid e Ion in W ater
J Procedu res for Determining Blast Cleaning Air Pressure
K Determ ination of Environm ental Factors
L Proced u res for Detecting Ch lorid e Salts on P rep ared or Existing Su rfaces
M Determ ining Su rface Profile of Blast-Clean ed Steel Using Rep lica Tap e
(N AC E RP0287 or ASTM D 4417, M ethod C)
N Proced u res for M easu ring W et Film Th ickness (A STM D 4414)
O W et Film Thickness Formu las and Exam p le Calcu lations
P Proced u res for Dry Film Th ickness Gau ges (SSPC-PA2) an d Exam p le
Q Proced u res for Discontin u ity (H olid ay) Testin g (N ACE RP 0188)
R Proced u re for M ech anical (P u lloff) A d hesion Testing (ASTM D 4541; An nex A2)
S Proced u re for H yd rau lic Ad hesion Testing (ASTM D 4541; An nex A3)
T Procedu re for Measuring Dry Film Thickness by Destructive Means With Tooke Gauge
(ASTM D 4138)
U Procedu res for SSPC-VIS 2 (2000 Revision)
V Procedu re to Determ ine the Presence of Soluble Lead and Insoluble Lead Ch rom ate in Coatings
W Procedu re to Determ ine the Presence of Chrom ate in Coatings
X Determ ination of Toxic M etals in H ard en ed Paint
Figures
Figure Page
1 Com pon ents of coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Tables
Table Page
1 N u m ber of spot m easu rem ents based on total coated sur face area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2 Typ ical and m axim u m lead exposu re levels in m icrogra m s per cubic meter
by rem oval m ethod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3 Galvanizing m ethod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4 Form ulation-related failures for organic coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5 Form ulation-related failures for inorganic coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6 Ad hesion-related failu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7 Su bstrate-related failu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8 Ap p lication-related failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
9 Design-related failu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
10 Failures related to exterior forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

8. 1
Chapter I
Introduction and Background
Protective or ind u strial coating s are th e
p rimary m eans em p loyed by the Bu reau of
Reclam ation (Reclam ation) to control
corrosion . H yd rau lic stru ctu res ar e typ ically
constructed w ith ferrous metals and are
sub ject to corrosion. Man y Reclam ation
structures are 50 years old , and some are
app roaching 100 years. These structures are
exp ected to continu e fun ction ing into th e
foreseeable futu re. Protective coatings
influen ce the life, safety , op erating efficien cy,
ap p earan ce, an d econo m y of these stru ctures.
A coa tin g's effectiven ess d ep en d s on selecting
coating m aterial that correctly m atches th e
intend ed service exp osu re for th e m eta lw ork.
In the p ast, coating m aterial selection w as
based on Fed eral, m ilitary, or Reclam ation
form u lations; how ever, nea rly all these
form ulations have been w ithd raw n. Tod ay,
selection is based on service exp osure type and
th e resu lts of accelerated p erfor m ance testin g
of com m ercially av ailable prod u cts.
1. Standards.—Form erly, Reclam ation
p rovid ed narra tive stand ard s and d efinitions
for specifying m aterials, surface pr ep aration,
app lication, and inspection. H ow ever,
Reclam ation now ad op ts ind u strial stand ard s,
w here ap p licable. The follow ing or gan izations
(see app end ix A for add resses, telep hon e
nu m bers, and w eb sites) are referenced
throu gh ou t this guid e:
• Am erican Society for Testing and
M aterials (ASTM ).
• N AC E Intern ational (form erly called
N ational Association of Corrosion
En gineers) (N ACE).
• Society for Protective Coatings
(form erly called Steel Stru ctures
Paintin g Cou ncil) (SSPC).
2. Coating References.—The coating
insp ector is not exp ected to h ave the exp ertise
of a coa tin g chem ical form u lator or a co atin g
engineer, bu t shou ld be reasonably fam iliar
w ith th e m aterials bein g ap p lied . This gu id e is
intend ed to p rov id ed th e m ost basic
back gro u nd on gen eric m aterial ty p es, su rface
p rep aration, app lication, and insp ection
m eth od s. The r ead er is encou rag ed to p u rsu e
related coatin g references listed in ap p end ix B.
3. Terminology.—The w ord “coating ” is a
gen eric term an d inclu d es “p aint.” In th e
m ost general term s, a “coating” is protection
against corrosion, wh ereas a “paint” m ay
hav e ad d itional prop erties su ch as color or
ultraviolet screening p igm ents. The terms
“coating ” an d “p aint” are u sed interchang e-
ably throu gh ou t this guid e.
Other ter m s often u sed together are “coatings”
an d “linings.” In g eneral, w hen d escribing the
interior su rfaces of p ipes or tan ks, the term
“linings” is u sed to iden tify the interior
su rfaces an d “coatings” is used to iden tify th e
exterior su rfaces.
4. Corrosion.—The p rimary reason for
coating steel is to preven t corrosion. Corrosion
of m etals is an electrochem ical reaction that
can be controlled by interfering w ith on e or
m or e of th e fou r req u ired elem en ts of a
corrosion cell: (1) an od e (corrod ing ar ea);
(2) cath od e (non corrod ing ar ea); (3) electrolyte
(w ater or m oisture in atm osph ere, im m ersion,
or soil); an d (4) metallic p ath (betw een tw o
d ifferent m eta ls or w ithin th e sam e m eta l).
Eliminate an y on e of the four requ ired
elem ents and the corrosion p rocess w ill stop.
The m ost com m on typ es of corrosion
encoun tered on Reclam ation ferrous
m etalw ork ar e:

9. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
2
(a) Uniform Corrosion.—Corrosion that
occu rs m or e or less u niform ly an d resu lts in
ru st and m etal loss over th e m etal sur face.
(b) Galvanic Corrosion.— Corrosion that
occu rs on the m ore active m etal of tw o
d issim ilar m etals that are electrically coup led
togeth er in th e sam e electrolyte (e.g., w ater).
The m ore active m etal w ill corrod e.
(c) Crevice Corrosion.—Crevice corrosion
is a for m of localized cor rosion th at occu rs in
crevices w here the en vironm ent d iffers from
the surround ing bulk environment. The
d ifferent env ironm ents result in corrosion
because of d ifferences in concentration
(e.g., oxy gen , pH , an d ferric ion s). If th ere is
an oxygen concentration d ifference, corrosion
w ill pr oceed at crev ices w here th ere is less
oxygen than in the environment surround ing
the crev ice. Crev ices are form ed w hen tw o
su rfaces ar e in p ro xim ity to on e another, su ch
as w hen tw o m etal surfaces are against one
anoth er, w hen a gasket is against a surface, or
w hen angle irons are p laced back to back.
Crevice corro sion can occur u nd er d ep osits
(e.g., barn acles, d irt, grease, and slim e) on a
m etal su rface.
(d) Pitting corrosion.—A form of localized
corrosion w here the d ep th of p en etration is
greater than the d iam eter of the affected area.
(e) Cavitation corrosion.— The m etal loss
caused by the form ation an d collap se of vap or
bu bb les in a liqu id near a m etal su rface. The
app earance of cavitation is sim ilar to pitting,
except that pitted areas are closely spaced and
the su rface is consid erably rou gh ened .
(f) Erosion-corrosion.— The accelerated
m etal loss from an initial corrosion m echanism
associated w ith high-velocity flow s and
abrasion. Erosion-corrosion is characterized
by groov es, gu llies, w aves, and rou nd ed
rid ges or valleys and exhibits a d irectional
flow pattern.
(g) Dealloying or Selective Leaching.—The
selective rem oval of one of the elem ents of an
alloy by either p referential attack or com p lete
d issolution of the matrix, follow ed by
red ep osit of the cath od ic constitu en t. The
elem ent rem oved is alw ays an od ic to the
m atrix. With d ealloying, there is no m etal loss,
d im ension chan ges, cracks, or groov es;
how ever, the affected area m ay be ev iden t
because of a color chang e. The affected area
becom es lighter, p orous, and loses its original
m ech anical p rop erties (i.e., it becom es brittle
and loses tensile strength ). Tw o comm on
form s of d ealloying ar e:
Dezincification.— The selective d issolu tion
of zinc from brass alloys. It is recognized by a
color change (e.g., from its original yellow
brass color to a distinctly red, copp ery
ap p earance).
Degraphitization.— The selective
d issolu tion of iron from som e cast irons,
u su ally gra y cast iron s. It norm ally p roceeds
un iform ly inw ard from the surface, leaving a
p orou s m atrix alloy that is comp osed m ostly of
carbon. Degraphitization can be recognized by
a change from an original silver-gray color to a
d ar k gra y. The affected m etal can be easily cu t
or p ierced w ith a k nife.
5. Service Exposure.—Coatings are sp ecified
by ser vice exposu re or th e env ironm ent the
coating w ill be subject to. The follow ing are
the basic service exposu res d efined by
Reclam ation:
• Atm osp heric
N Ind oors
N Ou tdoors
• Bu rial
• Im m ersion
• Com p lete, p artial, or flu ctu atin g
im m ersion cond ition s
• Atm osp heric exp osu re su bject to
cond ensation, high hu m idity, sp lash,
or spray
• The follow ing su bexposu re cond itions
m ay ap p ly to any of the abov e:

10. Introduction and Background
3
N Direct su nlight or UV: several
coatin gs, su ch as ep oxies, w ill
d eteriorate by cha lking w hen
exp osed to su nlight.
N Ch em ical resistance: exposu res
may includ e acidic or alkaline
concentrations, ind ustrial smog,
acid rain, sew age, or sp ecific
chem icals.

