They say what is old is new, and for alkyds, that is the case. In last month’s column we covered a bit of history and the chemistry of alkyds. In this column we will discuss how alkyds have changed from high-VOC resins to low-solvent-containing water-based emulsions. While there is a separate area of reactive alkyds for baking or two-component systems, here, we will be discussing oxidative-cure ambient temperature systems.
I would like to thank Bruno Dario, Kip Sharp, Juliane Pereira, Fabio Rosa, and Silmar Barrios for their input on alkyd emulsification.