question about pearl paint

[diymirage]

well guys, i bought my very first can of pearl paint

(its going on the 56 ford)

and i am not sure on how to shoot this (airbrush it obviously)

now, here are my questions, do i need a special primer ?

once primered, do i need a base coat or do i just slap it right on the primer ?

once i have the pearl paint on, do i need a special clear or do i just use what i always use ?

in case it mathers, the paint in question is model masters acryl 4657 true blue pearl

[E St. Kruiser50]

well guys, i bought my very first can of pearl paint

(its going on the 56 ford)

and i am not sure on how to shoot this (airbrush it obviously)

now, here are my questions, do i need a special primer ?

once primered, do i need a base coat or do i just slap it right on the primer ?

once i have the pearl paint on, do i need a special clear or do i just use what i always use ?

in case it mathers, the paint in question is model masters acryl 4657 true blue pearl

Haven't used Testors pearl, but I have used Tamiya's.

Whether it's an acrylic lacquer pearl or a urethane pearl, I always use my DupliColor gray High-build primer to seal the plastic first.

For me it gives a nice base for whatever follows and sands wonderfully after sitting for at least 24 hours.

I like to give it a week to totally dry and get rid of all the solvent, before I lay down paint.

Then comes the white primer. Let it sit for a few days, sand, and then shoot a few coats of gloss white, for a deeper pigmented brillance, to lay the pearl over.

Makes a difference in how the pearl looks more "FLASHY" .

Lastly I use a clear-coat over the pearl so when I do the polishing, I'm finishing the clear not the pearl, which can be damaged when rubbed out like metallic paint can be too.

George Barris learned about this many decades ago. He was one of the first to use CANDY APPLE RED over a metallic base, and he found out later that he could get even more "POP" or brillance shooting any candy color over a pearl base, after the pearl had a clear-coat.

The pearl under the candy makes the candy look a foot deep.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Treehugger Dave

[diymirage]

how fine do you sand in between the different coats ?

[envious8420]

there are a couple different schools on this subject.

some say to never sand a suspension coat, ie metallics, pearls, etc...

but i found from painting 1:1's that you can as long as there is going to be another suspended coat over it.(example- say a blue metallic coat has a hair, dirt ball, whatever in it. you can sand out the imperfection very carefully trying not to cut completely through your color. just enough to remove your imperfection. then re coat as necessary. then clear.)

method #2

if you need to sand/scuff for another color, graphic etc... shoot the subject with an inter coat clear which is very thin to "seal" the previous layers once it dries you can block it out with high grit wet paper at least 1200 grit and tape and shoot over that.

hope this helps, if I'm not clear enough lmk and ill go further.

Edited August 18, 2009 by envious8420

[E St. Kruiser50]

how fine do you sand in between the different coats ?

I haven't sanded any of my final finishes in ten years.

Sanding seems to be a staple in most builders tools of finishing, and highly touted here by "PRO'S. NOT MINE.

I've found that with a properly prepped primer base, and properly spraying the paint under "Ideal Conditions", sanding just doesn't need to be a consideration, unless there is a speck of dust that you just do a little "Area clean-up", but never the entire paint job, especially as a repeatable part of the process. That just never happens

I simply spray everything within a 24 hour period, over a well-prepped primer base, wait 16 t0 24 hours and polish - SIMPLE.

I learned this from guy's who paint 1 to 1 cars for a living. Simply put, in the auto finishing industry, sanding a color coat or clear is what you do when you've made a mistake of some kind.

In the "real world", painters pride themselves on this way of prepping and painting, and employers expect it.

You just fire up the "Monstrous polishing wheel", add some compound and go for it on the little bit of 'Orange Peel" that needs to be smoothed out.

Painters don't get paid to paint cars the way many do here.

NOT A CRITICISM of anyone here who may read this, or paint a different way - JUST A FACT OF LIFE to me!!!

My 1 to 1 paint jobs I did in the past I did the same way with lacquers and urethanes.

NEVER SANDED, JUST PAINTED, POLISHED AND WAXED.

I haven't lost a lacquer paint job on a model in over ten years.