11. 5
Chapter II
Materials
Coating form u lation is generally based on
organ ic, inorgan ic, p olym er, and co-p olym er
chem istry. It is n ot th e in tention of this
chap ter to d iscu ss coating chem istry b u t,
rath er, to p rov id e a basic know led ge of coatin g
com p onen ts and gen eric coating typ es
specified by Reclam ation.
6. Components of Coatings.—All organic
coatin gs consist of three basic com p onents:
(1) solven t, (2) resin, an d (3) pigm en t. N ot all
coating s contain solven t and p igm ented
com p on en ts. There are solv en t-free (100
p ercent solids) coating s and clear, pigm ent-
free coating s, bu t not resin -free coatings.
Coa tin g chem ical form u lator s com m on ly
grou p solvent, resin, and p igm ent com p on ents
into two general categories. The first category
com bines the solvent and th e resin togeth er.
Th e solv en t p or tion is called th e “vola tile
veh icle,” an d the r esin p ortion is called th e
“n on volatile veh icle.” The com bination of the
solven t and th e resin, w here the resin is
d issolved in the solvent, is called the “vehicle.”
The second category is the p igm ent. Pigm ents
are ad d itives th at im p art sp ecific prop erties to
the coating an d are su bd ivided into tw o
general categories: (1) color and (2) inert and
rein for ced . Figu re 1 illu strates the relationsh ip
of these com p on ents.
W hen a coating is ap p lied , the solvent
ev ap or ates d u ring th e cu ring p rocess, lea ving
only the resin an d the p igm ent comp onen ts on
the substrate. The remaining resin an d
p igm en ts ar e som etim es called th e “coatin g
solid s,” and they form the p rotective film for
corrosion protection.
(a) Solvent.—Or gan ic solven ts are form u lated
into coatings to perform three essential
fun ction s: (1) dissolve the resin com p on ent;
(2) control evaporation for film form ation; and
(3) red u ce the coating v iscosity for ease of
ap p lication . Solven ts w ill also a ffect d ry film
ad hesion an d d u rability coa tin g p rop erties. In
general, resins that are less soluble will require
either m ore solven ts or stron ger solven ts to
d issolve the resins.
The terms “solvents” and “thinners” are
often used interchangeably, but there are
d istinctions w ithin and betw een th e tw o term s.
The term “solvent” can im p ly tw o d ifferent
u sages: (1) th e solv en t or solven t blen d s in
the coating form u lation a t p red eterm ined
Solvent
(Volatile)
Resin
(No nv olatile)
Color
Pigm ents
Inert and
Reinforced
Vehicle Pigment
Coating
Figure 1.—Components of coatings.

12. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
6
concen tration lev els; or (2) cleaning solven ts in
stron g con cen tration stren gth for cleaning
bru sh es, rollers, h oses, and oth er eq u ip m ent.
The u sage of the ter m “th inn er” (a thinner is a
solvent) is m ost often associated w ith the
coating ap p licator ad d ing a th inn er to a
coatin g con tainer (nor m ally ab ou t 1 p int
thinner to 1 gallon of coating) to red u ce the
viscosity for ease of ap p lication . Ad d ing
thinn er to a coating in the field is often called
“field th inning.”
Th e m anu factu rer’s p rod u ct d ata sh eet w ill
specify a thinner and a m axim um am oun t tobe
u sed for each coating typ e. Use of a thinner
not recom m end ed by the m anu facturer can
cause nu m erou s app lication p roblems or
p rem atur e failu res such as separation of
comp onen ts, coagulation, too fast or too slow
d rying, changes in flow characteristics, or
liftin g of p rev iou s coats. The follow ing
com m on th inners are u sed w ith th e associated
gen eric coating typ es:
Thinners Coatings
M ineral sp irits O ils an d alkyd s
Ar om atics (ben zene,
xylol, tolu ole)
Coal tar ep oxies,
alkyd s, chlorinated
rubbers
Keton es (MEK,
M IBK)
Vinyls, epoxies,
u rethan es
Alcoh ols (isop rop yl) Phen olics, inor ganic
zin cs
W ater Acrylics, som e
inor gan ic zin cs
Solvents prod u ce vapors that are heavier than
air and w ill collect in tank b ottom s or confined
areas. Th e k eton es have the low est flash p oin t
of the or gan ic solven ts; how ever, any solven t
in the right com bination w ith air can create an
explosive com bination.
Fed eral, State, cou nty, city, an d loca l air
qu ality control districts regulate the am ou nt of
volatile organic solvents (VO C) in coatings. A s
the coating cures, VOC s evap orate into the
atm osp here and react w ith su nlight and air
p ollu tants to form ozone, a know n h u m an
health hazard . In resp on se, coatin g
m anu factu rer’s h ave reform u lated th eir
p rod u cts w ith low er solvent content to m eet
current VOC regu lations.
Reclam ation specifications require the coatings
to m eet the VOC regu lations “in-the-can” or
“as-m anu factu red ” before field th inning. Field
thinning of a coating that w ill exceed the
regu lated VO C m axim u m is n ot p erm itted .
Reclam ation sp ecifies coating s based on the
cu rr en t En vironm en tal Protection Agen cy
(EPA) VOC lim its.
(b) Resin.—The resin (frequ ently called
bind er) is th e film for m ing com p on en t of a
coating. Resins are typically a high m olecu lar
w eight solid polymer that form s large
rep eatin g m olecu les in th e cu red film . The
p rim ary p u rp ose of the resin is to w et the
p igm ent p articles and bind the p igm ent
p articles together a nd to the su bstrate (hen ce,
the term “bind er”). The resin im p arts m ost of
the coating p rop erties. The various typ es of
resins form u lated in a coating w ill d isplay
d istinct p rop erties. These p rop erties are:
• Mechanism and time of curing
• Perform ance in service exposu re type
• Perform ance on substrate type
• Com patibility with other coatings
• Flexibility an d tou gh ness
• Exterior w eath ering
• Ad hesion
N o single resin can achieve a high d egree of
su ccess in m eetin g th e abov e coatin g
p rop erties w ith w ide v ariations associated
w ith each p rop erty. Therefore, gen eric coa tin g
types are generally classified by the p rim ary
resin ty p e u sed in th e coating form u lation.
Typ ical resin s are acry lics, alkyd s, and ep oxy
p olym ers.
(c) Pigment.— Pigm ents are insoluble and are
the heavier solid p ortion of a coating that
ty p ically settles to th e bottom of th e conta iner.
Pigm en ts ar e ad d itiv es to th e coatin g
form u lation th at im p art specific prop erties to

13. Materials
7
achieve the d esired film p rop erties. The
follow ing p roperties are accorded by
p igm ents, and a brief d escription is prov ided
for each.
Color.—N atu ral earth p igm en ts (kaolin
clay, m agn esiu m silicate, calciu m carbona te)
p rov ide color stability from u ltraviolet (UV)
su nlight d eterioration. N atu ral earth p igm ents
are m or e U V stable than synth etic or ganic
p igm ents.
Opacity.—Titan ium oxide h ides th e
substrate or previous coating color and
protects the bind er from UV sunlight
deterioration.
Wet paint.—Silica and talc control
viscosity, w et film lev elin g, an d settling bu t
provide little hid ing (opacity) pow er.
Weather and moisture resistance.—
Alu m inu m leafs and m icaceou s iron oxid e
(M IO) increase bar rier thickn ess and force
m oisture to detour aroun d these plate-like
ad d itives.
Corrosion resistance.—Pigm ents ad d ed to
inh ibitive (prim er) coatings im p ed e corrosion
of ferrou s substrates. Past form u lations
inclu d ed ch rom ate and lead p igm ents, bu t
they are seld om u sed tod ay because of
en viron m en tal an d health concern s. The
follow ing chromate and lead p igm ents are
rar ely u sed in cu rrent coating form u lations:
• Red lead
• W hite lead
• Basic lead silico-chrom ate
• Stron tium chrom ate
• Zinc chrom ate
Th e follow ing ar e accep table alternativ e
inh ibitive p igm ents:
• Bariu m m etabor ate
• Calciu m p ho sp ho silicate
• Zinc oxid e
• Zinc p ho sp ha te
• Zinc m olybd ate
• Zinc p ho sp ho silicate
Mildew resistance.—Mildewcides prevent
m ild ew grow th on the dry film coating.
Skid or slip resistance.—A lu m in u m oxid e
or mineral aggregate is added in the
form u lation or ap p lied to the w et film to
achiev e n on slip su rfaces. A lu m inu m oxid e is
the b etter choice because m ineral agg rega te
may be crushed under weight, providing
moisture access to the substrate, and
p rom oting further coating d egrad ation and
corrosion.
7. Coating Types.—The follow ing are th ree
basic typ es of coatings:
(a) Barrier.—A coating that form s a
barrier betw een the m etal surface an d the
electrolyte and electrically isolates the m eta l.
Exam p les are ep oxies and coal tar ep oxies.
(b) Inhibitive.—Pigment in a coating
p rim er that is slightly solu ble in w ater that
for m s a chem ical in hibitor an d effectiv ely
interferes w ith the electrolyte. Exam p les are
red lead and chrom ate p rim ers (no long er
accep table).
(c) Galvanic.—Zinc-rich p rim er coatings
tha t p rov ide g alvan ic or catho d ic p rotection to
ferro u s m etal (zinc sacrifices itself to p ro tect
the ferrous metal). Galvanic coatings are
effectiv e only if ap p lied d irectly to bare m etal.
8. Generic Coatings.—Th e follow ing gen eric
coatin gs and gen eral d escrip tions are typ ically
specified by Reclam ation:
(a) Acrylics.—In w ater-bor ne acrylic
coating s, the r esin is d ispersed in w ater to
form a w ater em u lsion . Water-born e acry lics
are sp ecified for atm osp heric expo su res as a
p rim er or top coat and have excellent color and
gloss retention. Acrylics cure by coalescence.
(b) Alkyds.—Alkyd s are norm ally natu ral
oils (soya, tu ng , styrenate) that h ave been
chem ically m od ified to im p rove cu re rate,
chem ical resistance, an d har d ness. Ph en olic-
m od ified alkyd s are specified as a primer, and
silicone alkyd s are specified as the topcoat for
atm osph eric service exposu res. They are not

14. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
8
suitable for alkaline (concrete or m asonry)
su rfaces or en viron m en ts. Alkyd s cu re b y air
oxid ation of d rying oils.
(c) Bituminous.—Bitum inou s coatings are
heavy-bod ied m aterials a p p lied w ith a cu tback
solven t. They h ave go od m oistu re barr ier
resistan ce and fair to good chem ical resistance
bu t are not resistant to solvents. Com m ercial
bitum inou s pr od u cts are sp ecified on a lim ited
basis by Reclam ation for protection of
alum inu m su rfaces in contact w ith
cem en titiou s m aterial or steel an d cop p er cab le
w eld connections. Bitum inou s coatings cure
by solvent evaporation.
(d) Epoxy, Amine.—Am ine epoxies are
tw o-com p onen t coatings that are catalyzed
(hard ened ) by an am ine cur ing ag ent to
p rod u ce a hard , tightly bond ed , chem ical
resista nt (a lkali, acid , and solvent) p rod u ct, bu t
they are moisture and tem perature sensitive
d u ring ap p lication. They are sp ecified for
burial and im m ersion service exposu res, but
th ey w ill fad e and ch alk in d irect su nlight.
Am ine ep oxies cu re by chem ical reaction.
(e) Epoxy, Polyamide.— Polyam ide ep oxies
are tw o com p onen t coatings that are catalyzed
by a p olyam id e cu rin g ag en t to p ro d u ce
su p erior resistance to w ater an d salt solution s,
bu t they do n ot provide the chem ical
resistance of the am ine ep oxy. Polyam ides
have a greater flexib ility th an th e am ine
epoxies. They are sp ecified for bu rial and
im m ersion service exp osu res, bu t they w ill
fad e and chalk in d irect su nlight. Poly am id e
ep oxies cu re by chem ical reaction.
(f) Epoxy, Coal Tar.— Coal tar epoxies are
genera lly an am ine or p olyam ide ep oxy
m od ified w ith coal tar pitch r esin to p rod u ce a
high-bu ild film that has good chem ical
resistance and excellent w ater resistance. They
have a tend ency to becom e brittle w ith age and
d elam inate betw een coa ts or ben eath rep air
p atches. They are sp ecified for bu rial and
im m ersion service exp osu res, bu t they w ill
fad e and chalk in d irect su nlight. Coal tar
ep oxies cu re by chem ical reaction.
(g) Epoxy, Fusion-Bonded.—Fusion-
bon d ed ep oxies (com m only called p ow d er
coating s) are com p lete coating s in p ow d er
form . There are tw o ap p lication m eth od s,
flu idized -bed an d electrostatic. In the
fluidized -bed m ethod, the metal items are
preheated to a fusion temperature and
im m ersed in th e p ow d er-ep oxy solu tion. In
the electrostatic meth od , the ep oxy p ow d er
p articles are charged w ith high voltage, and
the metal item is then sprayed. After spraying,
the item is placed in an oven to cure at abou t
350 to 650 d egrees Fahren heit (F). Fusion-
bond ed epoxies are specified for bu rial and
im m ersion service exp osu res, bu t they w ill
fad e and chalk in d irect sun light and are
brittle. A n ew m aterial is fu sion-bon d ed
nylon. This material is sup erior to the fu sion-
bon d ed ep oxy an d w ill be incorp orated into
Reclam ation's sp ecification. Pow d er coa tin gs
cu re b y fu sion (heat).
(h) Inorganic Zinc Primers.—Inor ganic
zincs are prim ers that incorporate a high
load ing (p ou nd s per gallon) of m etallic zinc for
p igm entation (hence, the term “zinc-rich”) and
are eith er solven t or w ater based . Dep en d ing
on th e solv en t and resins u sed , th e coatin g
m ay be a zinc-rich ep oxy or u reth an e. These
coating s are exclusively p rim ers because th ey
p rovid e galvan ic or cathod ic p rotection to steel
sub strate. Inorg anic zincs are sp ecified for
atm osp heric and im m ersion serv ice exp osu res,
bu t they can be top coated to extend th eir
service life. Su itable topcoat m aterial selection
is requ ired to p revent ou t-gassing from the
inor ganic zin c th at p rod u ces sm all p inholes in
th e top coat. Reclam ation sp ecifies in or ganic
zinc coatings only to fraying su rfaces or heated
treated m etalw ork (ASTM A 325 or A STM
A 490). Ap p lication requ ires sp ecial skills and
kn ow ledge. Inor gan ic zincs cure by either
reaction to w ater (solven t redu cible) or
reaction to car bon d ioxid e (w ater red u cible).
(i) Organic Zinc Primers.—Org an ic zin cs
are p rim ers that in corp or ate a h igh load ing
(p ou nd s per gallon) of m etallic zinc for
p igm entation w ith a w ide v ariety of solven ts
and resins. Depending on the solvent and

15. Materials
9
resin s u sed , the coating m ay be a zin c-rich
alkyd , d rying oil, ep oxy, or m oistu re-cu red
u rethane. Th ese coatin gs are exclu siv ely
p rim ers becau se th ey p rov id e g alvanic
p rotection to steel substrate or th ey are u sed to
rep air da m aged galvan ized coatings on steel
sub strates. Org anic zincs are sp ecified for
atm osp heric, bu rial, an d im m ersion serv ice
exp osu res bu t are n orm ally top coated to
extend th e service life of the coatin g. Suitable
top coat m aterial selection is requ ired to
p revent ou t-gassing from th e organic zinc.
Ou t-gassing p rod u ces sm all p inholes in th e
top coat. The w ay org anic zincs cure d ep end s
on th e coating typ e.
(j) Polyurethane.—Technically,
p olyu rethan e is a subclass of u rethan e. A tw o-
com pon ent polyurethane is created by
chem ically com bining a p olyisoyanate and a
p olyol to p rod u ce an isocyan ate that has a tw o-
mode cure mechanism of solvent evaporation
and chem ical reaction. Reclam ation specifies
p olyu reth anes for top coating com p atible (i.e.,
sam e m anu factu rer) am ine and p oly am id e
epoxies to protect against direct sun light
or UV and to p rovid e sp ecific colors.
Poly u rethanes ar e sp ecified for atm osp heric
an d p ar tial or fluctu ating im m ersion serv ice
exp osu res.
(k) Urethane.—Urethane coatings vary
w id ely in form u lation s for sp ecific ser vice
environm ents and ap p lication requ irem ents.
Reclam ation sp ecifies sing le-com p on ent,
m oisture-cu red u rethan es. They cure from
m oistu re in the atm osp here and can be ap p lied
to d am p sur faces that d o not hav e free
m oisture p resent. These urethanes are
form u lated w ith various pigm entations and
are sp ecified in several com binations to su it
the inten d ed serv ice exp osu re. These
u rethanes ar e sp ecified for atm osp heric, bu rial,
an d im m ersion exp osu res.

16. 11
Chapter III
Specifications
Reclam ation constru ction jobs are ad vertised
to contractors to perform the required w ork,
and con tractor selection is m ad e b y a b id
p rocess. The m ost com m on bid typ es are low
p rice, negotiated , fixed cost, and sole sou rce.
Once Reclam ation accep ts a contr actor’s b id , a
contract exists betw een Reclam ation an d the
contractor. The contract is often called a
sp ecification. The specification can be d efined
as a w ritten, d etailed , techn ical d escription of
w ork to be performed, describing the
m aterials, q u antities, and m od e of
construction.
Sp ecifications are d ivided into m any d ivisions
to describe the various job requiremen ts and
may includ e general job description,
su bm ittals, p re-existing con d ition s,
environm ental requiremen ts, and techn ical
architectu ral, civil, electrical, m ech anical,
coating, and cath od ic p rotection d iscip lin es.
Each d ivision is sometim es called a techn ical
paragraph or section.
9. Construction Specification Institute.—
Reclam ation has ch anged fro m a n arrativ e
p aragrap h form at to the Con struction
Sp ecification Institute (CSI) form at for
sp ecifications. CSI form at style is m ore concise
an d u ses im p erative langu ag e. Reference
stand ard s are specified to describe qu ality of
m aterials, w ork m od e, test m ethod s, and
accep tance criteria that are a recognized
ind u stry practice, thu s redu cing th e need for
len gth y verbiag e. Th e m ost com m on referen ce
stand ards u sed in the coatings ind ustry are
ASTM, N ACE, and SSPC.
CSI specifications are d ivided into 16 d ivisions
for all the bu ild ing trad es, and each d ivision
m ay be fu rth er d ivid ed into sp eciality sections.
Finishes are Division 9, and p aint and
p ro tective coatings are Section 09900. Each
section is su bd ivid ed into th e follow ing basic
p arts:
Part 1: General.—Includ es cost,
references, su bm itta ls, q u ality assu rance,
d elivery, stora ge, ha nd ling, and restrictions.
Part 2: Prod uct.—Includ es requ irem ents
for m aterials to be u sed
Part 3: Execution.—Inclu d es m od e of
construction, test m ethod s, acceptance criteria,
and repair
10. Reclamation Coating Specifications.—
The Techn ical Service Cen ter (TSC) in D env er
m ainta ins C SI gu id elin e coating sp ecifications.
The gu ideline coating sp ecification s are th e
basis for specific p roject requirem ents and are
based on historical Reclam ation stru ctu res.
Th e g u id elin e sp ecifications contain
instru ctional notes an d footnotes to aid the
sp ecification w riter in p rep aring the
sp ecification s to m eet sp ecific p ro ject
req u irem en ts. The g u id elin e coatin g
sp ecifications are available on Reclam ation’s
intr anet w ebsite: <h ttp :/ / intr a.u sb r.gov>.
Reclam ation u ses the follow ing sp eciality
sections for coating s and haz ard ou s based -
p aints:
Sect io n 09902.—C oa tin gs for new m etallic
su bstrates that in clu d e: steel, cast or d u ctile
iron; galvan ized , alu m inu m ; brass; bron ze; or
copp er
Sect io n 09908.—M aintenance coatings for
p reviously coated m etallic substrates that
inclu d e: steel, cast or d u ctile iron; galvan ized,
alum inu m ; brass; bron ze; or copp er
Sect io n 09980.—Coatings for concrete and
m asonr y su bstrates
Sect io n 13283.—Handling and d isposing
of p aint conta ining heavy m eta ls (i.e.,
ch rom ate, lead , etc. . .)

17. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
12
(a) Part 1: General.—Part 1 includ es the
follow ing gen eral outline:
• Cost prov isions for either lum p sum or
bid item
• References for ind ustrial stand ards
u sed in the sp ecification section
• Su bm ittals are req u ired to ensu re th e
contractor is sup p lying the sp ecified
m aterials. The follow ing su bm ittals
are essen tial:
" Manufacturer’s product data and
ap p lication sheets
" M anu factu rer’s certification of
com p lian ce, statin g th at m aterials
w ere m an u factu red in accord an ce
w ith qu ality assu ran ce and qu ality
p ro gra m s to inclu d e batch
nu m bers, qu antity, and color
" Purchase orders, ensuring that the
contractor using ap p roved
m aterials to in clu d e batch
nu m bers, qu antity, and color
• Qu ality assu ra nce
• Deliv ery, storage, and hand ling
• En vironm en tal restr iction s for su rface
p rep aration an d ap p lication
(b) Part 2: Products.— Part 2 includ es the
follow ing m aterial requ irem ents ou tline:
• Ab rasives
• M IO
• Coatings
(c) Part 3: Execution.— Part 3 includ es the
follow ing ou tline requ irem ents to com p lete
w ork:
• Protection an d rep air of existing
su rfaces
• Em bed d ed m etalw ork in concrete
• Su rface pr ep aration m ethod s
• App lication equipm ent
• Coating ap p lication requ irem ents
• Insp ection m ethod s and accep tance
criteria
• Rep air of d am aged an d non accep table
coated areas
• Coating tab u lations an d categories (see
follow ing section)
• Color sch ed u le
11. Coating Tabulations and Categories.—
The form at of the coating tabu lations and
categories in the CSI specifications w ill be
sim ilar to th e old narrative p aragrap h form at.
The coating tabulations and categories change
over tim e becau se of low er VO C regu lations,
lead- and chrom ate-free requirem ents, new
coating techn ology d evelopm ents, and other
factors. The follow ing section s d escribe th e
tabu lations an d categor ies.
(a) Coating Tabulations.—The coating
tabu lations are based on Reclam ation’s
historical experience w ith coating m etalw ork
item s, service exp osu re, and m aterials u sed in
dam s and water conveyance projects. The
tabu lation s are in th e follow ing tab le form at:
• Item s to be coated are iden tified .
• Coating m aterials are id entified in the
first colum n b y an alph anu m eric label
for a man ufacturer’s brand nam e or a
Fed eral/ m ilitary sp ecification nu m ber.
Sev eral equ ivalen t coatin g m aterials
m ay be listed w ithin the sam e m aterial
option number. More than one
coating m aterial op tion m ay be listed
in the tabu lation . For sm all jobs, the
color m ay be sp ecified in th is colu m n.
• N u m ber of coats (p rim er,
interm ed iate, an d top coat), thickn ess

