Thinking of mixing my own custom color

Arrowhead

Arrowhead

Oldtimer
Up to now all my paint jobs have been based on a color code or one of the spi base colors so ive just ordered the base pre mixed. I have specific color in mind for my personal project but can't find a factory color I like. There are a couple of hok colors that are close but I've never mixed my own before plus I've heard stories that hok isn't a durable or that it fades. Any thoughts on hok or other alternatives?
 
The old Lacquer would get brittle over time (as all lacquers would) but urethane HOK is very durable, The main issue people have had with fade is if a low quality clear is used, or if a good clear is used but gets cut n buffed so much that there is not much clear still there for UV protection. The Kandy mid coat can fade faster then pigment if not enough film build over it.
 
hok fading is a bad rap it got decades ago and its not really true...sort of. hok has been known for many years for their dye candies. these do fade easier than pigment colors but to group hok as a whole as a product that fades is just not accurate. only the candy dyes fade. the rest of all their products are no different than any other paint mfg. most of that major paint mfg have candy dyes in some type of custom line and all those fade just the same. there is nothing special about hok though either. i can take almost any color they have and go to my wanda rack and mix it. all their metallic and pearl colors are just formulations like anything else. other than the special effect stuff, hok doesnt have any special pigments that none of the other majors have.

mixing your own color is not an issue but like crash said, you need to make an accurate weighed formula that you can repeat. almost every color i have sprayed over the years, i have formulated myself. rarely do i use a color code from a car. also a little note on hok, if you like a color of theirs or want to mix a couple of their colors together to make or tweak the color to your liking, dont expect in 5-10 years that those colors will be available to mix again. hok discontinues colors colors and paints all the time.
 
Most paint stores should have color chips that go by color and shades. These are not the chips that have codes for cars trucks etc. These are by color and shades. I think axalta ones are called spectra master. Transtar has their own also. I've used these several times for semi trucks buses etc. Friend used them to match a color on a older car. These colors will have a code that you can refer to later. Easier than trying to formulate your on.
 
Mixing your own custom color. I've done this a number of times in my 48 years of mixing and spraying cars. If you have a mixing system, I would say go for it. It will take a lot of time and a lot of spraying test panels and evaluating. If you don't have a mixing system to play with, I would recommend looking through all the color chip books you can find. In the last 50 years, almost any color that can be mixed has been formulated somewhere. Good luck. ~BOB
 
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