I am considering this for the top of my '63 Tbird..... I would imagine it is like any paint job but will ask...... Is there a life span for a metal flake paint once sprayed on? Does it fade with time? UV affect it? A lot of maintenance?etc. It's an expensive application and I'd like to know it was worth it. The car will get limited driving as our summers are short and spends winters in the garage.
I applied a heavy metalflake to a roof of a 57 Chevy, using products from the Metalflake Company out of MA. It consisted of a lacquer primer, flake mixed with clear lacquer, and then many coats of just clear lacquer. Because of the many coats of clear and the stiff suspension, many very fine cracks appeared after two summers of driving. What killed it, was leaving the car outside in the cold NH winter for a few weeks and the cracks went all the way down to the primer and started the flake/clear started peeling up. It looked to the very end. I was going to do the whole car, but after the roof, I had enough. In fact I still have several jars of flake left.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
My Coupe is super heavy Glowble Flake from a set of NOS products from Metalflake Inc - these were the proper METAL flakes as opposed to the poly ones now. The car was painted in a single 1 car garage in London, with NO oven, just left to dry for 2 months between coats of lacquer It took 12 coats of lacquer to bury the flakes , My car survived 3 years in the UK and now 3 years here in CO - not a single mark, nothing. Its all down to prep
I've painted quite a few projects with no problems so far, It is all in the prep work. I also avoid lacquer like the plague when it comes to this as it takes so much clear to bury it. I have seen in the past that excessive lacquer will crack quickly. I prefer to stick to the base/ clear paints. So far I've had no issues...
You'll be fine. As long as your base work is good, keep in mind material thickness and flake coverage. Are you spraying a like color flake over a simple color? Ie silver flake over silver base and then candy coating or just looking for dome sparkle? What size flake? Use intercoat clear to suspend the flake as a carrier. Do a good coat of straight intercoat before you step to reg clear to burry.
Also get your flake from sparkle efx also. Good stuff. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparkle-Efx-Flake/204824609554817
To be clear.....I will not be doing the painting. I know nothing about flake work. I have a friend who's work I have seen (bike tanks, helmets) and it sure looks good but the pieces are indoor art at a tattoo shop. I'm looking to do the complete top of the Tbird in a candy blue flake. My concern is having it deteriorate in a few years. It's a pretty good investment to get it done and I want it to last. Prep work I know for any paint is important and probably more so with flake. Good info here and thanks. Any of you have older flake jobs that you can post good or bad (and what you think went wrong) would be of interest.
Modern products have come a long way in the name of UV and lifespan. Prep is everything when you layer a lot of product. Here is some inspiration for ya.
I have shot a ton of flake on cars. As others have stated its in the prep and proper dry times. When basing, flaking, candy and clear, there is a ton of thickness. Time, tempature, thickness. Use a good clear for UV protection. Then cut/ buff flat
most modern clears or should I say, quality clears have good UV protectant in them..Its whats under the flake what you gotta be worried about..good prep work is where its at. I've flaked many roofs and haven't had one fail yet, using quality products. I pretty much stick with one manufacturer (HOK) from start to finish except for the actual flake......good luck
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