Why do I see high end shops painting metallics In pieces?

C

CSG

Promoted Users
I am wondering if there is some knowledge that I am missing. In my quest to learn more about painting I watch a lot of YouTube videos. I see a lot of very high end builds being sprayed with metallics with the cars completely blown apart. Of course this is opposite of what I have been taught. Can someone shed light on how they are able to do this and get matching metallic orientation when I’ve always been told that it is a big gamble to do it that way?
 
Last edited:
I would like to paint my current project in pieces (silver). One reason is that I paint slow & if I paint it assembled I’m not sure I can keep a wet edge everywhere with front / rear bumper covers etc
 
I painted my mustang in pieces ( nightmist blue metalic) and initially had issues with molting and stripping. Several members helped me to resolve those problems. 3 helpful things was consistent gun set up , overlap and intercoat clear .
 
The main issue you can have painting a metallic in pieces is flop issues. Flop is what you see as you are viewing a metallic and changing/ moving your POV you can see the color flop or change. Change isn't the correct term but it looks differently. Generally it's dark to light or vice versa. So if you panel paint say a hood hanging up/down the flop could be off from how it would be sitting on the car. Why you want to orient the parts as close to how they will sit on the car when painting in pieces. If you do that, and paint everything with the same batch of base, same number of coats, same shade of sealer , etc, it will match.
 
Last edited:
Thank you everyone for the replies.

Chris, would that advise hold true if painting at different times or only if doing it all at the same time just in pieces?
 
CSG said:
Thank you everyone for the replies.

Chris, would that advise hold true if painting at different times or only if doing it all at the same time just in pieces?
Click to expand...
Yes. You just need to make sure that you are using the same batch of base. Keep the base well mixed (before reducing to spray), spray the same number of coats, use the same color sealer, same brand and speed reducer, and orient the panels as close as you can to how they will sit on the car. Like I said the main issue is with flop and if you spray it with the panels oriented as they will sit on the car it will keep you from having flop issues.

Critical to mix you basecoat (unreduced, in the can) well each time. By well I mean 5 minutes or so if you don't notice any settling, if you notice settling then 10-15 minutes, scraping the bottom of the can with your stir stick as you stir. Overkill is better than underkill. You always want the base completely mixed and no settling on the bottom of the can.
 
Shine, so are you saying to mix my gallon well & then transfer it into quart containers? What is or what causes color corruption?

Ray, I am assuming that you mixed the intercoat with base. Did you do this for all color coats or just the last? I already did the engine compartment and it came out well so I don’t know if I should try the intercoat or not on the car. My base gun in a DV1-B+ so that may be helping mask some of my mistakes…
 
any toner or metallic left in the bottom of the can during mixing will affect the remaining paint color. the last qrt is useless imho . i shake well then pour into qrt cans. each time i use it i rinse the can with a little reducer. this insures you get it all. i paint in pieces so this is very important.
also easier to work with qrt cans.
 
Shine thats a great point, you could wind up with way more flake in the last mix other wise. are you using metal quart cans or would quart mixing cups with lids work?
 
shine said:
any toner or metallic left in the bottom of the can during mixing will affect the remaining paint color. the last qrt is useless imho . i shake well then pour into qrt cans. each time i use it i rinse the can with a little reducer. this insures you get it all. i paint in pieces so this is very important.
also easier to work with qrt cans.
Click to expand...
If I mix well every time is it really an issue? I can see your point if someone is leaving metallic or toner on the bottom of the can but mixing it thoroughly should solve that right? I've never noticed an issue if I mix completely and keep it mixed shaken often over the course of using up a gallon. I am fairly obsessive about that. I will never have anything settled on the bottom of the can before pouring.

Or is the point that quarts are easier to mix/shake up so it's easier to keep it all in suspension? I can see for newbie's it might be easier but if they are leaving stuff at the bottom of a gallon can, what's stopping them from doing it with a quart as well?
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
If I mix well every time is it really an issue? I can see your point if someone is leaving metallic or toner on the bottom of the can but mixing it thoroughly should solve that right? I've never noticed an issue if I mix completely and keep it mixed shaken often over the course of using up a gallon. I am fairly obsessive about that. I will never have anything settled on the bottom of the can before pouring.

Or is the point that quarts are easier to mix/shake up so it's easier to keep it all in suspension? I can see for newbie's it might be easier but if they are leaving stuff at the bottom of a gallon can, what's stopping them from doing it with a quart as well?
Click to expand...
"each time i use it i rinse the can with a little reducer"
in a shop setting doing an all-over the gal would be shook and used in a day. guy doing it in their garage will take months to use. this is why they have trouble with matches when painting in pieces.

how much metallic does it take to throw off a color?
 
There was a guy I used to follow that did a lot of candies on custom car builds. He would shoot the whole car in pieces. I asked how he managed to do that and it the end result always be consistent. His response was, "Ive been spraying kandy for 25 years". Lol.
 
Vanillagorilla said:
There was a guy I used to follow that did a lot of candies on custom car builds. He would shoot the whole car in pieces. I asked how he managed to do that and it the end result always be consistent. His response was, "Ive been spraying kandy for 25 years". Lol.
Click to expand...
thats it too. i could take any old saw even with a dull chain and swing a tree into lay. i expect guys that have painted for years can take any old gun and lay paint to look nice. i like to say im not artistic at all, but there is a certain amount of both a guy just feels and knows.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top