18. Specifications
13
of each ap p lied coa t, and total d ry film
thickn ess (DFT) of the coating system
are id en tified in th e second colu m n.
• Surface preparation m ethods are
id en tified by letter or alp hanu m eric
label in the third colum n and are
d efined in th e execution p art for
surface pr ep aration.
• Instructional notes, if specified , are
located at either tab le front or en d .
(b) Coating Categories.—The coating
categories specify, by alph an u m eric labels, the
m anu factu rer’s brand nam e or the Fed eral or
m ilitary sp ecification nu m ber of the coatin g
material listed in the tabulations. The
categories are su bd ivided accord ing to th e
follow ing th ree essential chara cteristics:
Composition.—List the generic chem ical
coating n am e
Phy sical cha ract eristics.—W eight p er
gallon, VOC content, m inim u m ap p lication
tem p eratu re, cu ring tim es at sp ecific
tem p eratu re an d hu m id ity, etc.
Performance requirement s.— A ccelerated
ASTM testing an d accep tance cr iteria
12. Manufacturer's Product Data and
Application Sheets.—Reclam ation
sp ecification s requ ire the su bm ittal of the
coating m an u factu rer’s p rod u ct da ta
(sometimes called techn ical d ata) and
ap p lication sh eets. These sheets sp ecify
the m anu facturer’s instructions and
recom m en d ations. Th e m anu factu rer's
instructions and recom m end ations have
becom e sp ecification requ irem ents, u nless the
sp ecification s are m ore restrictive. Pro d u ct
d ata and ap p lication sheets shou ld be kep t for
futu re reference to verify the material type
ap p lied . The pr od u ct d ata and ap p lication
sheets vary in content an d form at from
m anu factu rer to m anu factu re. Som e
manufacturers combine product data and
ap p lication into on e sheet. H ow ever , the
sheets p rov ide u seful inform ation for the
sp ecific m aterial.
(a) Product Data Sheet.— The follow ing are
the m ost com m on items on th e p rod u ct da ta
sheets:
• Generic chem ical coating n am e
(acrylic, alkyd , ep oxy, p olyur ethan e)
• Typ ical uses, such as on bridges,
pipes, or w ater tanks
• Service exp osu re for atm osp heric,
bu rial, im m ersion (fresh w ater or salt
w ater), and chem ical resistance
• Color an d gloss availability
• Physical or technical p ro p erties, su ch
as weight per gallon, solid s by
volu m e, VOC content, pigm ent
ad d itives, flash p oin t, an d serv ice
tem p eratu re resistan ce
• Recom m en d ed d ry or w et film
thickn ess
• Theoretical coverage rate per gallon
• M ix ratio (if m u lticom p on en t system ),
p ot life, and ind u ction or sw eat-in tim e
(elap sed time interv al to allow the
chem ical reaction to begin for
m ulticom pon ent materials before
application)
• Dry, recoat, cu ring, an d fu ll cu re tim e
p eriod s at tem p eratu re an d hu m idity
ran ges
• Perform ance test results (accelerated
ASTM tests that m ay or may n ot be
listed)
• Shelf life
• Safety precau tions
• Sh ip p in g d ata
• W arran ty an d lim itation s of liability
(b) Application Sheet.—The follow ing ar e the
m ost com m on items on th e ap p lication sheet:

19. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
14
• Su bstrate typ es th at are com p atible
w ith th e coating m aterial (e.g.,
alu m inu m , con crete, galvanized , steel,
cast iron, or existing coated su rfaces)
• Su rface p rep aration m ethod , nor m ally
listed as a m inim u m
• Thinn er p rod u ct nam e an d am ou nt to
be ad d ed
• Pot-life-tim e of m u lticom p on ent
coating m aterial at various
tem p eratu re an d hu m idity ran ges
• Lower and upp er temperature and
hum idity range restrictions du ring
application
• Most manufacturer’s state that the
coating is to be ap p lied only w hen the
su bstrate tem p eratu re is 5 d egrees F,
minimu m, above the dew point
• Drying, recoat, and cu ring times at
variou s tem p eratu re an d hu m idity
ran ges
• Ap plication m ethod: brush, roller,
conv entional airless sp ray , or airless
sp ray. May inclu d e sp ecific
equ ipm ent at recom m end ed p ressu res,
hose d iam eter sizes, sp ray gu n, noz zle
tip sizes, etc.
13. Addendums and Modifications.—
Sp ecifications ar e som etim es chang ed to alter
d esig ns, co rrect er rors, or red ress om issions.
The follow ing tw o gen eral m etho d s are u sed to
rev ise specifications: (1) ad d end u m s (also
called a m end m ents) are w ritten p age inser ts
that change p art(s) of the specification before
bid d ing occur; and (2) m odifications are
w ritten p age inser ts that m od ify p art(s) of the
sp ecification after th e contr act is aw ard ed .
Modifications can incur cost adjustments to the
contr act an d are often called chan ge ord ers.

20. 15
Chapter IV
Inspector's Role
The coating insp ector ensu res that: (1) the
w or k is accom p lish ed in a tim ely m anner in
accord ance w ith the sp ecifications; (2) w ork
activ ities are d ocu m en ted ; and (3) w or k is
p erform ed safely. The coating insp ector at the
jobsite is either th e contracting officer’s or th e
field en gineer’s rep resentative.
The insp ector shou ld n ot ver bally cha ng e the
req u irem en ts or req u ire m or e rigid
requirem ents on the contractor than w ere
or iginally sp ecified . The in sp ector sh ou ld
contact his sup ervisor for resolution if the
specifications are inad equate. Contractors may
request a variant from specifications that m ay
or m ay not be significant. Regardless of
varian t significan ce, the in sp ector sh ou ld
inform his sup ervisor of any requ ested
changes. If a coating ap p licator is not
follow ing th e specifications, the inspector
sh ou ld not confront the ap p licator. Instead , he
shou ld ask the coating contractor sup ervisor to
d eterm ine w hy th e sp ecifications are n ot bein g
follow ed . In som e cases, a d eviation m ay have
been allow ed or the coating contractor
sup ervisor m ay need to correct his own
w or ker’s p ra ctices.
14. Primary Responsibilities.—Th e follow ing
are p rim ary resp onsibilities of the in sp ector:
• Verify in w ritin g th at coatin g w or k is
being p erform ed in accord an ce w ith
the specifications
• M on itor w ork activity on a d aily basis,
inclu d ing d eviations from the
specifications
• Report an d record d eficiencies to the
field engineer for resolu tion
• En su re w or k is cond u cted in a safe
m anner
15. Daily Responsibilities.—Th e follow ing is
a p artial list of d aily insp ection resp on sibilities:
(a) Preparatory.—
• En su re sp ecifications contain all
addendu ms and modifications
• Ensure all specification sub m ittal
requ irem ents are m et
(b) Presurface Preparation.—
• Ensure weather cond itions are
cond u cive to blasting op erations
• Determ ine p reblast surface cond ition
for rust grad e
• Ensur e that the surface is free of
irregu larities (w eld sp atter, slag bu rrs,
sharp ed ges, p its, laminations, or other
objectionable irregu larities)
• Ensu re that ab rasives m eet
specification requirem ents and are
w ithin contam ination limits
• Ensur e the air comp ressor is free of
m oisture an d oil contam ination
(c) Postsurface Preparation.—
• Ensur e the surface pr ep aration
m ethod m eets specifications
requ irem ents
• En su re the su rface (an chor ) p rofile
m eets sp ecifications req u irem en ts
• Ensur e the surface is free of
conta m inan ts an d m eets cleanliness
sp ecification s requ irem ents

21. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
16
(d) Precoating Application.—
• Ensure all coating m aterials are
ap p roved
• Ch eck storage ar ea for pro p er
environ m ental and safety
requ irem ents
• Ensur e environm ental cond itions
(am bient an d su rface tem p eratu res,
hu m idity, and d ew p oint) m eet
sp ecification s requ irem ents
• Ensu re m ixing an d thinn ing m eet
m an u factu rer’s requ irem ents
(e) Coating Application.—
• Ensu re ap p lication m ethod s m eet
m an u factu rer’s requ irem ents
• Ensure interm ed iate coat and topcoat
ap p lication s are w ith in recoat tim e
interv al for tem p eratu re an d hu m idity
ranges and that they meet the
sp ecifications or the m anu factu rer’s
requ irem ents
• Check ambient temperature and
hu m id ity d u ring curing p eriod
(f) Postcoating Application.—
• Ensu re th e d ry film thickness m eets
sp ecification requ irem ents
• Inspect d ry film for h olid ay (pinh ole)
d efects
• Ensure that d efective, d am aged , and
d eficient areas are rep aired to m eet
sp ecification requ irem ents.
For a m ore com p rehen sive list of
resp on sibilities, see ap p en d ix C.
16. Material Approval.—Con tractor
su bm itted coa tin g m aterials ar e n or m ally
review ed by th e Reclam ation office that either
p rep ared or issu ed the sp ecifications. The
resp on sible review ing office is listed in the
req u ired su bm ittal nu m ber (RSN ) table in
Section 01330 (Su bm itta ls) of th e CSI
sp ecifications.
Th e coatin g insp ector is n ot u su ally
resp on sible for ap p rov ing or d isap p rov ing
contractor subm itted m aterial. H ow ever , the
insp ector shou ld track contractor and
Reclam ation correspon d ence to ensure that
only approved m aterials are used on the
jobsite.
If the TSC in the Den ver Office is the
resp on sible sp ecification rev iew ing office, it
w ill p rovid e a contractor su bm ittal w ith on e of
the follow ing r esp on ses:
Approv ed.—Ind icates material can be
p u rchased and ap p lied .
Co ndit io nally approv ed.—Ind icates the
m aterial selection is accep table and th e
material may be purchased; however, the
su bm ittal is in com p lete or is m issing
d ocum entation. Resubm ittal of incom p lete or
m issing d ocu m enta tion is r equ ired .
Con d itional ap p rov al d oes n ot im p ly
accep tance for m aterial ap p lication.
Not approv ed.—Ind icates the selected
material is not approved for application.
The insp ector shou ld check batch nu m bers on
m aterial containers against the ap p rova l letter
batch n u m bers for m aterials tha t arrive on th e
jobsite. Containers w ith batch n u m bers that
d o not correspond to the ap p roved m aterial
batch num bers should be removed from the
jobsite.
17. Documentation.—Th e in sp ector sh ou ld
acqu ire the follow ing d ocu m ents:
• Sp ecifications th at includ e ad d end u m s
and modifications
• The m anu facturer’s prod u ct data,
ap p lication , an d M aterial Safety Data
Sheet (M SDS)

