How do you get a license to buy/use automotive paint?

P

Pchrosto

New member
Hi everyone!

I'm new to this forum and fairly new to painting cars, bikes, etc. I've dabbled with spray painting things off and on for many years, and decided to get serious in cutom painting as a hobby. I have a nice setup at my home and am practicing with House of Kolor paint, and I'm loving it!

Now my question: I've read that the EPA wants to ban the sale of automotive paint to anyone without a license. I've searched all over the Internet looking for the requirements needed to get an automotive paint license in Wisconsin and have had no luck whatsoever. Either I'm looking in the wrong places, asking the wrong questions, or the license is so secretive that you have to belong to an underground society to be able to obtain one! ;)

So... how would I go about getting a license that will allow me to be able to keep buying HOK paint in the future as a hobbiest??

Thanks, all!!

Pete
 
T

TAZ

Guest
Hey Pete,
Welcome to the CPF!

I'm not for sure on the license thing, but if I had to guess, it would be that you had to be a licensed auto body shop. Meaning you are a legit paint and body business that has a certified spray booth, and all applicable city licenses along with all the other bs stuff you need to be a legit bodyshop (possibly explosion proof cabinets, mixing room...). I don't think it has to do with just an individual getting a paint license....again, not for sure on this.
 
P

Pchrosto

New member
Thanks, this is a great forum! I'm getting a lot of good tips, which I will try to store in my head to be able to use when I have paint gun in hand!

So, then, if you are correct - and I am going to assume that you are - and the EPA has its way, all of us hobbyists are going to be banned from buying HOK, PPG, etc. paint in the next year or so. I guess I just don't understand the reasoning; the primers, base coats, etc. are all heavy materials, and the overspray just falls to the floor when using an HVLP gun. And what about the clears that contain the isocyanates? That stuff will become airborne, but the MSDS sheet says that it becomes basically harmless once dispersed into the open air.

So... we all go to water based paint, I suppose. But then what do you top coat the paint with if you can't buy automotive clear??

Frustrating when you get into a hobby that you enjoy, only to have some other organization put the reins on it....

Thanks for the reply!

Pete
 
T

TAZ

Guest
Most likely it's to keep all the hobbyists and guys that do it o the side from running commercial business out of their garage, home, backyard...Sometimes a personal job leads to doing friends jobs, then to do other peoples jobs. So I guess this is their way of eliminating this.

From my experience painting, Overspray makes a huge 'cloud' and goes everywhere air goes until of course it lands on something (like my cars :sillyme:)
And also from what I have gathered since isocyanates came out in the hardeners, that these are in fact bad for you and the environment. Maybe someone did some tests and found that they were not bad though.
 
F

flamepain

New member
how much impact to the environment do us little guys have when compared to the large auto makers.they pic on us for a very simple reason.we cant defend ourselves.cyas
 
P

Pchrosto

New member
The EPA has not passed the law yet, but it is coming. If you go on some of the automotive paint sites, some paint manufacturers have already forbid sales over the Internet. For example, go to www.carpaintdepot.com and check out the PPG and paints other than HOK. You will see that you now have to fill out an application to buy paint over the Internet ONLY if you are a Chicago resident, because that is where the seller is located. HOK has not placed that restriction yet, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time. And, unfortunately, this is how it all begins....
 
B

bgd73

New member
TAZ said:
Hey Pete,
Welcome to the CPF!

I'm not for sure on the license thing, but if I had to guess, it would be that you had to be a licensed auto body shop. Meaning you are a legit paint and body business that has a certified spray booth, and all applicable city licenses along with all the other bs stuff you need to be a legit bodyshop (possibly explosion proof cabinets, mixing room...). I don't think it has to do with just an individual getting a paint license....again, not for sure on this.
Click to expand...

I am just a regular person that walks in to my local shop, gets paint codes mixed, and two part urethanes...the license stuff must be for business, who buys it must be vague to sellers as well. Although VOC per state may have something to do with it, everything modern is very low. I am not sure just guessing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top