 Back to Archive
The Auto Painting Tips Newsletter
With Chris Curwen & Expert Auto Painter - Dave Gage (Car Cosmetics) Sept 18th, 2007 - Issue 21 In this issue:
Deciding on a New Car Paint Color Choosing between new car paint colors for a complete car respray might not be quite such a straightforward task. As we mentioned in Issue 20, the days of walking into auto paint stores and simply asking for a quart of blue or red paint are long gone. Today, there are easily more than 600 shade variations of red car paint color and if not more of blue, so as a customer you must be a lot more specific. You will need to pick out certain car colors from a car paint color chart, car paint color chips from any number of color catalogs or you may even have a particular car color paint code number available. Indeed most other car colors have as many shade variations, so either way you will have to be prepared. One way which may help you decide between the many hundreds of different car paint colors is to visit local automobile dealerships. When you find a car or truck with a car paint color that you like, take note of the numeric car color paint code and take it to your local auto paint store where the staff there should be able to match the color. Please refer to Issue 17 for information on where you can locate the car color paint code on any vehicle. In place of the actual car color paint code, proper paint mixing formulas may be located on computer files with the year, make and model of mostly any newer vehicle. You will be able to confirm particular car paint colors by comparing this information with the corresponding car paint color chips from paint color catalogs. Custom Paint Finishes Along with choosing between new car paint colors, you may want to investigate special custom paint additives. Metallic Spray Paint Metallic spray paint has improved since its culmination in the 1960s. Now, instead of large, bold flakes giving prominence to a car body, you can add doses of tiny metallic flakes to make otherwise bland car colors light up to magnificent and brilliant finishes. You may have seen a new car paint finish include tiny metallic flakes, this is quite common among a large number of newer vehicles. Metallic spray paint is often available as an optional extra on the base price of the vehicle. You can see metallic spray paint finishes firsthand on vehicles at almost any new car dealership or on car paint color chips at auto paint stores. Pearlescent Paint Pearlescent paint additives are another means by which you can make a solid color look customized. In the past, auto painters would use fish scales to give stock car paint colors a pearlescent appearance, making them look different shades when viewed from different angles. Essentially, a vehicle that might appear yellow when viewed straight on, may offer an orange shade when seen from a slightly different angle. The pearlescent paint additives of today are made by applying oxide pigments to milaceous iron oxide (mica) or aluminum. These tiny chips are painted on one side, while remaining clear on the other. Depending on the pearl color selected and the angle of light reflection from a standing viewpoint, these paint jobs can offer truly unique appearances. With improvements in pearlescent paint products and stricter standards, they are now easier to blend for spot paint repairs compared with a few years ago. In the past, it used to be that manufacturers would often advise auto painters to repaint the entire affected side of the vehicle from headlight to taillight. This was so each panel would display identical color shades from all directions and not cause varying degrees between panels or parts of panels. Remember that if you do ever venture into using a pearlescent paint finish, the finish must without doubt be coated with clear coat auto paint for long-term color stability. ******************************************************************************** That's all we have for you this week. Thank you very much for reading. We both hope this issue has been of valued interest to you. COMING NEXT ISSUE: Help for those people who can't decide whether to paint their own vehicle or simply hire a professional. Don't Miss This One! Happy Painting! Chris Curwen & Dave Gage www.LearnAutoPainting.com © 2007
LearnAutoPainting.com
|