Flattener for Flop

jcclark

Oldtimer
Have any of you used flattener to help control flop?
I've heard it can help and wondering if flattener would change the color
a little or if it's safe to add and try.
I'm always looking for a little flop control.
DuPont sells a quart of "flop control" for around $100.00
but that's a little much for me, it may just be flattener.
 
Is that like a wet bed? SPI intercoat helps with metallic control. I recently cut my fluid back from 2.5 turns out to 1.5 and everything is working great. Maybe try experimenting with settings.
 
Flattener will lighten the flop on metallic colors, and will also make the metallic stand out more. I think the general rule is up to 10%
 
Is that like a wet bed? SPI intercoat helps with metallic control. I recently cut my fluid back from 2.5 turns out to 1.5 and everything is working great. Maybe try experimenting with settings.

Flop is the orientation of the metallic. I'm not good at explaining it but I'll try. When you look at a metallic and it goes from light to dark or vice versa, that is the "flop" Think of it also as how the metallic "shifts" when viewing it. Flop control comes into play when you have a different amount of flop in the refinish paint versus the OEM paint. When mixing a base it is added as an already factored in ingredient in the formula.
 
I'm saying that a wet bed helps to control the flop by making the surface uniform. Really helps to the flake lay down better. Doing a control coat helps too.
 
I'm saying that a wet bed helps to control the flop by making the surface uniform. Really helps to the flake lay down better. Doing a control coat helps too.

Yes that controls the flop that you have and helps make it uniform. But if what you have flopwise doesn't match the OEM paint that's where the flop control agent (additive) comes into play. You can't change flop with technique or coatings. The flop control agent in mixing systems is what controls what/how the flop is. Which is why JC is asking if flattener can be substituted for flop control agents that you find in mixing systems. That is the only way to change the flop.
 
yes its just flattener. i have used the flop controller right off my mixing rack as flattener in uv clear and single stages.
 
Great advice from everyone, one question that was missed is will it change color; such a small amount is used, I have never heard of that happening
Maybe Jim or Chris could look at a couple of formulas and see what the average percent is.

I think 10% sounds high to me but don't know.
 
A paragraph from an I-Car text book on flop.
Sometimes if I know a flop may be off, I'll switch toners to one that has the same face but lighter side tone.
 

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A wet bed is the application of a clear product, like SPI intercoat, to the area adjacent to the repair. It helps to fill in scratches that may cause metallics to sit weirdly. It's kind of like using a sealer. Creates a nice uniform surface. It can also be added to the base to help with blending when doing the control coat.
 
Great advice from everyone, one question that was missed is will it change color; such a small amount is used, I have never heard of that happening
Maybe Jim or Chris could look at a couple of formulas and see what the average percent is.

I think 10% sounds high to me but don't know.
In Standox, the maximum allowed amount of flop additive (MB 008) is 15%, but I would not assume this could be used for everything, because some products have more solvent in them than others...?
 
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