WO2000032704A1

WO2000032704A1 - Protective coating

Info

Publication number: WO2000032704A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/028707
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neil R. Wilson; Steven R. Summerfield; Mathew W. Clark; Michael E. Moore
Original assignee: Gage Products Company
Priority date: 1998-12-03
Filing date: 1999-12-03
Publication date: 2000-06-08
Also published as: WO2000032704A8

Abstract

A protective coating for a surface subjected to paint spray comprises an adhesion reducing compound including a low surface energy material and/or a filler along with one or more optional ancillary ingredients such as adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, plasticizers, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof. The present invention also provides a method of removing paint from an article subjected to paint spray using the aforedescribed compositions.

Description

PROTECTIVE COATING

Field of the Invention

This invention is related generally to coatings. More specifically, the invention is related to sacrificial coatings of the type which are used in paint spray facilities to enable the removal of unwanted paint spray from gratings, fixtures and the like.

Background of the Invention

Paint spray facilities such as paint booths and the like include floor gratings which separate the work area of the booth from paint recovery systems located therebeneath. These gratings provide a platform for equipment and for workers to stand on. In a typical system, a flow of air creates paint residues which are drawn through the grates and into the recovery system. In use, the grates become clogged with paint residue, and this narrows the spacing between the grates and inhibits collection of residue. In the course of a typical production week, in an automotive assembly facility, the grates can collect from one-quarter to one-half inch of paint overspray, and this buildup must be removed during regular maintenance operations.

In accord with prior art procedures, grates are removed from the booth and cleaned by use of very high pressure air or water blasting, or by high temperature burning. These processes are both costly and time consuming. It is conventional in the prior art to coat gratings and other surfaces of the paint booth with a protective coating which is comprised of relatively large amounts of a mineral filler, such as calcium carbonate, together with a binder, such as an acrylic resin. This coating has a relatively high adhesion to the steel of the gratings, and built up paint residues are removed through the use of a cleaning system which impinges a high pressure (typically 10,000 psi) blast of water onto the gratings, and mechanically scrubs the gratings with rotating brushes. The high pressure of this system makes it somewhat hazardous to use. In addition, the high pressure creates dust particles, and as a result it is conventional practice to remove the gratings from the spray booth prior to cleaning. Removal of paint through the use of this coating and cleaning system is less than adequate. The coating is relatively hard and has high adherence to the underlying grating; also, the layer of paint adheres tightly to the coating and prevents its removal. As a consequence, the system does not provide for complete removal of paint residues. Furthermore, the coatings of the prior art are typically somewhat chalky; hence, they are easily abraded from the gratings in use, thereby generating dust.

Another need for protective coatings arises in connection with carrier frames. These carriers are steel frames which convey an automotive body through a paint booth and baking oven. These carriers accumulate layers of baked-on paint thereupon, in some instances as much as 1" of paint, and also must be cleaned on a periodic basis. The prior art protective coatings are generally not suitable for use in connection with automotive carriers, since such coatings typically produce significant amounts of dust and, in addition, suffer from the aforedescribed problems associated with high pressure removal.

It will thus be appreciated that there is a need for a protective coating which can be applied to interior surfaces of paint booths, and to automotive carriers, which coating is relatively durable but readily removed by a relatively mild cleaning process and which can be utilized for water-borne, solvent- borne, and/or powder type paints. It is further desirable that any such coating be amenable to a removal process which can be carried out on-site such as at the plant within the paint booth itself. As will be described in detail hereinbelow, the present invention provides a protective coating which has modest adherence to steel, but which can be readily removed by rinsing with a relatively low pressure (10,000 psi or less) stream of water. The coating of the present invention lifts away in sheets when scrubbed with a stream of water. This enables the stream to penetrate beneath the paint deposits, carrying away substantially all of a paint deposit from a grate, carrier or similar article.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein a protective coating for a surface of an article or workpiece subjected to paint spray which comprises an adhesion reducing compound including a low surface energy material and/or a filler along with one or more optional ancillary ingredients such as adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, plasticizers, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof.

