Lesson 1 - Modern Marvels Paint

The Wonder's of Paint 

The History channel show cased an episode on Modern Marvels focused on Paint. This episode explained the discovery of paint from over 30,000 years ago to the paint we use everyday in our homes. 

The episode was not the most intriguing video I have watched in my life but it was very informative. Starting with the 3 basic components of paint; resin, pigment and solvent. Resin is a binder or glue, pigment is always a solid, either ground up minerals or complex carbon based chemicals. Finally, a solvent helps paint smooth out such as water. From the limestone hills of southern France with cave paintings depicting hunting scenes to the advances of Egyptians those three basic components are the steady evolving and changing with technology.


The Seine at Asineres (1879) - Pierre - Auguste Renoir
"Impressionist paints were as much a product of the industrial revolution as the steam engine."

As the film moves from country to city to the inside of many factories, the most interesting focus of the film was that everything in our lives is covered by paint, if we see it or not, even the inside of a paint can is painted.

" I think the invention of latex paint, probably the single most important break through of the history of paint." - John Kordosh - Product Development MGR Homax Products. 

In the search for synthetic rubber during WWII the discovery was latex resin was found. This discovery solved the problems of bad odor, long drying times and the risk of flammable paint. Paint has had large strides since it's drawings on cave walls and Egyptian tombs. The future of paint is in the hands of those who seek to improve it's quality and performance possibly becoming the first product to inform us the windshield on a bridge. The wonders our minds can think of!