Borchi® Dragon is a high-performance, organometallic ligand paint catalyst for systems containing high solids, long oil alkyd resins. This solution is cobalt-free. 
Regulations are becoming increasingly stringent for coatings around the world. According to the Cobalt Institute, cobalt toxicity is being questioned by regulatory agencies around the world. This metal is often used as a paint catalyst and drier. For example, the European Union has proposed stricter Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs), 0.01 mg/m³ for particles that can be breathed in through the nose and mouth, and 0.0025 mg/m³ for finer particles that can reach deeper into the lung. The U.S. EPA has prioritized Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds for risk assessment and possible regulatory reclassification.
As Borchi® Dragon is designed to be cobalt-free, this paint catalyst provides performance benefits and can help future-proof against cobalt regulatory scrutiny compared to metal carboxylate alternatives. VOCs have been a concern for some time in household products such as paint.
Borchi® Dragon Low VOC is a cobalt-free high-performance catalyst option that only contains 2% VOC content (ASTM D2369) for solventborne and solvent-free alkyd formulations.
Borchi® Dragon provides a wide range of performance benefits in paints. These include faster dry times, non-yellowing performance, complexity reduction, and storage stability. This product requires minimum dependency on through driers. Hardness is comparable to cobalt-containing solutions. Borchi® Dragon works well in both standard and adverse conditions. It extends coatings season windows and prevents wrinkling from over-application in hot weather.
Borchi® Dragon is ideal for use in architectural, wood, and general industrial end-use applications. In high solids white enamel architectural coatings, Borchi® Dragon provides brighter whites and enhanced through dry performance compared to cobalt. 
Cobalt Containing Borchi® Dragon
Borchi® Dragon provides brighter and cleaner whites compared to cobalt-containing catalysts in high gloss white enamels
Through Dry Time Comparison Under Standard and Adverse Conditions
0.5% Borchi® Dragon provides better through dry times in standard and adverse conditions compared to cobalt-containing and alternative cobalt-free catalysts in high gloss white enamels
When used in clear standard varnish wood finishes, Borchi® Dragon prevents thick film build. It also prevents the coating from turning yellow over time. 
Cobalt Containing Borchi® Dragon
Wrinkling from over-application is prevented with the use of Borchi® Dragon
Yellow Value (b*)
Non-yellowing in clear varnishes is enhanced with the use of 1% Borchi® Dragon compared to cobalt-containing catalysts
Borchi® Dragon also provides outstanding wet adhesion, corrosion resistance, and dry times in high gloss black direct-to-metal (DTM) industrial coatings.
Cobalt Containing Borchi® Dragon
Borchi® Dragon provides better wet adhesion than cobalt containing catalysts in high gloss black DTM coatings
Cobalt Containing Borchi® Dragon
300 hours NSS
Borchi® Dragon provides better scribe creep and reduced delamination compared to cobalt-containing catalysts
Borchi® Dragon is great for use with Borchi® Shield MEKO-free anti-skinning agent for skin prevention in high solids and long oil coating systems with reduced VOCs.
| Appearance | Brown to amber liquid |
| Viscosity | Max. 100 mPa·s (informative) ISO 3219 (A) (20 °C) |
| Density | Approx. 0.88 g/cm3 (informative) ISO 2811-2 (20 °C) |
All resin systems are unique and will require the level of Borchi® Dragon to be optimized for the best cost and dry performance. We recommend using a ladder study starting at 0.5 % up to 3 % of Borchi® Dragon as supplied on resin solids. Optimized dosage must be determined as excessive Borchi® Dragon could reverse dry performance. Borchi® Dragon should be added as one of the last ingredients before the Anti-Skinning agent.
Protect from the effects of weathering and store at temperatures between 5 and 30 °C. Color of product varies on storage.
Please refer to our safety data sheet for information relating to product safety.
For chemical inventory status, please review section 15 of the current SDS.
Click here to access the SDS portal.
For additional regulatory information, please contact regulatory@milliken.com.
