Advice on using/polishing a pearl color

[Merkur XR4Ti]

So I've just used a pearl color (Tamiya Pearl Green spray paint) for the first time, on a Monogram '59 Eldorado, to represent Hampton Green. The color went on beautifully and pretty smooth, but there's not a ton of reflection there. After my first spraying, I started rubbing out the paint with some auto rubbing compound and then some Tamiya compound, but noticed that the peal in the paint seemed to get silvery and uneven and lost some of its luster. So I put another coat on and that's where it stands now.

So, should I clear the pearl green? Would that cause it to lose it's pearl-like luster? Should I just wax it and forget about getting a shiny finish? Any advice would be appreciated.

[crispy]

Steve, since pearls are pretty delicate and suspended in the paint at various points polishing the pearl moves it around or simply takes it away.

If you are able to get a nice smooth paint job I would just move onto clear coat making sure you cover enough to polish it out. Your pearl shouldn't have that silvery or mottled look then. Pearls and metallic paints have to be treated a bit different than your average pigment color.

Good Luck!

Chris

[Harold]

What they said. The only way to effectively polish a pear, metallic or mica is to first have a clear coat over it, otherwise the pearl, metallic or mica will gouge the snot out of the finish. Good Luck.

[Zoom Zoom]

You want to clearcoat it. That's just how these paints work best.

I'm painting a model in the pearl light blue right now. Nice colors...cover well, but they have to be clearcoated to be able to buff out to a mirror shine w/o damaging the pearl.

[Merkur XR4Ti]

Thanks for the advice, guys. For some reason I thought clearing the pearl would remove the effect of the paint. Off I go to shoot some clear!

[crispy]

Thanks for the advice, guys. For some reason I thought clearing the pearl would remove the effect of the paint. Off I go to shoot some clear!

Not at all Steve, I think it enhances it even more. Good Luck and let us know how you did!

Chris

[philo426]

You may want to polish out the the pearl paint and then give it an additional coat with a little extra thinner.this should restore gloss to the slightly dulled top coat.This Monte was painted with Lime Green Pearl with good results.