Also included within the scope of the present invention is a method of removing paint from an article or workpiece subjected to paint spray, which method involves the use of the aforedescribed compositions.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In accord with the present invention, there is provided a protective coating which can be applied to surfaces subjected to paint overspray to, in general, reduce the adhesion of the paint overspray to the surface subjected to the overspray. In a particular embodiment, the coating is based upon a thermally stable, low surface energy material used in combination with a filler, and with optional auxiliary ingredients. The low surface energy material is defined in the context of this invention as being a material which has a relatively low surface tension generally ranging from approximately 10 dynes/cm² to approximately 35 dynes/cm² and preferably in the range of approximateh- 14 dynes/cm² to approximately 35 dynes/cm². Such low surface energy materials include Teflon and/or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) such as K-20 or K-30 by DuPont, as well as other fluoropolymers. The fiuoropolymers such as Teflon also impart water resistance to the coating. Other low surface energy materials which can be utilized in the present invention comprise common mold release agents, hydrophobic polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, synthetic and natural waxes, esters such as calcium stearate and zinc stearate, minerals coated with mold release agents, mineral oils, and the like. Among natural waxes are paraffin wax and vegetable waxes. Among the synthetic waxes are polyethylene waxes, polypropylene waxes, and oxidized polyethylene and polypropylene waxes. The low surface energy material functions to bind the filler and adhere it to the surface being protected. The low surface energy material may, in some preferred embodiments, comprise a mixture of materials, while in other preferred embodiments it may comprise a single material. In some instances, an auxiliary binder may also be utilized in the composition. This binder need not be a low surface energy material, and may comprise a water soluble polymer such as a water soluble acrylic, a modified cellulose or another such water soluble polymer.

The filler material may comprise a conventionally employed filler such as mineral fillers including calcium carbonate particles with one particularly preferred size range for calcium carbonate particles being 2 to 4 microns such as VICRON 15-15, graphite powder, carbon black, calcium stearate, pumice, barite, silicon dioxide, and aluminum oxide. Another preferred group of fillers comprises glass such as QCEL 1619 or polymeric microspheres such as hollow pellets such as EXPANCEL 551 DE or solid pellets of polypropylene, polyacrylate, polyurethane, aromatic polyamide fiber such as KEVLAR or combinations thereof. It has been found that the spheres tend to decrease the density of the coating and facilitate its removal. Other filler materials such as clays, silica, talc, mineral flour, polymeric particles and the like may also be employed. When used in a coating composition for use when the paint will be dried onto the substrate, it is also preferred that the filler be thermally stable at the drying temperatures.

A fluoropolymer such as Teflon and/or PTFE can be added to the mineral filler at levels preferably ranging between approximately 0.1% to approximately 30%, by weight, to increase cohesion of the dried protective coating to the substrate (e.g., carrier) thereby reducing and/or eliminating chalking or flaking during the life of the coating. The most preferred range of the fluoropolymer added to the mineral filler is between approximately 1% to approximately 10% by weight, relative to a coating with approximately 20%, by weight, of the mineral filler. The compositions of the present invention may also include auxiliary materials such as the aforedescribed auxiliary binders, as well as dispersants, conosion inhibitors such as sodium benzoate, thickeners such as clay-based thickeners such as CARBOPOL EZ-1 or ACRYSOL ASE-60, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, wetting agents such as SURFONIC LF-17, dispersing agents such as ACUSOL 505N polymer, plasticizers such as a non-ionic plasticizer like polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene block polymer (Pluronic 31R1 ) or an ionic plasticizer like a polyalkoxylated amine (MAZEEN) and the like, as is known in the art. In a further embodiment, the protective coating can include a filler material alone which is coated onto the carrier or workpiece to serve as a sacrificial layer which prevents the adhesion of paint directly onto the carrier. The filler material must be able to withstand a temperature of 350°F without decomposing. The filler material can also be combined with the plasticizing agent to permanently or temporarily keep the protective coating tacky and bound to the surface carrier or workpiece thereby reducing chalking or flaking off of the filler material from the carrier or workpiece to prevent contamination of the article being painted.

Carbon black and/or graphite can be used when electrostatic spraying is utilized to prevent grounding of the carrier or workpiece since both are electrically conductive materials.

