Projects AAAARRRRGGHHHHHHH! Metal Flake Woes!

HELP! I need some advice, direction, ideas, a clue. As to what to do with my new f#*k'ed up paint job. Can it be saved? I started laying down my flake in the clear and right off the bat I started to get all tiger stripy. No matter what I did it would not go away.

 

I would say that for starters your gun isn't set up correctly or your tip is too small to allow the flake through. Do you have some way of agitating the flake in the clear while you spray it? If it was mine I would scuff it up again and buy another pound of flake to bury the striping and achieve full coverage.

 

I did have a nut in the cup to stir it around. (Like the BB's in a nail polish bottle) I messed with adjustments still it did nothing. The flake I shot was micro flake and shot out of the gun pretty good. I did a 75% overlap and still I came up with the uneven coverage.

 

I keep looking, but I can't figure it out.......
Is it light blue-green flake? Or is it light blue flake over a green base/sealer(dp40?)

 

I've done micro flake with my standard gun settings and nozzle, and had no problem. I would suggest doing a test spray with some primer on a disposable item first to make sure your gun is still working right. You realise that you need to do a couple or three passes to get the flake to your required density?

 

Yeah, I did a few passes but the more I did the worst it got. I think my biggest problem was my base coat. It is a light seafoam green and the flake is a darker blue seafoam. So my flake is darker than my base. I guess I will try to do more coats with a different gun and see what happens.

 

Need to shoot it like candy too.

 

I have done flake in the past just not this way before. My T-bird turned out great.

 

Light blue over green. I really like the way the "color" came out I just wish it was even.

 

I haven't really shot flake in a clear midcoat, but if all else fails, maybe you can even it out the way we use to shoot single stage metallics.
Spray a good wet coat on the panel, do the next, and then go back and mist coat the previous shot panel. Back off your distance some, bump up the pressure, and shot over the panel at different angles or a crisscross (x pattern) to even out the metallic. By doing this the panel at that time should be set up enough that spraying another coat will not contribute more to the striping, but still be wet enough to accept the dryer sprayed coat. Shoot too heavy and it only contributes to the likelyhood of getting stripes or mottleing. And although it may not seem like you should, if your not, your usually better off using a slow speed reducer or activator, a fast one may lock down too quick.
I don't miss shooting metallics in a single stage, often required you to jumping back and forth as mentionedd, and had to shoot both even and with good gloss, as no clear applyed on top and couldn't buff them to save any errors in the spraying.
Maybe if you had shot it in an intercoat clear (basically clear base) instead of regular clear it would be a bit easier. Then after that shoot straight clear like you would have or should have anyways.

 

well quit spraying like a real painter, not back and forth and all that ,spray back and
forth ,then up and down ,then cross ways, that gets flake everywhre, think Joe Cooker singing,lol has worked for yrs with me,

 

i think the problem isnt the flake, its the base. looks like either the clear you have the flake is wetting the base and blotching it up

also, mid coat clear over reduced will cause an effect as pictured.

let it dry and put some more flake over and see what happens......just dont reduce the mid coat past 50% or problems arise (dbu, or dbc 500)


skull

 

x2

 

I think you're past the point of no return now. I believe you're gonna have to put more flake on and try to cover the base. You *might* have started with a little less and ended up with that "look", but I think it's too late now
"More flake, and HURRY!"

 

Try using less flake in your clear, build the flake slowly. If you put too much on at once you'll have more tendancy to mottle. Also maybe put the flake in an intercoat clear (clear basecoat), easier to spray and dries faster. Some old schoolers taught me to put a chain aound the rear axle to the floor to help ground the car, keeps the flakes from standing on end so much. Make sure your spray pattern is even, test on a piece of masking paper. Use more criss cross motions, not just back and forth.

 

I used 6 tables spoons per 20 onces of clear. Is that too much? Using less flake and building up makes good sense to me. To bad I did not have that sense when I did it.

 

you measured...that the problem.. i usually mix my flake heavy in the clear. i've had good luck with it , but there have been a couple that got a little heavy and had to be surgically removed

 

I was thinking about do something drastic to hide my mistakes.

 

Was the base even before you put the flake on? I would think you could scuff it and put more flake on and get it to even out.

 

Yeah that is what really sucks the base came out perfect. Then I F'd it up with flake. I am still thinking about adding more to see what happens or like the pic I posted before of the el camino may be really screw it up with some candy stripes and do some paneling. I would like to try my hand at the full on lowrider look.

 

Something drastic like the panels, or something drastic like traveling around with a couple of chicks to stand in front of the f'ed up spots? Either way I think you may be on to something.

 

I used about two spoonfuls per on this one.