BASF's Onyx HD waterborne paint marketed for customers of R-M Diamont

BUENA PARK, Calif. — The BASF training center here has been bustling recently with standing-room-only crowds of industry professionals who are coming to the facility to learn about BASF’s R-M® Onyx HD paint line. R-M Onyx HD was developed to replace the solventborne R-M Diamont line, currently used in many California shops.

BASF recently launched its line of R-M waterborne paints in California, allowing auto body shops to accomplish the legislated conversion from solventborne to waterborne paint systems.

Regional training manager Jess Ramirez, AAM, regularly conducts daylong sessions demonstrating the use this newly released product. During these training sessions, Ramirez says he hears concerns that the transition to waterborne paints will be an expensive proposition. These worries are unfounded because in most cases, no significant new equipment is required, he says.

Ramirez suggests that when planning for a changeover to waterborne, shop owners should check their paint booths, making sure all hoses and vents are properly functioning and that proper airflow is maintained. If these things are in order, there is no need for a wholesale change-out of paint booths, he says. He also reminds attendees that the industry has experienced wholesale replacement of refinishes in the past, for example, when the industry converted from acrylic paints to basecoat products.

BASF has been focused on waterborne training and education and believes hands-on experience is critical during the process. Ramirez demonstrated to trainees how easily the paint is mixed and how quickly it can be applied and dried in existing paint booths. Preparation of the basecoat; filling and cleaning of the spray gun; spot blending two fenders; and waiting for drying took under an hour. In fact, the formal part of the seminar ended early, allowing participants additional time to interact with Ramirez and BASF Representative Dave Brez.

Randy DeWitt of FinishMaster Inc., traveled from Palm Springs, Calif., to attend this training. “It is beneficial to be here and find out what is in store for our customers as shops switchover to waterborne paint,” says DeWitt.

Training session participant, Skip Wier, also from FinishMaster Inc., liked the new packaging of BASF’s waterborne system. R-M Onyx HD tints are distributed in standard metal containers, which is possible because the tints do not contain water. The water enters the system through a mixing clear and a reducer during the formula weigh up. BASF officials say this unique chemistry eliminates concerns about product freeze-thaw during transport and storage as only three products in the line contain water.

Additionally, the toners contain a very high concentration of pigment in a small package. These smaller packages take up less storage space, allowing shops to have a wide variety of color on hand.

R-M Onyx HD is aligned with BASF’s COLOR-MAX 2 system. Although no additives are necessary, BASF does offer HB052 Spot Blender Pro for difficult matches and blends.