22. Inspector's Role
17
• Referen ce stand ard s referred to in the
sp ecifications that relate to th e field
insp ection
• Referen ce stand ard s are d iscu ssed in
m or e d etail for th e p ertin en t
insp ection m eth od in oth er ch ap ters.
Ap pen d ix D lists reference standard s
cited in this docu m ent
18. Instruments, Gauges, and Tools.—The
insp ector shou ld acqu ire the equ ipm ent,
instru m en ts, an d instru ctional m anu als
necessary to p erform th e insp ection w ork.
Sp are b atteries sh ou ld be availab le if electron ic
instru m ents are used . The types of
instru m en ts w ill be d iscu ssed in th e follow ing
chap ters an d are listed in ap p en d ix E.
(a) Conflicts.—At tim es, there are
disagreements betw een the contractor and the
insp ector over instrum ent readings such as
su rface anch or p rofiles or d ry film th icknesses.
Th ere m ay be reasonab le exp lan ation s for su ch
d iscrepancies. These discrepancies should be
investigated to avoid futu re conflicts and to
d evelop a w orking relationsh ip w ith the
contractor. The follow ing ar e som e
p ossibilities for instru m ent d isagreem ents:
• The two p arties are not using the same
typ e of instru m ent sets:
" On e instrum ent may be
m alfu nctioning
" On e instru m ent m ay be ou t of
calibration
• The two p arties are u sing the sam e
typ e of instru m ents bu t:
" They ar e u sing d ifferent
p roced u res
" They are taking read ings at
different locations
" On e instru m ent m ay be ou t of
calibration
19. Substrate Inspection.—The insp ector
should inspected the substrate surface before
su rface prep aration . Ferrou s substrates w ith
localized ru st or m ill scale are m ore p ron e to
p rem atu re coatin g failu re. Ru st an d m ill scale
areas shou ld be insp ected m ore thorou ghly for
cleanliness after su rface p rep aration. If m ill
scale is noted and abrasive blasting is not
sp ecified , notify the field engineer becau se
ab ra sive blastin g is requ ired . For m ain tenan ce
coating w ork w here overcoating is sp ecified ,
the existing coating m aterial should be
insp ected for loose coatings by scrap ing w ith a
sh arp en ed p u tty knife. O vercoatin g loosely
ad hering existing coa tin g w ill resu lt in
p rem atu re failure.
For item s coated in a shop , th e coatin gs shou ld
be insp ected an d id entified for d am age and
failed coa tin g ar eas that w ill requ ire rep air
either before or after installation.
20. Coating Inspection Checklist Sheet.—
Reclam ation sp ecification coating tabu lations
(see cha p ter III, su bsection 11) id entify th e
item s to be coated , coating m aterials, the DFTs,
an d the su rface p rep aration m eth od s;
how ever, the inspector may w ish to expan d on
th e coatin g tabu lation s by creatin g a co atin g
insp ection checklist u niqu e to the job. Since
sp ecification coa tin g tabu lation s can id en tify
several item s to b e coated w ith in a single
tabu lation, an inspection sheet can p rovid e for
the ind ividu al coating op erations and for the
com pleted inspection for a single item to be
coated, such as a pipeline interior or a radial
gate. The checklist can become a p erm eant
record of the job. A checklist exam ple app ears
in ap p en d ix F.
21. Precoating Conference.—Reclam ation
coating specifications d o not requ ire a
p recoating conference w ith th e contr actor.
H ow ever , a m eeting w ith the con tractor to
d iscuss coating-related issues w ould be
helpful. A p recoating conference w ill allow
the con tractor to kn ow w ha t is exp ected an d to
ou tlin e the w or k p rog ram . This m eetin g
sh ou ld establish a w or king relationsh ip
betw een the con tractor and Reclam ation . The
follow ing are p ossible items for d iscu ssion at
the meeting:

23. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
18
• The contractor’s job-specific w orker
health an d safety p lan (a su bm itted
w ritten p lan is required for lead or
other hazard ous m aterial rem oval and
d isp osal)
• The insp ector’s access and safety
• The contractor’s proposed operation,
inclu d ing equ ipm ent an d p ersonn el
• The contractor’s working hours
• Th e m aterial storage area, inclu d ing
tem p eratu re, ventilation, and security
• The ap p roved surface pr ep aration
m eth od s, abrasives, coating m aterials,
ap p lication m ethod s, and curing tim es
• The m ethod of d u st collection and
d isp osal of u sed abrasives
• Unfavorab le w eath er related to
p rep ared surfaces, ap p lied coatings, or
cu ring
• The plan for coating inaccessible areas
• Insp ection m ethod s and the nu m ber of
m easu rem ents
• The typ es of insp ection instru m ents to
be u sed
• The NA CE/ SSPC reference standard s
that are specified, the visual stand ards
to be m et, an d th e accep tance cr iteria

24. 19
Chapter V
Material Storage, Containers, and Shelf Life
Coating m aterials arrive on the jobsite before
ap p lication begins, and th ey requ ire storage.
M anu factu rers recom m end specific provisions
for storage to p revent coating d eterioration.
Coa tin g m aterials m u st be u sed w ith in a
sp ecified time from m an u factu re or sh ipm ent.
22. Storage.—Coating m aterials shou ld be
stored in a covered , w ell-ventilated area aw ay
from sp arks, fla m es, and d irect su nlight.
Man y coatings require a lim ited temp erature
range for p roper storage. Cold storage m ay
requ ire a coating to be excessively thinn ed for
ap p lication, resulting in low solid s content and
a less-than -intend ed DFT. At or below
freezing tem p eratu res, coating s (su ch as w ater
based m aterials) can d egrad e to the p oint that
they are un usable. Materials in cold storage
should be m oved to a heated area before
ap p lication. At high tem p eratures, a m aterial
such as solven t-based coating m ay gel or
becom e flam m able or exp losive. The storage
site should be m onitored u sing a h igh/ low
thermom eter.
Coating m aterials shou ld be stored together by
the sam e batch or lot nu m bers. Tw o-
com p onen t coating system s shou ld be stored
close together bu t be d istingu ishable from one
anoth er. For storage of several m onth s or
longer, containers shou ld be inv erted on a
m onthly basis to avoid excessive settling an d
for ease of fu tu re m ixin g. The old est coatin g
m aterials sho u ld b e u sed first.
Solvents an d thinn ers shou ld be stored
separately from coating m aterials. Sep aration
of solvents and thinners is a safety concern
because m any of these m aterials hav e low er
flash p oint tem p eratu res th an m ost coating s,
and they pose a potential fire hazard.
Contractors will often store coating m aterial at
the jobsite in trailers. Trailers w ith no heating,
coolin g, or ven tilation system s are u nsu itable
for storage b ecause they becom e cold in w inter
and hot in su m m er an d hav e limited
ventilation. Coating m aterials shou ld be
stored in clim ate contr olled en vironm ents.
The follow ing are gen erally accep ted
regu lations for stor ing coating m aterials:
Indoor storage.—N o m or e than 25 gallon s
outsid e of app roved cabinets in a single area.
Outdoor storage.—N o m or e than 1,100
gallons of m aterials g rou p ed togeth er. N o
m ore than 60 gallons in ind ivid u al contain ers.
For fu rther inform ation on the storage of
flam m able an d com bu stible liquids, refer to
the m anu factu rer's M SDS and “Reclam ation
Safety and H ealth Stand ard s.”
23. Containers.—Con tainers v ary lar gely in
volu m e an d com m on ly ran ge from 1 quart to
55 gallons. Because of app lication eq u ipm ent
lim itations, the m ost com m on containers on a
job site w ill be eith er 1-gallon or 5-gallon p ails.
Single com p onen t m aterials are shipp ed in on e
container, and tw o or more component
m aterials are ship p ed in sep ara te containers,
each of wh ich h as the capacity to hold the total
com bined volu m e.
An y containers that are d am aged , leaking, or
u nlabeled sh ou ld be r ejected and rem oved
from the job site.
24. Shelf Life.—Shelf life is th e length of tim e
after m anu factu re that a coa tin g m aterial w ill
rem ain u sable w hen stored in an u nop ened
conta iner, accord ing to th e m anu factu rer.
M anu factu rers n or m ally sp ecify th e shelf life
of a coating on the container or u se a special
code or bar cod e that specifies the date of
m anu factu re or the expiration d ate. For
special cod es or bar cod es, the insp ector may
need to call the m anu factu rer to read th e cod e.
In gen eral, m ost coatings h ave a shelf life of
betw een 6 and 12 m onths at an optimal
tem p eratu re, bu t this w ill vary w ith

25. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
20
m anu factu rer an d m aterial typ e. Shelf life is
no ted on the m an u factu rer’s p rod u ct da ta
sheet. The insp ector shou ld check the d ate of
m an u factu re or th e exp iration d ate to
d eterm ine that the exp iration d ate has n ot been
reached . Coating m aterials that h ave exceeded
the sh elf life sho u ld b e rem oved from the
job site. Con sequ en ces of exceed ing th e shelf
life includ e gelling, od or, cha ng es in viscosity,
form ation of lu m p s, p igm ent settlem ent, and
color or liqu id separation.