The precise compositional ranges of the materials of the present invention will depend upon particular applications. However, it has generally been found that the low surface energy material is typically employed in amounts of up to 30% by weight generally from approximately 0.1% to approximately 30% by weight. Use of larger amounts of the low surface energy material unduly increases the cost of the composition, and in some instances, actually decreases its removability. One particularly preferred range for the low surface energy materials is 4-10% by weight. The filler is typically employed in a weight amount of approximately 20-80%, and more typically comprises approximately 20-50% by weight of the composition. Auxiliary ingredients, if employed, generally comprise, as a whole, no more than 5-10% by weight of the composition, and the remainder of the composition typically comprises a water based solvent. With regard to protective coatings which are specifically designed for use with carriers (i.e., paint overspray coated substrates which are subsequently heated to dry the paint) the general formulations of these coatings are set forth in Table A.

Table A

Basic Formulation for the Carrier Protective Coating

The thickness of a protective coating used to reduce the adhesion of paint to a substrate or an automotive carrier generally must be greater than 0J mils dry coating for optimal performance. However, coatings of thickness less than 0J mils also reduce adhesion of paint overspray to a substrate as compared to an uncoated (control) substrate.

Specific experimental data concerning particular compositions of the present invention are set forth below in the Examples section. The various compositions are each identified by a batch number. Experiments measuring the force required to remove various compositions of the present invention from a test plate are also set forth below in the Examples section. As will be apparent from the data in the Examples section, a number of compositions of the present invention for cleaning gratings (see Table 2) and for cleaning earners (see Table 5) combine low cost with ease of removability, high grade protection, and can be used with a variety of paint types including water-borne, solvent-borne, and/or powder type paints.

Two particularly prefened compositions for cleaning gratings are described by batch numbers 1025-80 and 1025-79. It will be noted that the low surface energy material used in both of these compositions comprises a product designated Michem 62330. This is an emulsion of paraffin and polyethylene wax manufactured by Michelman Inc. This composition is applied as an approximately 30% by weight solids emulsion having a pH of 9.4-10.4. In the 1025-80 and 1025-79 compositions, this low surface energy material is present in an approximately 9% by weight amount (based upon dry solids). The 1025- 79 material further differs from 1025-80 material in that it includes approximately 1.5% by weight of PTFE particles therein. This material is present as a dispersion of relatively fine particles sold under the designation K- 30 by the DuPont Corporation. This material functions as an additional low surface energy material and binder.

The filler in the 1025-80 and 1025-79 composition comprises 45% by weight calcium carbonate particles having an average particle size of 3.5 microns. In addition, the composition includes 3.4% by weight of hollow borosilicate glass microspheres. Additional ingredients in these compositions include sodium benzoate which functions as a conosion inhibitor, thickeners, and surfactants. Both of these compositions were field tested in an automotive spray facility, and it was found that, as compared to a standard grate coating of the type previously employed, and as is typified by formula S-956, the preferred coatings of the present invention were readily removed by a 3,000 psi blast of water in half the time of previously employed coatings. Furthermore, the coatings of the present invention were at least 95% removed from the gratings by this low pressure treatment whereas standard coatings of the prior art were only 50% removed.

Examples Example 1 - Grate Coatings Adhesion Test

Method:

Using a dynometer, the force required to remove the coating is recorded in pounds and is summarized on Table 1. The actual force is calculated by dividing the pounds by the surface area contacting the coating. The dynometer tip was a sixty degree cone. The device was set up at a forty-five degree angle to the coating and substrate. Test panels were 4" x 12" steel panel with a grate coating thickness of 0.03". To determine the pounds of force required to remove the coating, the panel was slid under a constant rate of speed into the dynometer. Multiple measurements were taken for each coating system. The cone surface area contacting the coating was 0.000815 inches. The composition or formula of each coating designated by an "Experimental ID" is shown on Table 2. The removal force raw data is shown on Table 3. Table 1

Grate Coating is similar to the competitive formulas.

Data Summary:

Wax Concentration Study using Michem 62330

ID Wax^' Cone. PSI to Remove 1025-65A 3 % wt. 1037

1025-66 5 % wt. 902

1025-65B 7 % t. 1036

1025-65C 9 % wt. 736 Between 7% and 9% by weight of Michem 62330, the force required to remove the coating drops by roughly 30%.

