Neothin

I'd like to think that i know a little about a lot of different things when it comes to cars, but one thing that i know absolutely nothing about is automotive finishes. Candy, pearl, marble, etc etc etc. what does all of this mean? What's the differences in how the paint ends up looking?

eventually i'd like to get the car repainted, and eventually id need to figure out what i want the car to look like. any input would be appreciated

FallenAngel

(auto body/paint tech for 5 years here... yes I'm a chick lol.)

Marble looks like marble... pearl coats look like crushed pearls (available in many colors) in the paint (not THAT noticable)... Candee/Kandy paint depends on what setup you have as to how it looks.

Most Candee/Kandy paints are applied over a metallic base... when you change the base you change the outlook. Candee/kandy paint is transparent so the base shows through, which affects the overall look.

Chamelions also are affected or rather the outlook of the paint is changed depending on the base you use. A lighter base will make the chamelion paint less obvious, while a darker base will make it stand out more.


I could literally sit here for hours and type how many different effects you can get with automotive paint (but I'm not)

Best bet is to look for a local auto body supply shop that carries specialty paints and they usually have examples there...

look up Alsa paint's website (I THINK it's www.alsacorp.com or something like that)... they have examples of all their paint products on actual products (not just sample squares) to get some ideas... they have awesome stuff. Actually if you look on their website under paints and additives, the Spectra FX paint, and click on the picture and go to the second page... there's a green/blue chamelion sunfire on there that I painted a few years back... it was in 2 small domestic mags... I have in progress pics to prove if necessary)

I'd recommend X-otic paints over House of Kolor anyday personally...

Neothin

so... the candy coat takes the place of the clear coat? or is it base->candy->clear?

i want a color similar to the 350z blue or the evolution 9 blue. i really like how they both look, but at the same time, i definitely want a custom color. i was looking at trick my truck tonight on the tivo and they marbled a semi truck... if i could get all the base coat, clear coat, and candy coating done (pearling + color shifting doesnt seem attractive to me), and then marble the top with something like a silver... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

surfcity40

The nissan blue is called daytona blue and it's not a candy; neither is the evo blue. just buy the blue you want...no need to jerry rig a candy version. apply the color based upon the color not the manufacturer....you can always add a tone change before the clear.

That color pallette is pretty much the RS tC blue color with less flaking. So you could stay in a Toyota color.

guitarguru44

clear is used as a protectove coat to prevent UV and acts also prevents some of the minor scratches from getting through. Any paintjob usually will end in a final coat of clear to make it shiny and add protection..

There are a lot of different terms and most have already been mentioned (marble, metallic, candy, kamelion, etc). Basically all paint starts with a main color, and the techniques the painter uses can greatly affect the paint. For example you decide you want a dark red, but you want it to stand out so you go with a candy apple metallic. This is your color which is applied, and then clear and then a good polish job to make everything smooth and mirror shiny...

If you want to learn a little try to find some extra parts and get some spray paint primers, colors and clears and mess around and see what works and what doesn't, and how well you can get it polished up... Maybe you'll invent some new techniques or some breakthroughs in paint (like glow in the dark, heat activated, reflective have all been created in the last few years)...

And if you don't have a few dollars to burn (I noticed you're a college student too, lol), then just keep reading up on the internet and asking people whenever you get the time at shows or body shops...

JOE

Neothin

next question, what is color sanding?

captainlaziness

Good thread Harrison, I'll be watching this.

FallenAngel

"Color sanding" (by the definition I know) is when some painters will sand the base coat to "smooth" it out...

Some people though call what is actually "WET SANDING"... some call THAT color sanding. Why I don't know... in wet sanding you're sanding the clearcoat. *scratches head*

Wetsanding is when (after a paintjob is done and set for enough time) you take a fine grit sand paper, usually 1500 or 2000 grit and sand the clear coat while using water to lubricate the surface so the clear doesn't get scratched up too bad. After it's wetsanded, it's then buffed out to get it's shine back.

This is done for many reasons, those who have show cars and don't want any orange peel and prefer a glass/mirror finish... or when the final clear coat is either too "dry" or there are runs in the clear.

*****NOTE***** ORANGE PEEL IS NORMAL!!!! Orange peel is the texture of factory clear coat (or clear coat after it's sprayed after a repair, etc) which has the appearance of the texture of an orange's skin. There is no way possible to spray clear without getting orange peel... it's completely normal and there's nothing wrong with it.

A Candee/Kandy paint does not take the place of clear coat, it's basically what some would refer to as a "tri-stage" paint. I.e. base, Candee/Kandy coat, clear coat instead of just base/clear. Candee/Kandy's for those who are inexperienced in spraying them can be a real PITA because of how it has to be sprayed. With a normal paint as you're spraying you can break up your spray pattern by panels (example: spray from the fender to the door, then the quarter to the rear bumper)... but with Candee/Kandy paints you CANNOT break up what you're spraying... it has to be in one long spray going continuously around the car with no breaks... if you break it up it WILL show because again, the paint is transparent.

Pearls are not typically used WITH chamelion paints as chamelion paints are already pretty metallic anyway.

Whatever you do, if you're wanting to get a custom paint job PLEASE for the love of God take it to a shop. I have a sticky post on another forum I frequent (I wrote one for this site too, but obviously it wasn't deemed important enough to keep around for reference) which explains what all goes into painting a car.

Painting a car is NOT NEARLY as easy as it looks... you can't just pick up a gun and start spraying and expect to turn out a good job. Here's the thing I wrote up on autobody work and paint for this site...

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...highlight=body

Hope that helps some

etli

So wet sanding is to get rid of orange peel and give a glass/mirror finish? Just with water? Do you use a sanding block? I'm thinking of painting some of my interior pieces. How do you buff the clearcoat after you've wetsanded it?