Car Paint Company

In automotive paint, what is an activator used for?

I'm relatively new to painting, but I have a couple nice paint jobs to my name completed so far. (My perfectionist nature helped that) I'm familiar with most popular paints, reducers and hardeners, but today I noticed some paint in a local NAPA that came with an activator in a bottle. What exactly is the activator for? The label on the back just told how to add it to paint, not to drink it, etc,.. Thanks

Public Comments

1. Was it an epoxy paint? The activator is needed for the paint to cure. Most paints cure by solvent evaporation. Some cure by chemical reaction either with an activator or catalyst and others react with exposure to air.