K-30 Teflon Dispersion Study

ID K-30 Cone. PSI to Remove 1025-68C 0 % wt. 822

1025-69A 1.5 % wt. 871

1025-66 2.9 % wt. 902

1025-68B 4.35 % wt. 785

1025-68A 5.8 % wt. 957 1025-76A 9.0 % wt. 1012

The overall trend indicates that as the Teflon concentration is increased, the adhesion also increases. Note: Formula 1025-76A contains no wax binder

(Michem 62330).

Binding Agent Study

ID PSI to Remove

1025-76A 1012

1025-76B 982

1025-76C 951

1025-76D 1258

1025-76E 1227

1025-76F 1350

1025-76F 1902

1025-76G 890

1025-76H 890

1025-761 1860

1025-76J 890

1025-75 A 890

Control S-956 2853 All of the above samples except for S-956 and 1025-76G drastically reduce the adhesion of the coating to the steel substrate. 1025-76G was an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer emulsion from Michelman Inc. This sample was tested to prove that the surface tension of acrylic based polymers increase the adhesion strength of the coating thus requiring more force to remove the coating from the substrate. 1025-76 J is a polypropylene wax emulsion. The polypropylene emulsion is known for producing very hard films and also having a high softening point (157°C). The PSI is significantly lower than the S-956 coating which uses acrylics as binding agents. Sample 1025-76A is a coating using K-30 (Teflon dispersion at 60% wt. Teflon) as the sole binding agent with no wax. This sample did produce a coating that drastically reduced the adhesion strength of the coating to the steel substrate. All other samples were wax-like materials consisting of amide wax, stearate wax, paraffin wax, polyethylene wax, and blends of paraffin and polyethylene wax.

Inert Fillers

ID Filler PSI to Remove

1025-85 QCEL 1619 264

1025-84 Expancel 551 DE 2.7% wt. Not detectable with equipment 1025-61 Expancel 551 DE 1.0% wt. 1000

1025-84 is a formula using QCEL 1619 as the sole filling agent. The purpose of this study is to provide information that the coating can be used with various other filler to produce a usable film. The low PSI required to remove this coating would not provide enough adhesion for booth maintenance workers to walk on without breaking off this protective coating. However, this data indicates that further work could be done to prove that increasing the QCEL 1619 in the base formula 1025-80 or 1025-79 could produce a coating that would remove easier from the substrate.

1025-85 is a formula using Expancel 551 DE as the sole filling agent. The purpose of this study is to provide information that the coating can be used with various other filler to produce a usable film. The film produced did not have the necessary cohesion to be used as a grate coating. The low PSI required to remove this coating would not provide enough adhesion for booth maintenance workers to walk on without breaking off this protective coating. However, this data indicates that increasing the Expancel 551 DE in the base formula 1025-61 could produce a coating that could be more easily removed from the substrate.

Base Formula With and Without K-30 Teflon Dispersion ID % K-30 PSI to Remove

1025-79 1.5 % wt. 736

1025-80 0% wt. 571

This data indicates that Teflon added at small level slightly increases the adhesion of the coating to the steel substrate. Although the Teflon increases the adhesion strength slightly, the addition of Teflon to the coating aids in reducing dust produced when the coating is removed (as seen in Patent Nos.

3,993,584; 3,838,092; 3,838,064). It also leaves a cleaner surface on the steel substrate.

Lightweight Hollow Sphere Additives

ID % wt. Filler PSI to Remove

1025-65C 0% wt. 736

1025-72 A .024% wt. QCEL 1619 693 1025-70A 0.0037% wt. Expancel 551 DE 650 This data shows a slight adhesion reduction when using the hollow spheres as part of the total filler composition with calcium carbonate. It is theorized that the spheres do not allow the calcium carbonate to pack together tightly thus creating a coating that can be removed more easily. Increasing the concentration ratio of hollow spheres to calcium carbonate may reduce the coating cohesion strength even lower than the cunent best performing product formulation (1025-80 and 1025-79).

