BUSY BOLTERS Are you one?  The Shop Area
continues to pull in the most views on the Stovebolt. In August alone there were over 22,000 views in those 13 forums.
| | Click on image for the lowdown. 
====
| | |
8 members (klhansen, Lightholder's Dad, Ridgeback, qdub, Steelonsteel, joetravjr, mick53, 1 invisible),
561
guests, and
1
robot. | | Key: Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod | | | Forums66 Topics126,780 Posts1,039,291 Members48,100 | | Most Online2,175
Jul 21st, 2025 | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 641 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 641 | im going to paint my truck soon gloss black i have a jar of flakes from house of colors can i just add that to the paint as i spray it iv never used flaks but always wanted to any body here ever use metal flakes | | | | | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,703 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,703 | 32,
I only ever had flakes added to a paint job once ...on my Old Harley tanks an fenders an the painter had a spray gun with a air powered mixer built in his paint cup to keep the flakes suspended in the paint mix, now that was a long time ago! for sure!
Nowadays there may be a NEATER thingy out there for mixin flakes in the paint.
Im sure the PAINT GODS will chime in and know more than I ever will.
Tim | | | | | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,703 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,703 | 32,
I only ever had flakes added to a paint job once ...on my Old Harley tanks an fenders an the painter had a spray gun with a air powered mixer built in his paint cup to keep the flakes suspended in the paint mix, now that was a long time ago! for sure!
Nowadays there may be a NEATER thingy out there for mixin flakes in the paint.
Im sure the PAINT GODS will chime in and know more than I ever will.
Tim | | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 275 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2007 Posts: 275 | If you've never painted with flakes before, you're in for a big surprise. With flakes, you don't just mix them in the paint. It's a long drawn out process with a lot of steps. Do a search into the process before you decide that this is what you want to do. I've been custom painting car and trucks for 30 years, and I hate tackling a metal flake paint job. It's a lot of work, a LOT of work and very little room for mistakes.
Frank
No better smell than that of fresh paint. I've been building and painting cars/trucks for 47 years. Not gonna stop now. http://www.coxcustomcars.com/ | | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 641 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 641 | looked like on the tv showes they just dumped it in the clear and shot away dont the flakes just blow threw the gun im just going to have to give it a try | | | | | Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 | I painted a bike tank with a pretty wild orange pearl that came out great, it was easy. The pearl was in the base coat and it wasn't hard to keep mixed, although I didn't have to do a large area. Pearl is a bunch easier because the flakes are really small and stay suspended in the paint for a long time. The older types of flake don't do this so well.
I don't think you want to be putting flakes in the clear coat, it will interfere with final buffing as it rips the flakes out of the pores of the paint.
Last edited by 4ontheFloor; 04/16/2008 8:22 AM.
Paint & Body Shop moderator
A lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 80 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 80 | Depending on the size of the flakes, you'll have to use a ton of clear to get the flake buried.
It has to be color sanded and buffed to smooth it out,and if you get into the flake it will ruin the paint job.
Major paint companies have a lot of glamour finishes that produce a beautiful job with a whole lot less work. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,644 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,644 | It really does depend on how coarse the flakes are like Wally sez.
I've seen metalflake go down so coarse it feels like sandpaper. Then it has to be sanded with like 400 wet/dry and clear over which has to be sanded... then it has to be compounded and polished.
If I were you, I'd definitely paint some test panels before committing to painting an entire vehicle. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 80 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 80 | I have not ever used flakes before but just sitting here thinking about it, if the flakes were dumped right into the paint mix wouldn't they clog up the tip on the gun when sprayed?
Again I don't know a lot about it but there must be some kind of special equipment that is needed to do a job like that isn't there? | | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 339 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 339 | I have sprayed several motorcycles and snowmobiles using
metalflake which is a brand name.....NOW, you do not mix flake
in the paint....It is a separate procedure...The flake is sprayed
on as a ground coat, the same as Your pearls are...It is added
to the paint cup of proper viscosity of lacquer clearcoat, then
color added after desired flake is obtained...Flake is very heavy
and if not continually agitated will cause You very negative results...I used a couple of large ballbearings in the paint cup,
continually shaking the spraygun...While the results were happily
accepted by the owners, metalflake is a pain in the knickers...
You might look into the new systems offered today..Plastic
micro-chips are used instead of metallic, and therefor much easier to spray, and endurance is much better...Bill B
| | |
|
|
