Well, as some of you may have read in a thread of mine from a few weeks ago, i'm planning on trying to paint my bike myself pretty soon. My question is, what if I throw some flake into the equation? Will it be that much more difficult? I have some good idea's going on in my head that involve using some flake..so maybe some of you painters can help me and tell me it's going to be easy.

 

Metal flake makes it more difficult for sure. There's more technique involved when spraying flake....it's easy to end up with zebra stripes (mottling).

 

There is more than just the technic involved for shooting flake, the equipment used figures in also. Paint guns need a special nozel for shooting flake. I have used Binks guns for years and have several different nozels and well as agitator cups to keep the metalic suspended.

 

I use a Devilbis gun , Anyway with the new mylar flakes, they are light and don't settle like the old flake. Spray a base color similar to the flake ( red paint base for red flake) etc. You really don't have to spray a bunch to get a good effect. Make sure it's "wet" enough to make the flake lay down good, Use a good "mid coat" clear, sand, spray, sand, spray till everything is covered and smooth then top coat with a good top clear, sand ,buff, DONE.

 

Depends on how big of flake you are looking for. Check with your paint supply store and they should have a recommended tip size for what you want to spray. I would recommend light coats to ensure no runs in the color coat and on the final color coat do just a light mist at a greater distance to just mist or fog the part being sprayed to ensure an even flake finish. Good luck.

 

Try this website: www.paintucation.com
There is a forum section that will providethe adviceyou need on materials, equipment, prep and technique. More importantly, what to do when something goes wrong.


Hope this helps.

 

Something I think stands out on a good Bike Metal-flake job is an nice overcoat.

Notice how at the shows awell doneMetal-flake appears to be below the surface.

 

Flake isn't all that difficult to spray. As mentioned, with the newer technology, it's pretty straight forward. Lay down your base. Let's assume you're going to do a single color, then cover it with flake, then clear it. Lay your basecoat down. Apply 2-3 coats of mid coat clear, or as House of Kolor calls it, Intercoat clear. Let that totally dry. Now mix up your flake in your regular catalyzed clear. A little goes a long way. It would help to have a test panel handy to play with at this point. Go ahead and spray your flake coat. Allow it to flash properly, then clear as normal. Usually 3 coats of urethane clear....allow to totally dry. Wet sand.....3 more coats of clear. Repeat until it's as smooth as glass. Then polish it out and be proud of your work. The reason I say put the midcoat clear between base and flake: If you mess up your flake, you can sand it out without getting into the base you took so much time and effort into laying down. It's just an insurance policy. Good luck with it. Try this site for pearls and flakes. www.paintwithpearl.com
I've used them on a bunch of stuff, my bike included. Good products at a great price. Try and stay with House of Kolor as well. It's super versatile, easy to spray and offers great tech support should you need it. Call Coast Airbrush in California for the best prices around. www.coastairbrush.com
Joey

 

When spraying clear is there really that much differance using a $100 to a $500 gun since you need to wet sand and buff it anyway?

 

Thanks for the information, Joey. It's very much appreciated. What i'm thinking about trying to do on my bike is a two-tone job of flat black and blue (about the shade that it is now) with some flake in the blue. dfirecpt, thanks for that link. After this post, i'll be checking out that place..i'm sure i'll be needing the help.