TABLE 2

Formula Summary

Total % wt. solids 52.22% 53.1 1%

TABLE 2 Formula Sum mar) continued

1025-76a 1025-75A 1025-76B 1025-76C 1025-75A 1025-761 102576J 1025-76G 1025-761- 1025-76D 1025-76F

Total % wt. solids 5516% 5213% 5339% 5339% 5213% 5501% 5411% 5366% 5411% 5411% 5321%

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TABLE 3 Removal Force Summary

Removal Force Summary couliiuicd

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Example 2 - Carrier Coating Adhesion Test:

1) Coating is applied to a 4" x 12" steel panel using a draw down block. Coating thickness will vary between 5 to 30 mils wet.

2) Allow the panel to dry for at least two hours at room temperature before proceeding.

3) Apply paint overspray using a spray gun or dip apply if the paint is a powder coating. Do not apply too much paint on the panel. The goal is to simulate paint overspray. Too much paint will cause the coatings to bubble when baking at 350°F. 4) Allow the panels with paint overspray to flash off at room temperature for twenty minutes.

5) Bake the panels at 350°F for ten minutes. Do not overbake.

6) Allow the panels to cool down.

7) Repeat steps (2) through (5) until ten cycles completed. Use the same sequence of paint applications as the assembly plant would use. Typically, the sequence would be prime, flash off, bake, base-coat, flash off, bake, clear coat, flash off and finally bake to complete one cycle through the paint shop.

8) Scribe an "X" into the center of the panel using a razor blade. The length of each line should be 4" in length.

9) Clamp the panel to the side of a rinse tank.

10) Using a power washer set at 2500 psi and a tip size of fifteen degrees, blast the "X" for sixty seconds. 1 1) Record the results as the percent area of paint overspray removed from the panel.

12) Determine the % removal gravimetrically or visually if close to 100% clean. If the panel cleans completely before sixty seconds of power blasting, record the number of seconds necessary to clean 95 to 100%.

Paints used for the testing above are shown below in the Table 4. The formulations of the coating compositions and the percentage of paint removed for each coating composition is shown in Table 5.

Table 4

TABLE 5

TABLE 5 - continued

TABLE 5 continued

Film Thickness Study:

This study was carried out in order to determine the minimum film thickness of an applied carrier coating necessary to break the adhesion forces of the paint to the substrate (carrier). The two formulations used for this study are listed below in Table 6 and Table 7 with two paint formulations (see Table 8), one of which was a powder coat paint and the other was a solvent-borne paint. Also, the study was undertaken to determine the differences of paint penetration between a liquid solvent-borne primer and a powder coat primer. Table 6 - Formulation 1037-27q

Table 7 - Formulation 1037-33z

Table 8 - Paints Used for the Minimum Film Test

Procedure:

A coating was applied to a 4" x 12" steel panel at 10 mils and 5 mils wet film thickness. Panels were allowed to dry for two hours. Gray powder coating from PPG was applied to the panels by hand. These panels were baked at 350°F for ten minutes then allowed to cool down. This process was repeated three (3) times for the powder coat paint. Another set of samples was prepared using liquid solvent-borne primer from DuPont. Two cycles of paint overspray were simulated and then the panels were baked at 350°F for ten minutes.

Panel Evaluation:

An "X" was scribed into the center of the panel using a razor blade. The length of each line of the "X" was approximately four inches. The paint was then peeled away from the substrate and evaluated for ease of removal and the results are shown in Table 9.

Rating System: 10 being easy to remove, 1 being hard to remove. A rating of 1 would be similar to a control with no carrier coating applied. TABLE 9

Conclusion:

Calcium carbonate is porous and irregular in shape. This irregularity may cause the particles not to pack tightly. The liquid and powder coating paints penetrate to the surface of the substrate and create adhesion. The graphite based coatings appear to pack tightly thus preventing the paint from creating as many anchor sights on the substrate thus making it easier to remove.

Applicant wishes to note at this point that such characterizations are based upon reasonable supposition and speculation, but Applicant is not bound by such speculation.

As will be apparent from the data, other formulations may be readily employed in accord with the present invention. Still other formulations will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art from the foregoing disclosure. It is the following claims, including all equivalents, which define the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A protective coating for a surface subjected to paint spray, said coating comprising: a low surface energy material which functions as a binder and release material; a filler; and optionally, an ancillary ingredient selected from the group consisting of adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, plasticizers, defoaming agents and combinations thereof.

