blue flake in clear coat

[jamesmacc]

hey guys, doing a project for a friend on his bmw which is a bit tired and faded, chipped etc, we priced up 5 litres of frozen white 2k which is about £60, he has decided he would like to add al ittle blue flake so that when the sun catches a panel it shimmers blue slightly. my question is im going to need to mix the blue flake into the clear coat, will it be ok to put the 2k clear coat over the 2k direct gloss white or should i go for a basecoat system, paint car basecoat frozen white and then mix flakes into the clear coat,
has anyone had experience with this? i have painted quite a few of my vans etc and they turn out nice but always used 2k solid. i guess i will need to experiment with how much flake to mix into the clear coat so that i dont get too much or not enough, also will i need a fluid tip bigger than 1.3mm im using?

 

[jamesmacc]

looking online it looks like i should mix 2 teaspoons to each litre of clear coat, i should then shoot 3 coats of clear with blue flake and then some suggest to let it dry and wet sand it with 1500 and then hit it with 3 coats of clear coat with no flake to seal it all in, seems alot of work for someone who has only ever painted 2k solid

 

[jamesmacc]

would a shimmer affect be easier, i have seen blue ghost shimmer that you either add to the colour or to the clear coat and doeasnt say anything about sanding it and re clear coating it, i guess its because there are no large flakes that need to be rubber down and sealed in
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLUE-GHOS...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item53f348b319

 

[norsa]

You will find your d gloss cheaper than basecoat and once cured and flatter back will hold a clearcoat no problem. Flake is not easy to get right though. You will need to agitate it in the gun and have the right fluid tip.

 

[jamesmacc]

You will find your d gloss cheaper than basecoat and once cured and flatter back will hold a clearcoat no problem. Flake is not easy to get right though. You will need to agitate it in the gun and have the right fluid tip.

had a look around online on some american forums and im not going to do the flake as it looks alot work,
would direct gloss need to cured and flatted with wet and dry before i could shoot the clear with some shimmer pearl in it, or could i just do it wet on wet? i was thinking 2-3 coats white, 2 coats blue shimmer in the clear coat and then another coat of just clear coat on its own to seal it all in. according to what i have read the shimmer pearl as not large particules and does not need to be flatted before the final coat goes on like the heavy flake would do, this means hopefully i could shoot it all wet on wet

 

[norsa]

Personally I would not go wet on wet. Though there is not a lot of solvent in 2k, over that many coats, I would not risk solvent pop. Others may dissagree.
Nick

 

[jamesmacc]

Personally I would not go wet on wet. Though there is not a lot of solvent in 2k, over that many coats, I would not risk solvent pop. Others may dissagree.
Nick

would it make a difference if it was clear over base solvent as opposed to 2k direct gloss? or will that still risk pop

 

[langy]

If you want a shimmer you would be better off with adding blue pearl, flake is very very sparkly, heres a video of my car with green mini flake on it as an example, Its a bit more than a shimmer

 

[jamesmacc]

If you want a shimmer you would be better off with adding blue pearl, flake is very very sparkly, heres a video of my car with green mini flake on it as an example, Its a bit more than a shimmer

yeh that looks lovely but im after a more subtle look, as you suggested i have been looking into blue pearl, some people are mixing it in with clear an then putting another coat of pure clear over the top to seal it, were as others are using a 3 stage system, the base colour, then the blue pearl, and then the laquer, do you have any advise, will a 1.3 or 1.4 be ok for pearl?

 

[Chipper]

You can buy pearl ready-mixed in binder from Specialist Paints. Not sure what colours they do but bound to do a blue. 2k clear onto that when flashed, iirc they say wait an hour to clear.
They also sell dry pearl you can mix into clear if you like. I've used both ways, either is good.

 

[norsa]

would it make a difference if it was clear over base solvent as opposed to 2k direct gloss? or will that still risk pop

not totally clear on the question but if you're asking a comparison between DG and COB systems, the base coat flashes off in minutes and HAS to be cleared before the colour coat dries. base coat, unlike gloss does not contain a laqueur so allows the solvent to evaporate. They are completely different systems

 

[steveo3002]

you can clear over the still wet solid colour ...the gloss might die back slightly but im sure you will be buffing it

done it many times ..nice trick if you get a solid colour thats a poor match , blow over the repair then clear the whole panel

 

[norsa]

theres your answer then. I haven't put that many top coats on in one application so i wouldn't for the above stated solvent issue but Steve has, he knows his subject and it clearly works for him.

 

[langy]

yeh that looks lovely but im after a more subtle look, as you suggested i have been looking into blue pearl, some people are mixing it in with clear an then putting another coat of pure clear over the top to seal it, were as others are using a 3 stage system, the base colour, then the blue pearl, and then the laquer, do you have any advise, will a 1.3 or 1.4 be ok for pearl?

Easiest way is to just put it in the clear, then apply the pearl coat/coats to what you require then clear to seal.
Chipper has suggested binder but I'm not a fan as its a single pack and has been known to sink, some use it as a flake carrier but in my opinion it's not as stable as 2k clear