Any custom paint gurus here?

[YNOT]

I've got a customer whom I'm designing a paint scheme for his 1969 Sebring MG. We're close to nailing down the design and he's thinking of using a gloss black for the main part of the car and a satin or matte silver/charcoal for the stripe.

I'm attaching my rendering here for reference. The design has changed a bit and will now be a single stripe as opposed to the double stripes, but this will give you the idea...

My concern is...I'm not sure about care/maintenance of matte or satin paints, so I'd like to help him be sure he wants to go this route before finishing the car and having issues with the paint.

I've seen some satin and matte finish cars and they seem to show fingerprints badly. Plus...what happens when the paint gets scuffed or scratched? On a clearcoat, obviously you can polish out the scuffs/scratches, but is that even possible with matte/satin paints?

This guy is pretty picky with his cars and this will be garaged and mostly driven to shows and the like. So it won't be sitting out in the elements 24/7 as a daily driver...BUT...I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons so he knows what he's up against if he opts to go this route.

If anyone knows of any good custom paint forums that you can direct me to, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for any tips/advice you can give.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

My concern is...I'm not sure about care/maintenance of matte or satin paints, so I'd like to help him be sure he wants to go this route before finishing the car and having issues with the paint.

I've seen some satin and matte finish cars and they seem to show fingerprints badly.

Plus...what happens when the paint gets scuffed or scratched? On a clearcoat, obviously you can polish out the scuffs/scratches, but is that even possible with matte/satin paints?

My advice for what it's worth...

Tell him skip the satin paint for the reasons you listed that you're concerned about.

Besides that, trying to polish and wax "normal" glossy paint right next to flat/satin/matte paint will be a pain in the rear.

If he wants a stripe, tell him to have you paint it over the basecoat and then clear over it like Steve did with his 1969 Camaro here, it makes it a LOT easier to compound, polish, wax and show-off forever...



1969 Camaro Pace Car - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Michelle

Just my opinion...

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Thats exactly right Mike.

IMO I wouldnt bother with the matte paint. Would be such a pain to deal with having two different finishes on the same panel.

 

[6supersport7]

I am seeing a lot of flat paint jobs that actually have a clear coat with a flattening agent in it. I am not sure if this is easier to clean or maybe even polishable. Seems like matching color engine bays that are painted flat are all the rage right now from some of the bigger shows I have attended this year. refinishnetwork.com has a ton of professional painters on it and might help you out.

 

[YNOT]

Thanks guys...I really appreciate the help. 6supersport7...I'll check out refinishnetwork for sure. I'd like to see this guy two the combo gloss/matte finish if it's at all possible, so I wanna do as much research as I can before giving up on the idea.

 

[rmagnus]

Burying the stripe UNDER the clear is the only way to go. There are many ways to get a muted stripe on the car other than using matte paint.

 

[YNOT]

There are many ways to get a muted stripe on the car other than using matte paint.

How else can we achieve matte without using matte paint? I'm curious.

 

[Twister]

How else can we achieve matte without using matte paint? I'm curious.

They sell PPF that makes the finish look matte

 

[pork chop]

Hay Ynot, If it aint too late try digdaddycustoms.net they might help or bearair.com I get all my airbrush stuff from them. Thats a good one. They might make flat clear coat.

 

[rmagnus]

How else can we achieve matte without using matte paint? I'm curious.

Add a flattening agent to the clear coat. Some say it can make the clear more brittle. Another alternative is use a matte finish clear. Yet another is texture the color stripe then clear. IMO stripes burried in clear represent higher quality paint work.

If you like House of Color their website has very interesting info. I've flattened finished work with an interclear on motorcycle helmets pretty successfully.

Keep us posted.

 

[6supersport7]

Add a flattening agent to the clear coat. Some say it can make the clear more brittle. Another alternative is use a matte finish clear. Yet another is texture the color stripe then clear. IMO stripes burried in clear represent higher quality paint work.

If you like House of Color their website has very interesting info. I've flattened finished work with an interclear on motorcycle helmets pretty successfully.

Keep us posted.

I agree that buried stripes look nicer. With that said I have been to some higher end shows that will take points off if the stripes were not originally under the clear though. Take for instance a 70 chevelle. An original 70 with racing stripes had the color sprayed and then the stripes sprayed, so you can both see and feel the stripes on top. Obviously this does not apply here as this is a more custom car and not a 100 pt restoration.

 

[Blackthorn One]

I agree that buried stripes look nicer. With that said I have been to some higher end shows that will take points off if the stripes were not originally under the clear though. Take for instance a 70 chevelle. An original 70 with racing stripes had the color sprayed and then the stripes sprayed, so you can both see and feel the stripes on top. Obviously this does not apply here as this is a more custom car and not a 100 pt restoration.

70 Chevelles didn't have clear coat at all. Today just about all paint is base coat/clearcoat. (Unfortunately) Are you saying that the car must be base coated and then cleared and then stripes painted on and then the stripes cleared?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Just thinking out of the box...


You could machine dampsand the stripes using #3000 discs and this would give you the matte appearance.

Then, down the road if the owner tires of the matte stripes simply buff the sanding marks out.

Check out the levels of matte I created in this thread...


Video: Wow! 3M #5000 Grit Polishing I mean Sanding Discs!


Did some comparison testing between,

#1500 Grit Sanding Discs - Meguiar's
#1500 Foam Backed Finishing Discs - Meguiar's
#3000 Foam Backed Finishing Discs - Meguiar's
#5000 Foam Backed Finishing Discs - 3M
​

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

From left to right...

#1500 Grit Sanding Disc, #1500 Foam Backed Finishing Disc, #3000 Foam Backed Finishing Disc and #5000 Foam Backed Finishing Disc

:xyxthumbs:

 

[6supersport7]

70 Chevelles didn't have clear coat at all. Today just about all paint is base coat/clearcoat. (Unfortunately) Are you saying that the car must be base coated and then cleared and then stripes painted on and then the stripes cleared?

Yes, my bad for not stating the non bc/cc. in 70 Believe it or not, I have heard that some of the bigger shows such as MCACN use to take points off for cars being bc/cc when they originally were laquer. I am not sure if they still do that or not. To get the stripes to look like they originally did, I have seen and read where the base/clear is laid and then the stripes based/cleared. Like mentioned, the buried clear stripes look and feel much better. The layered method is for perfect restoration purposes only. These same cars are the ones that have over spray in certain palces under the car and under the hood because thats how it would have been when it rolled off the line.