Medium Solid varnishes

Nowadays, in Europe, it has become impossible or very difficult to find an MS type bodywork varnish. MS bodywork topcoats have long been outdated and even prohibited by modern European legislation.

The term "Medium Solid" in English means "average dry matter content". It's basically what's left after the thinners and other solvents have evaporated from the lacquers and hardeners. In the case of MS lacquers, we are talking about a low-end product.

MS varnishes for car and motorcycle bodywork

This term applies to all paints (matt base, lacquers and transparent finishes).
Since directive 2004/42/EC, passed in 2004 and implemented in 2 stages (2007 and 2010) , this type of paint or finish is no longer manufactured or sold (well almost because we will see that there are some specialties that benefit from a straight pass).

MS varnishes are in any case mediocre, polluting varnishes, which no longer have their place in Europe, in the competitive field of modern high-performance varnishes. We still have the chance to find some in certain countries of the Maghreb or Africa.

A poor covering power

MS varnish contains more thinner than resin and can have a VOC rate of up to 600g/L. Clearly, it's water...! This means that once applied to a bodywork, this beautiful shiny layer would be reduced in a few minutes, after drying, to a poor dry layer, not very shiny, and too thin to hope to level out defects.

Discover : UHS BS830 bodywork clearcoat, its hardener and thinner.

MS : exceptions to the rule

This defect of lack of thickness, of "lack of body", nevertheless brings an unexpected and quite important advantage :
It is indeed absolutely necessary to have MS-type bases in body paint systems, because they are used to make metallic and pearlescent paints.
It is precisely in very thin paint layers that the flat pigments can be optimally positioned, "flat".

HS varnish
UHS varnish
Quick-dry varnish
Bodywork varnish spray
Ceramic varnish
How to maintain the shine a bodywork varnish ?