26. 21
Chapter VI
Surface Preparation
The serv ice life of a coating d ep end s on th e
d egree of surface prep aration achieved as
m u ch as it dep end s on m aterial selection and
ap p lication . All coatin g system s w ill
even tu ally fail; how ever, pr em atu re failures
ar e often th e resu lt of inad equ ate su rface
p reparation. Even su rface prep arations that
achieve an acceptable margin of cleanliness but
leave contam inan ts on th e su rface will tend to
lessen th e coating serv ice life. Thu s,
cleanliness of the substrate is an essential and
integral com p onen t of a coating system .
25. Surface Contaminants .—Surface
contam ination is one of the m ost com m on
causes of coating failures. To achieve th e
m axim u m service life of a coa tin g system , it is
essential to rem ove su rface conta m inants.
(a) Types of Surface Contaminants.—The
follow ing ar e the m ost com m on typ es of
surface contam inan ts and the consequen ces of
not rem oving th em :
Rust.—Ru st is th e corr osion byp ro d u ct
(ferrou s oxid e) of steel and m ay be loose or
m ay ad here relatively tig htly to th e su bstrate.
Rust is porou s and m ay inclu d e m oistu re,
oxygen, and solu ble salts. Rust will expand u p
to eight tim es the volum e of the base m etal
consu m ed and fu rther corrod e the steel
su bstrate, thu s d islodg ing an y coating ap p lied
over it.
Mill scale.—M ill scale is a h eavy oxid e
layer form ed d u ring h ot fabrication or heat
treatm en t of m etals and is a blu ish color. Mill
scale will even tu ally break loose from the steel
su bstrate, taking th e coatin g w ith it. Steel is
anod ic to m ill scale (steel h as a low er electrical-
chem ical p oten tial d ifferen ce than m ill scale);
ther efore, steel w ill corro d e (sacrifice itself) to
p rotect the m ill scale.
Grease and oil.—Grea se and oil p revent a
coating from ad hering to the su bstrate.
Dirt and dust.—Dirt and du st on the
su rface prev ent the ap p lication of a sm ooth
uniform film and w eaken the adhesion of the
coating to the su bstrate.
Soluble salts.—Solu ble salts dep osited on a
su rface can rem ain on th e sur face, even after
abrasive clean ing. Solu ble salts w ill increase
moisture permeation through the coating
(osm otic blistering) an d can accelerate th e
corrosion rate u nd er th e coatin g film
(und erfilm corrosion or u nd ercu tting ). The
most comm on soluble salts encountered in the
coating ind u stry are chlorid es, sulfates, and
m etallic salts. The ch lor id e ion is th e m ost
aggr essive.
Water.—Water will prevent adhesion and
m ay either prod uce flash rusting before
coating ap p lication or it m ay accelerate
u nd erfilm corrosio n after coating ap p lication.
M oistu re in th e liqu id or fro zen state w ill
p revent ad hesion of the coating to th e
sub strate and can d isrup t cu ring reactions of
coatings. M oisture con tam ination can cau se
several typ es of failu re.
Chalk.—Ch alk is the r esidu e left after the
d eterioration of th e coating’s organic bind er.
Ch alk resu lts from exp osu re of the coating to
d irect su nlight or ar tificial UV light. A ll
coatings chalk to som e degree, but epoxies are
m ore p ron e to chalk. Ov ercoating chalked
surfaces will result in p oor adh esion and m ay
result in d elam ination (separation of one
coating layer from another coating layer)
failure.
Deteriorated coatings.—Old , loose,
d eteriorated coatings that are overcoated m ay
peel, delaminate, or lift from the substrate and
take the n ew coating w ith th em .
(b) Compressed Air Contaminants.—Air
com p ressors contam inated w ith m oisture and
oil can resu lt in ad hesion -related failu res. The

27. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
22
follow ing are tw o com m on op erations that
tran sfer oil and w ater contam inan ts from the
com p ressed air sup p ly to the sub strate:
• Ab rasive su rface pr ep aration
operations
• Blow ing d ow n th e p rep ared su bstrate
after surface preparation to rem ove
du st before applying the coating
Air com p ressors shou ld be equ ip p ed w ith in-
line m oistu re and oil sep arators (trap s) on all
lines. The insp ector shou ld hav e the contractor
check th e air su p p ly for con tam inants in
accord ance with A TM D 4285. (See
ap p en d ix G for th is p roced u re.) It is
recom m end ed that the com pressed air lines be
checked on ce every 4 hou rs or after th e
com p ressor has been tu rned off.
(c) Flash Rusting.—Flash ru sting (som etim es
called flash back ru sting o r ru st bloom ing) is a
light oxidation (corrosion) of the ferrou s
su rface after su rface p rep aration h as been
com p leted . Flash ru sting d ev elop s on fresh ly
p rep ared su rfaces in th e p resence of m oistu re.
After th e m oistu re d ries off, any resu ltin g
corro sion is called flash ru stin g an d can occu r
w ithin minutes after surface preparation. The
follow ing tw o circu m stan ces are th e m ost
com m on m oisture sou rces resu lting in flash
rusting:
• Con d en sation is occu rring
• W ater is u sed in th e su rface
p rep aration m ethod
Con d ensation is the form ation of liquid w ater
from w ater vapor in the su rroun d ing air at
certain am bient tem p eratu res an d hu m idity
ranges. Cond ensation can occu r u sing an y
su rface p rep aration m ethod becau se it is
w eather d ep end ent. Su rface pr ep aration
methods that employ water are water jetting
and w et ab rasiv e b last cleaning. Flash ru sting
can be m inim ized w hen u sin g w ater jettin g
an d w et abrasive blast clean ing by th e
follow ing m eth od s:
Using an inhibitive agent.—Inhibitiv e
agen t or w ash p rim er, nor m ally a p hosp hate, is
injected into the w ater or blast stream or
ap p lied after cleaning. Reclam ation d oes not
p ro hibit th e u se of in hibitor s, bu t th e su rface
should be thoroughly water w ashed before
coating because heavy inhibitive resid u es can
ad versely affect coating ad hesion.
Using hot forced (blown) air.— Dry off the
w etted su rface im m ed iately after clean ing w ith
hot air blow ers.
Using high-pressure, water-jet vacuum
cleaning method.—H igh-water pressure
tran sfers enorm ou s ener gy to the su rface, thu s
elevating th e su rface temp eratu re to ev ap orate
any m oistu re, and the v acuu m rem oves
evaporated and liquid m oisture aw ay.
To prevent flash ru sting, it is a general
ind u str ial p ra ctice n ot to p ro ceed w ith su rface
p rep aration u nless the steel sub strate
tem p erature is 5 d egrees F, m inim u m , above
th e d ew p oin t. (See chap ter VII,
“En vironm enta l Cond itions”.)
Su rface p rep aration stand ard s N ACE 1/ SSPC-
SP-5, N ACE 2/ SSPC-SP10, N ACE 3/ SSPC-SP-
6, N ACE 4/ SSPC -SP-7, N ACE 8/ SSPC -SP14,
SSPC-SP15, and SSPC-SP11 p rovid e for
recleaning o r reblasting to rem ove flash
rusting. The surface preparation stand ards
SSPC -SP2, SSPC -SP3, and N ACE 5/ SSPC -SP12
d o not specifically add ress flash rusting bu t
req u ire that the su rface be recleaned accor d ing
to cleanliness requirem ents of the standard
u sed if ru st form s on the su rface. Reclam ation
specifications require that any surface w here
flash ru st or corrosion byp rod u cts have
form ed be recleaned .
If flash ru sting is su sp ected an d is n ot visibly
no ticeable, a goo d d etection m etho d is to
insp ect the surface w ith a bright flashlight or
sp otligh t. The ligh t shou ld b e held p arallel to
the sur face and shined across it. Rust bloom s
w ill appear as darkening on the surface and
ha ve a r ed d ish or ligh t brow n tint.

28. Surface Preparation
23
26. Presurface Treatment.—Prior to actual
su rface p rep ar ation s, all steel su rface
im p erfection s are to be corr ected . This is a
Reclam ation sp ecification req u irem en t. W eld
sp atter, slag, bu rrs, p orosity, sharp ed ges, p its,
lam inations (sliv ers), crev ices, or ob jection able
irregu larities need to be rep aired . Surface
d ep ressions, such as p its or crevices, can be a
collection p oint for excessive coating m aterial
that m ay not fu lly cure. Projections such as
w eld slag, slag bu rrs, or sharp ed ges that m ay
stick ou t throu gh th e coatin g can resu lt in
pinp oint corrosion. All these irregularities are
to be repaired by w eld ing, scrapp ing,
grind ing, or other sp ecified m ean s.
27. Abrasive Blast Material.—The abrasive
blast m aterial is im p or tant becau se it
d eterm ines the su rface p rofile p rod u ced .
There are tw o general categories of abrasiv es:
m etallic and non m etallic. M etallic abrasives
are used p rim arily to blast clean steel and
for ged or cast iron w here a su rface p rofile is
seld om critical on th e fin ish ed p rod u ct.
N onm etallic abrasives, d epend ing on the type
u sed , can p rod u ce the d esired su rface p rofile
and cleanliness on hard , d en se ferrou s m etals
or on soft m etals (alum inu m , brass, bron ze, or
copp er) w ithou t d am aging or altering th e
m etal su rface.
Reclam ation sp ecifies SSPC-AB 1, “Abrasiv e
Sp ecification N o. 1, M ineral an d Slag
Abrasiv es,” Class A, eith er Typ e I or II.
Reclam ation sp ecifications d o n ot p erm it
abrasive m aterials containing toxic heavy
m etals su ch as arsen ic or solub le salts in excess
of 0.04 p ercent. Abrasive m aterial is not to
contain m or e than 1 p ercen t silica, by volu m e
becau se silica san d p articles cau se silicosis.
Reclam ation d oes n ot sp ecify m etallic
abrasiv es. Metallic ab rasiv es ar e n ot field
ap p licable because of high costs and inability
to recycle. H ow ever, Reclam ation w ill allow a
contract v arian ce, if req u ested , to u se m etallic
abrasives for shop surface pr ep aration,
provided that the m etallic abrasive is a dry,
clean , an gu lar steel grit.
(a) Nonmetallic Abrasives.—There are th ree
basic typ es of n onm etallic abrasiv es:
(1) n atu rally occu rrin g; (2) byp rod u cts; and
(3) m anu factu red . The follow ing sections
provide a brief d escription of the typical usage
and the degree of d usting p rodu ced by
non m etallic ab rasiv es d u ring blastin g
op erations.
Naturally occurring.—
• Nonsilica or heavy mineral sands
(magnetite, olivene rutile,
straurolite).— Th ese sand s are typ ically
tou gh, d ense, rou nd -sh ap ed m aterials.
Th ey ar e effective for blast cleaning
new steel bu t are not recom m end ed
for m aintenan ce coating w ork. Degree
of d u sting d u ring blasting op erations
is m ed iu m .
• Flint, garnet, novaculite (siliceous
rock), and zircon.—These are d ense,
tou gh , an gu lar or cubic abrasives that,
because of their high costs, are u sed
primarily in special cleaning
ap p lication s. Th e d eg ree of d u sting
d u ring blastin g op erations is m ed iu m
for flint an d garn et and low for
novaculite and zircon.
Byproduct.—
• Slags (coal, copper, nickel).—Slag
abrasives are generally a glassy,
hom ogeneou s m ixture of variou s
oxid es that are sharp ly ang u lar or
cubic and are efficient for blast
cleaning new , ru sted, or p ainted
surfaces. These abrasives are not
recy cled . The d eg ree of d u sting
d u ring blasting op erations is high for
coal and nickel and low for copp er.
• Agricultural products (corncobs, peach
pits, walnut shells).—These are
generally regarded as tough but
lightw eight abrasives used in sp ecial
cleaning ap plications for removing

29. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
24
p aint, fine scale, and other
contam inan ts w ithou t altering the
m etal su bstrate or d istor tin g th in
metals. The degree of du sting during
blasting op erations is low .
Manufactured.—
• Synthetic (aluminum oxide, glass
beads, silicon carbide).—These
abrasives can be p rod u ced w ith
sp ecific prop erties for va rying d egrees
of hard ness and tou gh ness and w ith
sp ecific shap es. H igh cost restricts the
u se of these abrasives to special
clean ing a p p lications, and they m u st
be recycled to be econ om ical. The
m ain ad vantages of u sin g synth etic
abrasives are fast cu tting cap ability
and nonrusting of the substrate. The
d eg ree of d u sting d u ring blastin g
op erations is low .
(b) Sampling and Testing.—Ab rasive sam p les
shou ld b e retained for fu tu re referen ce in th e
event of coating p roblem s. Sam ples can be
tested an d the resu lts retained to either
confirm or reject abrasives as a p ossible cause
of failu re. Different ab rasives u sed on the
sam e m etalw ork can p rod u ce different
ap p earances. Testing sh ou ld be cond u cted on
the abrasives before use to ensure that the
m aterial d oes n ot conta in conta m inants.
(c) Sampling.— The inspector shou ld record
the m anu factu rer’s brand nam e, batch or lot
num bers, and abrasive type. Abrasive
m aterial should be stored in a dry
env ironm ent an d be clean, u niform in textu re,
an d m oisture free. It is recom m end ed that a
sm all sam p le of each abr asive batch or lot
nu m ber be kep t for futu re referen ce in case
chan ges occu r in the su rface p rofile.
(d) Testing.—Soluble salt concentrations are
typ ically low for m ined m ineral abrasives
(SSPC-A B1, typ e I) and sla g abrasiv es (SSP C-
AB1, typ e II) th at are air coo led or qu en ched in
p u rified w ater. H ow ever, slag abrasives m ay
be qu enched in seaw ater, brackish w ater, or
other salt-contam inated w ater and,
consequ en tly, have a higher solu ble salt
content. A brasiv es w ith high solu ble salt
conten t shou ld n ot be u sed becau se the salts
can con tam inate th e su bstrate d u ring blastin g
op erations and , thu s, cause coating failu re.
M ineral and slag abrasives shou ld be tested for
the p resen ce of soluble salts by a con d u ctivity
m eter. Cond u ctiv ity is th e ionic p rop erty of a
flu id or solid that perm its the passage of an
electric cu rren t. Solu ble salts d issolv ed in
w ater can be m easu red by a cond u ctivity
meter. Condu ctivity meters measure the
cond u ctance of all salts (chlorid es, sulfates,
ferrou s, etc.) in d issolution bu t cann ot d etect a
“sp ecific” salt ion (e.g., th e ch lorid e ion).
Reclam ation specifies that m ineral and slag
abrasiv es are to be in accord ance w ith SSPC-
AB1, an d the stan d ard ’s cond u ctivity
req u irem en t is not to exceed 1,000
m icrosiem en s. Th e ch lor id e-sp ecific ion in
abrasiv es can be tested u sin g a titration kit.
(See ap p en d ix H for test p roced u res.) Testin g
for toxic m eta ls r equ ires la boratory m eth od s.
Certification or analysis of abrasive m aterial
content is available from the man ufacturer.
Althou gh w ater is not consid ered an a brasive,
it is used as a surface pr ep aration m ed iu m for
p reviously coated m etalw ork. Water m ay
contain an excessive am ou nt of solub le salts
that, if left as resid u e on th e p rep ared sur face,
can cause th e coating to blister. The w ater
used in w ater jetting op erations shou ld be
tested for high chlorid e ion levels. (See
ap p end ix I for p roced u res.)
28. Nozzle Blast Pressure.—Reclam ation
d oes n ot req u ire ch eck ing th e b last n oz zle
p ressu re. Ind u stry practice recom m end s that
the blasting p ressur e be m aintained betw een
90 and 100 p ou nd s p er sq u are inch (p si).
Redu ced p ressures can resu lt in a sha llow
su rface p rofile d ep th an d a d im inished blast
rate efficiency. Excessive p ressu res can
increase th e su rface p rofile d ep th .
Con sequ ently, the p rim e coat ma y n ot cover
the peaks of the profile and p inhole failure
m ay result. The critical p oint of p ressu re is at
the blast nozzle, w here p ressur e w ill be low er
th an at th e air com p ressor becau se of h ose lin e
p ressu re losses.

30. Surface Preparation
25
If th e n oz zle blast p ressu re is su sp ect, it is
recomm ended that the inspector request the
coating sup ervisor to check the p ressur e. (See
ap p end ix J for th e p roced u re.)
29. Surface Preparation Methods.—The
follow ing ar e the five basic typ es of su rface
preparation:
• Degreasing.
• H and and pow er tool cleaning.
• Abrasive (w et or dry) cleaning.
• Water jetting or pressure cleaning.
• Chem ical stripp ing.
There are sev eral stand ard s d escribing the
above m ethod s; how ever, Reclam ation h as
ad op ted SSPC an d join t N ACE/ SSPC su rface
p rep aration stand ard s. Th e in sp ector sh ou ld
ensure that the app licable standard s are
av ailable on th e jobsite. After su rface
p rep aration , clean liness shall be based on the
sp ecified stand ard 's cleaning requ irem ents.
Visu al stand ard s by SSPC an d join t
N ACE/ SSPC ar e a su p p lem en t to a id in
d eterm ining cleanliness bu t are n ot th e sole
con firm ation requ irem en t. Surface
p rep aration stand ard req u irem en ts sh all
govern w here surface prep aration and visu al
stand ard s conflict. Th e follow ing are th e SSPC
and joint N AC E/ SSPC su rface pr ep aration
stand ard s, in increasin g ord er of cleanlin ess.
An abbreviated su m m ation is provid ed for
each su rface prep aration stand ard an d the
correspon d ing visua l stand ard to be u sed .
(a) SSPC-SP1: Solvent Cleaning.—Solvent
clean ing is used to rem ove grease, oil, d irt,
d raw ing an d cutting com p ou nd s, and other
contam inants by solven t w iping, w ater
w ashing, cleaning com p oun d s, and steam
cleaning. This procedu re is a prerequ isite for
all other su rface p rep aration m ethod s excep t
N ACE 5/ SSPC-SP12 (w ater jetting) and
N ACE 6/ SSPC -SP13 (con crete su rfaces). The
reason for solvent cleaning is that
contaminants left on the surface can be
im p acted into th e su bstrate su rface d u ring
p rep aration u sing other m ethod s (listed
below ), resulting in p oor adh esion and
p rem atu re failure.
(b) SSPC-SP2: Hand Tool Cleaning.—H and
tools are u sed to rem ove loose m ill scale, loose
ru st, loose coatings, w eld flu x, w eld slag, or
w eld spatter by brushing, sanding, chipp ing,
or scrapp ing. Tightly ad hering ru st, m ill scale,
and p aint are allow ed to rem ain. The use of
han d tools is generally confined to sm all areas,
sm all rep air areas, or sm all in accessible areas.
The visual stand ard is d eterm ined by
com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 3 reference
p hotog rap hs.
(c) SSPC-SP3: Power Tool Cleaning.—Pow er
tools are u sed to rem ove loose m ill scale, loose
ru st, loose coatings, w eld flu x, w eld slag, or
w eld sp atter. Tigh tly ad hering ru st, m ill scale,
and coating are allow ed to rem ain if they
cann ot be rem oved by lifting w ith a d u ll p u tty
knife. The requirem ents of this method are
sim ilar to SSPC-SP2, excep t that, with p ow er
tools, larger areas can be cleaned m ore
efficiently. The visua l stand ard is d eterm ined
by com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 3 reference
p hotog rap hs.
(d) SSPC-SP15: Commercial Grade Power
Tool Cleaning.—Pow er tools are u sed to
rem ove all grease, oil, dirt, d u st, mill scale, ru st
coatings, oxid es, corrosion byp rod u cts, and
other foreign m atter that are visible w ithou t
m agnification, except that rand om stains are
allow ed on 33 percent of each 9-inch square
area. Stain s m ay con sist of ligh t shad ow s, light
streaks, and m ild d iscoloration cau sed by r u st,
m ill scale, and p reviou s ap p lied coatings.
Sligh t residu es of rust an d p aint are allow ed to
rem ain at the bottom of corr osion p its,
p rovid ed th at the original su bstrate w as p itted .
Th is stan d ar d requ ires a m inim u m su rface
p rofile of not less than 1 m il be retained or
p rod u ced . Cu rrently, there is no visu al
reference photograph s for this standard .
(e) NACE 4/SSPC-SP7: Brushoff Blast
Cleaning.—Brush-off blast cleaning em ploys
abrasive blasting to rem ove all grease, oil, d irt,
d u st, loose m ill scale, loose ru st, an d loose
coatings that are visible w ithou t m agnification.
Tightly ad hering ru st, m ill scale, and coa tin gs
are allow ed to rem ain if they cannot b e

31. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
26
rem oved by lifting w ith a d u ll p u tty knife.
Th e v isu al stand ar d is SSPC-VIS 1 reference
p hotog rap hs.
(f) NACE 8/SSPC-SP14: Industrial Blast
Cleaning.—Ind ustrial blast cleaning em ploys
abrasive blasting to rem ove all visible grease,
oil, d irt, and d u st that are visible w ithou t
m agnification . Traces of tightly ad hering m ill
scale, ru st, an d coating residu e are allow ed to
remain on 10 percent of each 9 inch square
area, p rovid ed th at the d istribu tion is even.
Traces of ru st, m ill scale, and coatings are
allow ed to rem ain if they cannot b e rem oved
by lifting w ith a d u ll p u tty knife. Shad ow s,
streaks, and d iscolor ation cau sed by ru st, m ill
scale, and previously app lied coatings are
accep table. The visua l stand ard is d eterm ined
by com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS1 referen ce
p hotog rap hs.
(g) SSPC-SP8: Pickling.—Pickling rem ov es all
m ill scale and ru st that are visible w ithou t
m agn ification, by chem ical reaction (acid b ath )
or electrolysis (anod ic electrical curren t) or
both . Acceptan ce criteria are to be established
betw een contr acting p arties.
(h) NACE 3/SSPC-SP6: Commercial Blast
Cleaning.—Com m ercial blast cleaning em ploys
abrasive blasting to rem ove all grease, oil, d irt,
d u st, m ill scale, ru st, coatings, oxid e, corrosion
byprod ucts, and other foreign m atter that are
visible w ithou t m agn ification, excep t for
rand om staining. Staining m ay consist of
light shadow s, slight streaks, or m inor streaks
cau sed by ru st, m ill scale, or p rev iou sly
ap p lied coatin gs. At lea st tw o-third s of each
9-inch-squ are area sh all be free of all v isible
resid u e, and only the ab ove-m entioned
staining m ay be p resent in th e rem aind er of
the area. The visual stand ard is d eterm ined by
com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 1 reference
p hotog rap hs.
(i) NACE 2/SSPC-SP10: Near-white metal blast
cleaning.—N ear-w hite m etal blast cleaning
em p loys abrasive blasting to rem ove all grease,
oil, d irt, d u st, m ill scale, ru st, coating s, oxid e,
corrosion b yp rod u cts, and other foreign m atter
that are v isible w ithou t m agn ification, excep t
for rand om staining. Staining m ay consist of
light shadow s, slight streaks, or m inor streaks
cau sed by ru st, m ill scale, or p rev iou sly
ap p lied coa tin gs. A t least 95 p ercen t of each 9-
inch-squ are area sh all be free of all v isible
resid u e, and th e rem aind er of the area sh all
hav e on ly th e ab ov e-m en tioned staining. The
visual stand ard is determ ined by com p arison
to SSPC -VIS 1 referen ce photog rap hs.
(j) NACE 1/SSPC-SP5: White Metal Blast
Cleaning.—Wh ite m etal blast cleaning em ploys
abrasive blasting to rem ove all grease, oil, d irt,
d u st, m ill scale, ru st, coatings, oxid e, corrosion
byprod ucts, and other foreign m atter that are
visible w ith ou t m agnification . The resu ltin g
blasted su rface is generally a un iform gray-
w hite color. Variation in color cau sed by steel
typ e, original su rface cond ition, steel
thickness, w eld m etal, m ill or fabrication
m ark s, heat treatm ent, heat-affected zon es,
blasting abr asives, or d ifferences in blast
p attern is accep table. Th e v isu al stand ard is
d eterm ined by com p ariso n to SSPC-VIS 1
referen ce photog rap hs.
(k) NACE 5/SSPC-SP12: Surface Preparation
and Cleaning of Steel and Other Hard Metals
by High- and Ultra-Pressure Water Jetting Prior
to Recoating.—H igh- or ultra-high w ater jet
blastin g em p loy s w ater blastin g to rem ov e all
grease, oil, dirt, d u st, mill scale, ru st coatings,
oxid es, corrosion b yp rod u cts, and other
foreign m atter that are visible w ithou t
m agnification . Rem ov e n on visible solu ble
salts to allow able lim its that require p hysical
testing to ver ify. The stand ard d efines the
follow in g fou r d ifferent w ater p ressu res:
(1) low -p ressu re w ater cleaning at less that
5,000 p si; (2) high-p ressu re w ater cleaning at
5,000 to 10,000 psi; (3) high -pressu re w ater
jettin g at 10,000 to 25,000 psi; an d (4) ultrahigh-
p ressu re w ater jetting at greater than
25,000 psi. The d egree of cleanliness is d ivid ed
into tw o categories: visible contam inan ts and
no nv isible con tam inan ts. Visible contam inan ts
are su bd ivid ed into fou r classifications,
d esignated W J-1 thr ou gh W J-4 (WJ-1 is the
clean est) on the b asis of allow able visible ru st,
coating s, m ill scale, and foreign m atter
verified w ith ou t m agnification . N on visible
contam inants are su bd ivid ed into three
classifications, d esignated SC-1, SC-2, an d SC-3

32. Surface Preparation
27
(SC-1 is th e cleanest) on th e b asis of allow able
solu ble chloride ions, iron-solu ble salts, or
su lfate ions. Th e v isible and non visible
allow able contaminant levels are specified by
the d esignation W J-x/ SC-x; “x” ind icates the
specified d efinition n u m ber. The visual
stand ard w ill be d eterm ined by com p arison to
SSPC -VIS 4/ N ACE 7 referen ce photog rap hs.
Reclam ation sp ecifies W J-2/ SC-2 for all
im m ersion serv ice exp osu res.
W ater jettin g can not p rod u ce a su rface p rofile
w ithou t the ad d ition of abrasives into the jet
flow and , therefore, is not specified for
su rfaces w ithou t a sur face p rofile, e.g., new
constru ction steel. Reclam ation sp ecifies this
stand ard only for pr eviou sly coated sur faces
that h ave an existing sur face p rofile.
Th is is an excellent m ethod for rem ov ing old
p aint and contam inants u sing only p ressur ized
w ater. Water jetting equipm ent can be
vacuu m shroud ed to prevent spray and have
in-line filters to separate out old p aint and
contaminants. Som e man ufacturers are
exp erim enting w ith injecting abrasives into the
w ater-jet stream th at w ou ld be cap able of
p rod u cing a su rface p rofile.
30. Photographic Inspection Standards.—
The inspector shou ld inspect the surface before
an d after sur face p rep aration to evaluate
clean liness. SSPC an d N ACE/ SSPC stand ard
visual reference ph otograp hs are a
sup plemental aid to evaluating cleanliness but
ar e n ot intend ed as a su bstitu te for su rface
clean liness requ irem ents d efined in the
surface pr ep aration stand ard u sed. The reason
for insp ecting th e su rface before su rface
p rep aration is that d ifferent d egrad ations on
th e sam e steel su rface (e.g., heavy m ill scale
w ith ligh t and heav ily ru sted areas) w ill have a
d ifferent app earance after using the sam e
su rface p rep aration m ethod . Thu s, steel
surfaces that are acceptably clean w ill app ear
d ifferent, d ep end ing on the initial steel
cond ition an d the sur face p rep aration m ethod
em p loyed . Below are the v isu al reference
stand ard s for abrasive blast cleaning, han d and
p ow er tool cleaning, w ater jet cleaning, and
w et ab rasiv e b last cleaning.
Th is is an excellent m ethod for rem ov ing old
p aint and contam inants u sing only p ressur ized
w ater. Water jetting equipm ent can be
vacuu m shroud ed to prevent spray and have
in-line filters to separate out old p aint and
contaminants. Som e man ufacturers are
exp erim enting w ith injecting abrasives into the
w ater-jet stream th at w ou ld be cap able of
p rod u cing a su rface p rofile.
(a) SSPC-VIS 1: Visual Standard for Abrasive
Blast Cleaned Steel.—This guid e show s a series
of ph otograp hs of un p ainted carbon steel
before and after abrasive blast cleaning. Below
is an abb reviated exp lanation of the
p roced u res to follow before and after cleaning
the steel. The procedu res are follow ed by an
exam p le.
1. Before abra sive blast cleaning, m atch
the existing su rface con d ition w ith the
“initial con d ition” show n in one of the
p hotograp hic stand ard s. Initial
cond itions (or rust grad es) are
ph otograph s A, B, C, and D and are
d efin ed in section 4.1 of th e stand ard .
Various areas of the surface to be
cleaned m ay m atch on e or m ore initial
cond ition p hotog rap hs.
2. From th e sp ecifications, d eterm ine
the specified surface pr ep aration
stand ard . The surface pr ep aration
stand ard w ill be one of the follow in g:
N ACE 1/ SSPC-SP5, N ACE 2/ SSPC-
SP10, N AC E 3/ SSPC-SP6, or N AC E
4/ SSPC -SP7.
3. From table 1 in the visual stand ard,
select the specified surface pr ep aration
stand ard an d the initial cond ition to
ob tain th e correct p hotog rap hic
designation.
4. Evalu ate the finish ed blast su rface
against the selected p hotog rap h in step
3 ab ov e to d eterm ine if th e su rface
m eets the sp ecified su rface
p rep aration requ irem ents for
clean liness.

33. Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
28
Example: A steel trashr ack has been
delivered to the jobsite uncoated and
stored ou tsid e w ithou t p rotection. The
trashrack is show ing evid ence of un iform
corrosio n and no p itting before coating.
The specified surface pr ep aration m ethod
is N ACE 2/ SSPC -SP10.
Step 1: The existing su rface
ap p earan ce m ost closely rep resen ts
ru st grad e “B.”
Step 2: Table 1 sh ow s th at for su rface
p reparation N ACE 2/ SSPC-SP10 and
ru st grad e “B,” th e finished blast
su rface sho u ld corresp on d to
p hotog rap h B SP10.
Step 3: Evalu ate th e finished blast
su rface ag ainst p hotog rap h B SP 10
to d eterm ine if the su rface m eets
N ACE 2/ SSPC -SP10 cleanliness
requ irem ents.
(b) SSPC-VIS 3: Visual Standard for Power-
and Hand-Tool Cleaned Steel.—Th is gu id e
show s a series of p hotog rap hs of un p ainted
and p ainted carbon steel before an d after
han d - and p ow er-tool cleaning. Below is an
abb reviated exp lanation of the p roced u res to
follow befor e an d after clean ing the steel. The
p roced u res are follow ed by an exam p le.
1. Before hand - or pow er-tool cleaning,
m atch th e existing su rface cond ition
tha t m ost closely rep resen ts the
ap p earance w ith the “initial cond ition”
sh ow n in on e of th e p hotog rap hic
stan d ard s. Initial cond ition s (or ru st
grad es) A, B, C, and D are for
u ncoated surfaces; cond itions E, F, and
G are for p rev iously p ainted su rfaces.
Initial cond itions are d efined in section
4.1 of the stand ard . Variou s areas of
th e su rface to b e clea ned m ay m atch
one or m ore initial cond ition
p hotog rap hs.
2. From the sp ecification s, d eterm ine the
specified surface pr ep aration
stand ard . The surface pr ep aration
stand ard w ill be one of the follow in g:
SSPC -SP2, SSPC -SP3, or SSPC-SP11.
3. Reclam ation allow s the con tractor to
chose the typ e of han d or p ow er tool
to accom p lish th e w or k. Determ ine
the type of tool to be used from the
contractor. The follow ing d esigna tion
cod es are u sed in the stan d ard to
identify v ariou s ha nd an d p ow er too ls:
SP2: Hand w ire brush.
SP3/ PWD: Pow er wire brush.
(Reclam ation d oes not perm it rotary
p ow er w ire bru shing because the tool
has th e ten d ency to bu rn ish or p olish
the m etal surface, thu s removing any
existing su rface p rofile.)
SP3/ SD: Po w er sand ing d isc.
SP3/ N G: Pow er needle gun.
SP11: Pow er rotary flap p een or
need le gu n (to p ro d u ce a su rface
p rofile).
SP11/ R: Pow er tool using n onw oven
d isks (to resto re existin g su rface
p rofile).
4. From table 1 in the visual stand ard,
select the specified surface pr ep aration
stand ard an d the initial cond ition to
ob tain th e correct p hotog rap hic
designation.
5. Evaluate th e finished han d or p ow er
tool su rface against the selected
p ho tograp h in step 4 above to
determine if the surface meets the
specified surface pr ep aration
requ irem ents for clean liness.
Example: An existing coated rad ial gate
requires spot repairs. The coating h as
d eterior ated or p eeled off in sm all
localized areas, and rust is evid ent but
there is no visible pitting . The sp ecified
su rface p rep aration m ethod is SSPC -SP11,
and the contractor used a needle gun.