First off; I am not a painter. I am looking to have a 32 Bantam Body painted for my altered. I understand that flake is suspended in clear. I understand I should go with a similar base color under the flake to fill in. I also understand it is good to mix in smaller flake with the larger to cover. My question is how many ounces would I need to cover an Austin Bantam bodied Altered? I noticed most flakes are sold in 4 oz jars.
done a search here? lots of info posted. ask your painter what is needed? if he does not know, at least a good experienced guess, then maybe need to talk with another painter. also, check with vendors here.
i tried to find a paint shop when i first started the fiat build...would love some old fashioned flake on it.....but i never found anyone around here that didn't look at me like i was stupid when i said flake.... not to get off topic, but they sold flake paint in rattle cans years ago...do they still???i got a few pint sized projects i'ld like to flake...quarter midget, few mini's.....
It all depends on how much coverage you would like and the flake size, I used 4 jars of .015 size flake on a 54 Chevy 2dr and just did the body and no roof it looked good but I would've preferred more coverage. So for your Bantam 4 jars would be a good start.
I would get at least a pound of various sized flake to get full coverage, make sure that it is topcoated with at least 6-7 coats of clear to sand and buff the texture out of it and you could use a basecoat blender or something similar to mix the flake with if you don't want as much thickness as you would get with using clear to mix with. IF you want to do a candy paintjob then the process is a little different.
Lots of options here Rob. If you're using candy colors you can put flake in the basecoat {gold, silver, etc} or the color or the clear. Depends on the look or how much you wanna spend really. Years ago when I worked as a painter's apprentice at a Chevy dealership I painted a service guy's boat trailer using metalflake. I don't think they charged him much because they used me as a guinea pig for painting it. They told me it didn't have to be special, just a half-assed match to the boat - bright red base & heavy silver flake. Sprayed the red & poured on the flake & clear. Turned out pretty damn good if I say so myself. The paint jobs that don't give a rat's ass about always seemed to turn best for some reason. PM if you have any more questions Rob.
I used to do "Metalflake Jobs" back in the day. The procedure as I would do it is -- basecoat, close to the final color you want. Then the appropriate color of flake, applied until the desired coverage is reached. A bantam should be well covered with 8-12 oz. After applying flake, apply about 6-8 full wet coats of clear (urethane) over flake. Wet sand with 1000 grit, then 2000 grit. If at any time you touch the flake, apply 2 more coats of clear, then buff and polish. Then wear sunglasses!
Thanks Guys! I plan on painting it myself at a friends shop. He's only done flake on old Norton tanks so, he wasn't sure on amounts to get the look I want. afaulk My "painter" told me the same as you with the process, he just wasn't sure on amounts.
Rob, the things you say " I know" are not etched in stone at all. I use only one size flake when I do it. I also use an intercoat clear for the flake, not the same top coat clear. When you are done with the flake, then go to the top coat clear. It will look like the moon's surface when you are done, so be prepared for some serious block sanding
Mixing different size flakes gives a less than desirable appearance....and likes to clog the gun...and the bigger the flake, the less ya want in the carrier.... Metallic base.....intercoat with yer flake......then clear....depending on the size of flake will dictate the # of coats needed to bury it..I do 4 coats, wetsand with 600 then 3 more coats... I like the smaller .008 to .015 flake....has more "shimmer"....and takes less clear to bury it. How you spray the flake will also change it's "shimmer".....
if you are worried about 'filling in the gaps' lay down the small flake first, then the bigger flake...also if you want more POP then consider throwing some ice pearl in with the bigger flake....it works well and really stands out. just my 2 cents, but then again what do I know
Run some test panels first to know what it will turn out like. You will thank yourself when it comes time to spray the body.
Since Conder uses 2 sizes of flake, it works for me...and it did work for me. Of course, it's pretty hard to get a good picture of flaked paint with my cheap ass camera, and this is before any cuttin n buffin stuff, but I got great coverage with about 3 ounces each of micro and baby flake. Here's Tim Conder's how to thread...he is a metal flake God. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227031&highlight=conder
I'd have to agree about test strips. Especially when you are doing it the first time and not sure what it will look like . . run some strips.
I will keep you guys posted on how it goes. I am very open to learning from guys who have done this before me. Thanks for all the input!
i did my 55 used a gm base coat red then HOK large red flake suspended in clear used a 1.8 gun i think i put 5 coats of flake 10 to 15 minutes between coats let it dry overnight wet sand it with 800 on a long board clean and then three more coats of clear wete sanded with 800, 1500, 2000 and then using a wet DA with 3000 buffed it out and so far everyone thinks it great. if you were closer i would do it for you.
Years ago, when lacquer was used for applying and burying flake, I was once told that going over the flake with a rolling pin helped lay 'em down, otherwise possibility of sanding color off the edges of some of the flakes when wet sanding. True?
Yeas ago I did a lot of custom metalflake jobs it required 6-8 coats + a couple for a top coat of lacquer clear just to bury the flake....I would put down gold flake then shoot and stipe it with different colors of candy...I still have some nos metalflake somewhere around here.....But now when I shoot the new flake with the high solids clear 3 coats and done ,very little sanding very little material. The whole process is simple and the flake typically lays down flat..I did ,my old Harley with a couple of ounces of green flake right over the sealer no base color and it turned out killer!
When you wetsanded didnt you cut through some flake? When I shoot the flake in the clear some of the flake is exposed on top of the clear and if sanded before adding 2-3 coats of clear thereafter I can only imagine you sand some flake....
Deep purple .018 flake over black basecoat. 3 heavy coats of heavy solids clear and still have not covered all the flake.
The Jalopy Journal
