Any Painters on Here?

[anonymous-user]

Random question.... I want to paint my next project in a specific colour which I have chosen after many hours of agonising over paint codes

Trouble is, colour in question is metallic. I don't want to paint my car metallic for various reasons, but mainly because I'm stupidly anal about paint and expect to be having small areas blown in every year or two and non-metallic will make this much easier and cheaper.

So, is it feasible to have a metallic colour code made up, but without the metallic?!?

[Resolutionary]

Any competent car paint specialist will be able to create something to suit your needs - might even have an off the shelf option. I'm sure someone will come along with acres of expertise in this area but you could always give a reputable supplier a call to discuss; here's the one local to me who I have used for years to great effect:

http://www.lewentltd.co.uk/

[The Surveyor]

MrBig said:

......

So, is it feasible to have a metallic colour code made up, but without the metallic?!?

It will look completely different though, a metallic paint will reflect the light and those little flecks taint the colour meaning the way the light comes off a metallic finish gives a much wider spread of tones. Your non-metallic version of a metallic paint won't look the same colour, it'll be similar but not the same.

If you're doing this because you'll be patch painting regularly, I'd be sticking with a close factory 'standard' non-metallic colour that future painters won't have any difficulty matching.

Edited by The Surveyor on Friday 3rd November 10:32

[J4CKO]

The Surveyor said:

MrBig said:

......

So, is it feasible to have a metallic colour code made up, but without the metallic?!?

I will look completely different though, a metallic paint will reflect the light and those little flecks taint the colour meaning the way the light comes off a metallic finish gives a much wider spread of tones. Your non-metallic version of a metallic paint won't look the same colour, it'll be similar but not the same.

If you're doing this because you'll be patch painting regularly, I'd be sticking with a close factory 'standard' non-metallic colour that future painters won't have any difficulty matching.

This, there is a reason they do metallic paint and this is it.

I dont think it should be that much more difficult to get it sprayed if metallic ?

[V8covin]

Regarding matching.
When you buy your paint,metallic or otherwise,keep the tin,even if it's empty.Then you can get any subsequent paint mixed by the same manufacturer and the same variant so it should,in theory,match.Even better go back to the same supplier.
Metallic is no harder to match than a non metallic,it's largely in the blend/fade out so any mismatch is disguised

[anonymous-user]

Thanks guys, all fair comments. I will be getting some test pieces done before commiting, but I do prefer the look of a non-metallic paint with a deep gloss. Its not going to be a daily so I intend to keep it looking tidy, but I do still want to know if its possible to have the colour mixed without the metallic? Surely the metallic is just small flecks which are mixed in when the paint is produced?

Edit: I've been looking at colours for more than 6 months, I have not been able to find the right colour in a close non-metallic shade from any other manufacturer

[Streetrod]

I have painted my own cars and others to show winning standards over the years.

Yes you can in theory get a straight version of a metallic but it will look very different.

Matching metallic’s is not as hard as some think, the trick is getting the paint to sit is the same way the original colour was painted, but as you will be painting the car yourself you should be able to replicate the original painting condition so you should not have many issues, just be very systematic in how you going about it

[V8covin]

What colour do you want ?

[7even]

They do plenty metallics without metallic, its called solid
Metallic does change the colour dramatically, so there's no way of looking at a car and thinking, id like that without the metallic. Its really not going to happen.
A far easier way is to buy an extra litre of the actual paint that the car is going to be painted in. That way your going to get a spot on repair in the future.

[Squiggs]

Look at it the other way round ......
If you were to have a solid colour (a red, or blue, or black whatever) and then added a metallic tint to it - then the original colour tone would be completely changed.
The most dramatic effect of this would be with a flat grey. Add some metallic to it and hey-presto it's changed to much lighter shade and is now a silver.

Metallics are in effect tiny little mirrors, they appear silver and lighten any paint that they're added to.
So remove them from a mix and the tone of the colour will change and appear darker