I have won numerous awards for my builds and painting, and had my work in dozens of mags over the years, several cover shots, including a cover shot last month and a feature article ( NO SANDING ON THE URETHANE PEARL YELLOW PAINT EITHER ).

Not bad for NO SANDING - EVER, and NEVER WILL .

Remember, I don't consider my self a pro, like some may, I'm just a hobby guy.

The REAL PRO'S in painting are the guys who do this on 1 to 1's for a living, that are friends that I talk with and I learn from, and will continue to learn from.

If you want to learn REAL TECHNIQUES for painting - talk to a REAL PRO in your town.

( By the way - I'M THE GUY WHEN USING MY AIRBRUSH, SHOOTS AT 60 - 90 PSI.

NEVER UNDER 60 PSI, SO BE CAREFULL WHAT YOU WHAT YOU BELIEVE WHEN I POST HERE .

I DON'T PAINT LIKE ANYONE ELSE HERE ON THIS FORUM ).

Edited August 18, 2009 by Treehugger Dave

[diymirage]

well, first off, i shoot usualy at about 45 PSI

other then that.

would it be a good idea to go with this scenario:

grey primer

silver base coat

pearl top coat

clear coat

polish

treehugger, you mention sanding every time you mention a primer

thats what i was referring to when i asked about the sanding, what grit do you use there ?

or is it like you said later, only to fix imperfections ?

[E St. Kruiser50]

well, first off, i shoot usualy at about 45 PSI

other then that.

would it be a good idea to go with this scenario:

grey primer

silver base coat

pearl top coat

clear coat

polish

treehugger, you mention sanding every time you mention a primer

thats what i was referring to when i asked about the sanding, what grit do you use there ?

or is it like you said later, only to fix imperfections ?

First off, the primer I've mentioned in several posts finishes wonderfully.

When your finishing the primer, this is where the "MAGIC" happens.

This and proper body work are the keys to successful prepping, and to me the most important steps to a beautiful and eye-catching finish.

I like to sand my primer when it's completely "Rock-hard" dry - about 3 days to a week. The weather and temp. makes a big difference. It "Feathers out" beautifully.

Say 5 days to dry.

Sanding the primer I use "wet or dry", usually dry is my preferance, but wet is OK too.

I start at 600, and then 800, then, sometimes 1000, and finish off with 1200 - NEVER HIGHER, but that's just me.

I sand the entire car when it's in the last coat of gray primer and the last coat of white primer.

Imperfections in the color coat or clear coat I usually use wet 800 - 1200, then some 2000.

Be careful with metalics though, because if you sand out a piece of dust or worse and then clear coat over it, you can get a "Halo" that stands out like a sore thumb where you sanded.

As far as your color choices go, if it were me, I think you mentioned a blue pearl color, it would be:

Gray primer to to seal.

White primer

White gloss

Pearl blue

Clear coat

Polish

Remember that these are just guidelines for you to start somewhere and develope your own techniques and system, so go ahead and vary some of these steps to see what works for you. You may want to go to finer grits of sandpaper, because that works better for you.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE AND EXPERIMENTING - ISN'T THAT COOL .

Good luck - dave

Edited August 18, 2009 by Treehugger Dave

[MikeMc]

I like Daves work...but too much paint under.

After grey sealer primer mist HOK white base (BC26??) then shoot your pearl. White base will give the brightest shade, metallic base is not quite as BOLD..really time for the spoons.....

[4DCustoms]

First off, the primer I've mentioned in several posts finishes wonderfully.

When your finishing the primer, this is where the "MAGIC" happens.

This and proper body work are the keys to successful prepping, and to me the most important steps to a beautiful and eye-catching finish.

I like to sand my primer when it's completely "Rock-hard" dry - about 3 days to a week. The weather and temp. makes a big difference. It "Feathers out" beautifully.

Say 5 days to dry.

Sanding the primer I use "wet or dry", usually dry is my preferance, but wet is OK too.

I start at 600, and then 800, then, sometimes 1000, and finish off with 1200 - NEVER HIGHER, but that's just me.

I sand the entire car when it's in the last coat of gray primer and the last coat of white primer.

