tips for painting metallics

S

ShaunD

I have a 1979 trans am that I am painting. I used spi epoxy, spi 2k, and I will be using prospray lemans blue and then spi universal clear.
Being as I have never painted a car before I am wondering what tips you might have painting metallics. I am also going to be painting the car in pieces as it will be too much for me handle painting everything all at once. I have the fronts and rear nose off, the decklid off and the fronts clip off. The doors are on the car and all aligned. I have heard with metallics you have to paint them a certain way to avoid issues. Any and all tips for newbie would be appreciated as I really dont want to bone this up! Thank you in advance
 
Shaun, what painting experience do you have? (knowing what you have done can help us figure out what advice we can give you)
 
I have used a rattle can before and I have airbrushed models when I was a kid. So basically my paint experience is none. Always wanted to do it so I figured why not give it a go. You learn by doing so here I am.
 
My experience is more with mechanical stuff on a car and parting cars out. I am familiar with tools and finishing work as I used to work as the finish guys in a limo factory. But I only wet sanded and wheeled cars out and did the finish work. I never got a chance to spray them though.
 
Spraying metallic basecoat can be challenging but the secret (if there is just one) is to spray it wet enough for the flakes to remain suspended long enough to orient properly. Use the slowest reducer you can use and still maintain control. Practice on a junk fender first if you can to get a feel for gun speed, distance, and number of coats. Hope this helps. I'm sure others here have something to share.

PS you may want to youtube spraying basecoat just to get an idea how it needs to be done.
 
It is so much easier to show than to explain in words. One mistake a person usually makes when first attempting to shoot basecoat is they usually put it on wet and tend to look for a slick finish-forget that with basecoat. The object is to get evenly applied coats that are wet enough that the overspray doesn't stack up and when it flashes off it will have no shine. Slow reducer allows you to put the base on in lighter coats providing a more even application. It would be good ro practice on some parts first or if you know of any painters that would be willing to let you watch and learn that would be better than just diving in. Shoot the decklid underside first or some areas that aren't as critical to get a feel for how this goes.
 
Good advice there.

Using a good quality paint like Pro Spray will help. If you must do this in pieces then you need to write everything down from the mix ratio, induction time, reducer speed, gun used, fluid and fan settings, distance from panel, % of overlap, number of coats and flash time so that you can duplicate it exactly on each panel. You will also need to try position the panels as they would be on the car (i.e. hood flat, doors upright). Doing this will give you every advantage possible but the actual spraying will make the difference. Don't get heavy with the coats and don't rush your flash times.
Take a look at some of the car pictures on here with just base on them like JeremyB's 1968 Camaro on bottom of page 2 http://www.spiuserforum.com/showthread.php?372-1968-Camaro/page2 Notice how the base looks semi-flat. True it is a solid color but your base should have that same look.

This is a metallic base coat with no clear on it yet:
P1010002-5.jpg


Once you get the practice panels to look right then do as Bob said and shoot the underside of your deck lid, fenders and hood. Those are good spots for learning to shoot clear without running it as well.

Maybe some others will have more to add or even better ideas but this has worked for me in the past.
 
The Le mans blue in pro spray is VERY easy to spray and feel free to call me with gun in hand, to get the adjustments right and distance.
Like pointed out jambs, under deck lids are perfect places to practice.
 
I have an old hood I could shoot some base on to get a feel. I also have a 72 nose cone that could use a coat of paint just to see so I could use either of those. I will take a look on youtube to see what is up. I probably should of started with a solid color but I liked that one so much I couldn't resist. The worst I can do is total mess it up and have it look bad. I will post pictures of my progress and see what you guys think. I appreciate all of your advice.
 
Metallics are where gun settings have to be just right. Make sure the surface that you are practicing on, is as smooth as the surface as you are painting.

I think the best practice is a big hood. Its the most challenging to do without getting stripes or mottle.
 
if you can shoot 2 test days apart and have them match you are good to go. it is called true color. no fog coats or drop coats as they cause more problems than they solve. it will change the tone of the paint.
 
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