About to make a sparkly mess

M

mrgunkel

Hi everyone! First post and first try with SPI. I am an avid DIY'r and have some experience painting but by no means am I an experienced painter. I wanted to check my process here since this is my first flake job.

I am painting my bike with Roth Trippin crystal Beth metal flake. The plan is to use SPI epoxy as a sealer mixed 2:2:1. I will let that flash 2-3 hours then hit with 2 coats of SPI black base with proper flash time between. I will wait another 2 hours and tape off the graphics (willie g skull on tanks and tour pack so not much) I am going to spray that in DuPont chromabase silver (I have it and need very little). I will let that flash 30 minutes and pull the tape, then start laying SPI intercoat with the flake in. I hope to lay the flake in 2-3 coats, I will let it flash another hour then lay three coats of SPI universal clear. Let that dry for a few days then wetsand and lay 2 more coats of UV.

Is this sound thinking? Any issues anyone sees? Is the epoxy any more forgiving on the 65 degrees if it's reduced as a sealer? Any suggestions on the amount of flake to add to the intercoat, I will be using a gun with a 2.5 tip, I was going to start with 6 Tbs to a spray able quart and do a test panel.

Any tips or corrections would be much appreciated since I am an amateur at best.
 
Epoxy does not mix 2:2:1.
It is mixed 1:1
So if you mix it for use as a sealer 1:1:1 would give you a 50% reduction which most of us i think use
 
Steves69LS3 said:
Epoxy does not mix 2:2:1.
It is mixed 1:1
So if you mix it for use as a sealer 1:1:1 would give you a 50% reduction which most of us i think use
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Thanks that's helpful information and I will reduce the 50%. the Tech sheet said reduce 5%-50% to use as a sealer so with now experience with the product I was going to go for the middle and reduce 25%.
 
Beobob said:
Have you tried this out on a test panel yet?
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Not yet, my SPI delivery came yesterday. I was honestly only planning on checking intercoat/metallic on a test panel, not the whole process. With all the flash times it would take an entire day to spray a test panel.
 
Sometimes I run into the same scenario and ask myself which would take more time, spraying a test panel or redoing something that didn't look just right. Sometimes there is no easy answer.
 
2:2:1 is the same as 1:1:0.5 or 1:1:25%, and epoxy certainly can be mixed and sprayed at this ratio, it's just that we don't customarily see it expressed this way.
 
Everything seems good to me but if you want my 2 cents, i would not put flake over the skulls too. Thats going to come out odd. You want a black flake background then the skulls on top. Shoot the black base, flake then clear it. Sand smooth, paint skulls and artwork then clear again.
 
Jim C said:
Everything seems good to me but if you want my 2 cents, i would not put flake over the skulls too. Thats going to come out odd. You want a black flake background then the skulls on top. Shoot the black base, flake then clear it. Sand smooth, paint skulls and artwork then clear again.
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Jim C, in general I fully agree with you. But in this case the flake he is using changes colors dramatically depending on the color underneath it. Maybe that's what he is going for? That's why I suggested a test panel. Make sure that's the effect you want before you shoot the whole thing.
 
Jim C said:
Everything seems good to me but if you want my 2 cents, i would not put flake over the skulls too. Thats going to come out odd. You want a black flake background then the skulls on top. Shoot the black base, flake then clear it. Sand smooth, paint skulls and artwork then clear again.
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Beobob you are exactly right.

I did do a test panel (rudimentary) before I decided color scheme and ordered product. I laid down some black I had laying around then alternated stripes of 3 shades of silver, dark blue, and white. Some colors were rattle can because I didn't have a base laying around. I then applied clear and dry sprinkled on the flake. Then laid another coat of clear.

My favorite was flake over both the black and the darkest silver, the second best option was the graphics also done in black but without flake. But I was worried it would be too much of a ghost effect when dark and decided to go with the little more contrast of option 1.

I do appreciate all the feedback, it got cold here so Friday appears to be the day I will start spraying.
 
Well it turned out great the universal clear covered the flake really well. I have a ton of orange peel but the clear went on over 4 coats of flake so that's to be expected. The SPI intercoat carried the flake really well I had 5 TBS of flake to a quart of intercoat. Now wet sanding and a couple finish coats of clear and it will be done.
 
So that is the Crystal Beth over black? That blue color is fantastic. What did the silver come out like? What happens when you sand into the flake? With standard flake you get silver spots. But with a translucent flake I wonder what it looks like?
 
Yeah, that's "Roth Crystal Beth" over SPI black base. My buddy who was at my shop while I was mixing up the first quart kept saying "so your going to put white flake over black and it will be blue?" Then I laid the first coat and came out of the booth and he's looking through the window going wow it's really blue.

I have learned you always have to be flexible, I pulled the backing off the masking film stencils I had made for the graphics, and they cut them too deep with their plotter. They were garbage, so I just laid the clear since I was going to have to wetsanded it flat anyway. I'm now going to go JimC's route and put them over the flake in black. I want the graphics to be subtle I think either option will give me that.

I talked to Barry yesterday he suggested I wet sand with 1000 to prevent from breaking through. So far I haven't and I have the worst pieces done (inner fairing... Darn gauge pods). So not sure what happens when you cut into a flake yet. I'm sure I'll find out tonight or tomorrow.
 
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Might find a spot that's not going to show and sand into the flake intentionally. Just to see what happens. You may find that you can't even see where you cut into the flake. Which would make sanding a ton easier.

I like to start with 320 on a softer block and take just the tops off, follow with 600 carefully by hand getting most of the surface dull. Then another good session of clear, followed by 320 on the block, then 600 on the block. And then it's ready for graphics or final clear.

Keep posting pictures as you go. I am lovin' that blue.
 
Finally getting around to closing out the thread, here it is done.
 
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