Imperfections in the color coat or clear coat I usually use wet 800 - 1200, then some 2000.

Be careful with metalics though, because if you sand out a piece of dust or worse and then clear coat over it, you can get a "Halo" that stands out like a sore thumb where you sanded.

As far as your color choices go, if it were me, I think you mentioned a blue pearl color, it would be:

Gray primer to to seal.

White primer

White gloss

Pearl blue

Clear coat

Polish

Remember that these are just guidelines for you to start somewhere and develope your own techniques and system, so go ahead and vary some of these steps to see what works for you. You may want to go to finer grits of sandpaper, because that works better for you.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE AND EXPERIMENTING - ISN'T THAT COOL .

Good luck - dave

So just to clarify, on the primer sanding, do you spray, wait, sand 800, spray, wait, sand 1000, etc. or do you spray, wait, sand 800, 1000, 1200, then color coat. If you don't mind me asking what sanding products are you using.

I am looking to repaint a GT-R I am currently working on right now due to alot of particles in the paint, I really need a tack cloth, and after I did the clear the black pulled away from the edges and seams, kind of wierd, all tamiya laquer by the way. I waited 1 month before clear too.

Thank you for any help.

[E St. Kruiser50]

So just to clarify, on the primer sanding, do you spray, wait, sand 800, spray, wait, sand 1000, etc. or do you spray, wait, sand 800, 1000, 1200, then color coat. If you don't mind me asking what sanding products are you using.

I am looking to repaint a GT-R I am currently working on right now due to alot of particles in the paint, I really need a tack cloth, and after I did the clear the black pulled away from the edges and seams, kind of wierd, all tamiya laquer by the way. I waited 1 month before clear too.

Thank you for any help.

Hi Gabe .

Good questions .

First thing you should do is go to the store and get a "BIG BOX OF WHITE PLASTIC PICNIC SPOONS".

These are what you experiment on with your paints. They're made of styrene just like your model kits.

TIN CANS WORK GOOD TOO, that your canned veggies and so forth come in. Peal off the label, wash, dry, and you can get bigger samples, and learn how to spray an effective paint spray pattern, and get "Your Rythem" for painting. All very important.

I never sand anything but the primer. PREP WORK IS THE WHOLE FOUNDATION FOR PAINTING.

I've spent years developing how I spray and accumulating a walk in spray booth that is heated, lit and ventilated, good paint products, and good painting equipment.

I spray under a very controlled enviornment, that gives me the repeatable results I want.

For most here who spray their cars, they don't have these as options, but they sure do help.

Warm paint and a warm enviornment really make the paint lay down nicely, so whatever you can do there will help greatly.

NOW, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION:

SANDPAPER I USE - Go to a store that sells automotive products, and get some wet-or-dry sandpaper.

Some places sell it by the sheet - I buy it in packets of 5 sheets from an auto paint supply store.

Luckily we have quite a few in the area to choose from - NICE

The different brands I've tried pretty much work the same.

Like I said, I only sand the primer, but most here do color sanding, and some even sand the clear before polishing.

THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT I READ HERE, AND I HEAR IT OFTEN, IS ABOUT ATTACKING AND SHRINKING.

YOUR BLACK PULLING UP IS BECAUSE YOU LET IT DRY WAAAAY TOOOO LOOONG, BEFORE THE CLEAR COAT.

THE FRESH CLEAR OVER THE DRY BLACK ATTACHED ITSELF AND THEN "SHRANK" , LIFTING THE BLACK - DO OVER.

THERE ARE WAYS OF WAITING A LONG TIME BETWEEN COATS, AND GUYS HERE DO IT SUCCESSFULLY >SOMETIMES<, but they always have problems at some point, because THE LONGER YOU LET THE PAINT DRY, THE MORE THINGS CAN GO WRONG.

I posted a sort of tutorial on RATTLE CAN SPRAY PAINTING SOME TIME AGO.

If you click on my name, them click on options, then click on members topics, you can scroll through to find it.

While your there, if you like what you read and want to save it, go to options at the top of the page, click on it, and follow the directions.

Hope this helps - dave

Edited September 4, 2009 by Treehugger Dave