2. The protective coating of claim 1, wherein said low surface energy material is a fluoropolymer.

3. The protective coating of claim 2, wherein said fluoropolymer is polytetrafluoroethylene.

4. The protective coating of claim 1, wherein said low surface energy material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, waxes, and combinations thereof.

5. The protective coating of claim 1, wherein said low surface energy material comprises a wax selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, polyethylene wax, oxidized polyethylene wax, polypropylene wax, oxidized polypropylene wax, and combinations thereof.

6. The coating of claim 1, wherein said low surface energy material is present, by weight, in an amount of up to 30% by weight.

7. The coating of claim 1, wherein said filler is a mineral filler.

8. The coating of claim 1, wherein said filler comprises hollow polymeric spheres.

9. The coating of claim 1, wherein said filler comprises hollow glass spheres.

10. The coating of claim 1, wherein said low surface energy material comprises an emulsion of paraffin and polyethylene wax.

11. The coating of claim 1, wherein said filler comprises calcium carbonate particles having an average particle size of approximately 2-4 microns.

12. The coating as in claim 1, wherein said filler further includes hollow glass microspheres.

13. A protective coating for a surface subjected to paint spray, said coating comprising: a filler stable at 350°F without decomposing; a plasticizer; and optionally, an ancillary ingredient selected from the group consisting of adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof.

14. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said filler comprises a mineral filler.

15. The protective coating of claim 14, wherein said mineral filler is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, pumice, barite, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, glass, and combinations thereof.

16. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said filler comprises an organic compound.

17. The protective coating of claim 16, wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyacrylate, polyurethane, aromatic polyamide, and combinations thereof.

18. The protective coating of claim 16, wherein said organic compound is a solid particle.

19. The protective coating of claim 16, wherein said organic

? compound is a hollow particle.

1 20. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said filler is present,

2 by weight, in an amount ranging from approximately 2% to approximately

3 40%.

1 21. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said plasticizer is

2 present in an amount ranging from approximately 2% to approximately 40%.

1 22. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said filler is

2 graphite.

1 23. The protective coating of claim 13, wherein said filler is carbon black.

1 24. A protective coating for a surface subjected to paint spray, said coating comprising: a low surface energy material stable at 350°F without decomposing; and optionally, an ancillary ingredient selected from the group consisting of adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof.

25. The protective coating of claim 24 including a filler stable at 350°F without decomposing.

26. The protective coating of claim 24, wherein said low surface energy material is a fluoropolymer.

27. The protective coating of claim 24, wherein said fluoropolymer is polytetrafluoroethylene.

28. The protective coating of claim 25, wherein said filler comprises a mineral filler.

29. The protective coating of claim 28, wherein said mineral filler is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, pumice, barite, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, glass, and combinations thereof.

30. The protective coating of claim 25, wherein said filler comprises an organic compound.

31. The protective coating of claim 30, wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyacrylate, polyurethane, aromatic polyamide, and combinations thereof.

32. The protective coating of claim 31. wherein said organic compound is a solid particle.

33. The protective coating of claim 31, wherein said organic compound is a hollow particle.

34. The protective coating of claim 25. wherein said filler is graphite.

35. The protective coating of claim 25, wherein said filler is carbon black.

36. A method of stripping paint from a workpiece, said method comprising the steps of: applying a protective coating to a surface of a workpiece prior to the workpiece being contacted with paint, the composition comprising a paint adhesion reducing material selected from the group consisting of a low surface energy material, a filler material, and combinations thereof, said protective coating composition optionally comprising an ancillary ingredient selected from the group consisting of adhesion promoters, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors, thickeners, surfactants, pH control agents, colorants, plasticizers, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof; drying the protective coating onto the surface of the workpiece; contacting the workpiece with paint; and removing the paint from the painted workpiece by applying water at a pressure ranging from approximately 100 pounds per square inch to approximately 10,000 pounds per square inch.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the water pressure ranges from approximately 2,500 pounds per square inch to approximately 5,000 pounds per square inch.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the water pressure is less than 2,500 pounds per square inch.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein the protective coating disposed on the workpiece has a dry thickness of greater than approximately 0J mils.

40. The method of claim 36 further including the step of drying the painted workpiece at a temperature sufficient to dry the paint prior to said removing step.