Hey! What’s goin’ on, my friends!
In this video, we’re going to cover a couple of questions that more of my subscribers sent in.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is…
“Tony, I want to put Pearls and Flakes in my paint, should I just mix them in my base coat? Can I just basically pour pearls or flakes into it, mix it up, and then spray on the car?”
So, can you add pearl in base coat?
Well, if you’re looking to do that metallic pearl-ish look, I really recommend not getting a flat color like the Inferno Red that I show in the video. Instead, why don’t you just pick out a color that’s already a metallic pearl. The thing is, you really don’t want to go mixing pearls and flakes directly to base coat because you’re going to have to put a lot of it in there to get any kind of effect.
And most of the time, it just gets buried in the paint and you can’t really notice it showing in the paint.
If you ask me, the best way to do it is to really go to the paint shop and have them mix it for you – so it’s formulated properly and it’s sure to come out looking like a really nice metallic finish.
But, the other way to do it is to mix in intercoat. You will basically have a clear base coat on top of your base – like a DBC/DBU500. You would mix your pearl or flake in that.
Finally, you can just mix the pearls or flakes in your clear coat. The dangerous part about this option is, if you run it, you will have that pearl/flake run. And even if you sand it out flat and buff it, you’ll still see that run.
So mixing it in clear coat is more for someone that already knows how to paint well and lay the clear on glossy without running it. If you could do that, by all means go ahead and use just a basic clear coat to mix your pearls or flakes. Make sure you watch the video because I show you how it looks like on some clear coat with Gold pearl – Silver flake that has already set.
You can use a metallic base coat or even a flat-color base coat, lay the intercoat or clear coat with pearls or flakes on top of it and get an amazing finish.
Watch the video now because I also include a clip of a pocket bike project that I just did. I laid the clear coat mixed with Gold pearl and Silver flake on top of the Inferno Red. It turned out looking really cool.
I laid on two coats of the clear coat mixed with some Gold pearl and Silver flake and you will see how it changed the Inferno Red color to an awesome Burnt Orange. It started out as a faded, ugly, chipped up, cracked fiberglass pocket bike.
It’s the same clear coat we used on the Harley Davidson Yellow gas tank project.
In a nutshell, you’d want to mix your pearls and flakes in a clear coat or an intercoat base coat. An intercoat base coat is basically just a clear base coat. You first lay your base coat – it could be metallic or flat, then you would mix up your intercoat – a clear base coat WITH any kind of pearls that you want – violet, blue, green, etc…mix it up, spray it on. Give it two coats, 50% overlay. Let it dry, then put two coats of clear on it.
To skip that, you could just put your pearls or flakes right in your clear coat. Spray on two coats of it over your base coat. And you’re done.
The next question is…
“Tony, I would really like a video for beginners on what tools and supplies you need to get started. I really love your videos and I can’t wait to join VIP!”
Here you go…the 7 must-have auto body tools.
In the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint VIP Course, I cover the A-Z, step by step of auto body work and painting – including the little details like these. I don’t only teach you how to Do-It-Yourself, but also cover those concerns that you might not think of asking. I talk about common mistakes you might encounter and show you how you can fix them and of course, exactly how to do things the proper way.
Don’t forget to get your FREE 85-page Auto Body And Paint Manual and a FREE 90-minute Auto Body And Paint DVD. Just help me with shipping and tell me where to send it.
Please like and share the video with your friends. Don’t forget to leave your comments below. I’m always looking forward to hear from you, guys! 😀
I’ll see you soon!
-Tony
Other Helpful Links:
Get A Free 90 Minute Auto Body DVD Here
How To Auto Body And Paint Q&A – Part 1
DIY Auto Body Work And Painting Q&A – Part 2
How To Paint Cars – Q&A Part 3
How To Pinstripe A Motorcycle Tank
How To Paint A Motorcycle Yourself
Preview Finished BMW Body Kit Video
Warwick Spray Gun Review (what we use to paint at LABAP)
Hey Tony, you mentioned plastic repair on the mini bike. What do you use to repair plastic tears or breaks? My daughter just bought a beater Ariens 522 snow blower, so guess who is dumb enough to restore it? Anyway, the ‘hood’ or cover is orange polypropolene which has a waxy feel and I worry about adhesion of repair and paint. Not sure what the black main housing is. It was all scratched up, but to my surprise, it sanded out OK and using Rustoleun 2x will color sand out nicely. Their orange is even a close match. Thoughts?
Thanks
hey Jerry! We use a 3M epoxy. I used to use something Danaweld but they don’t sell it anymore. I still have a few cases luckily. lol a snow blower 🙂 cool man. Try it. Just make sure you wipe that waxy stuff off with thinner lightly, then sand it and try to lay some light coats of a 2k primer on it just to see how it flows on. Remember with whatever you do, spray light coats, if you do that you’ll avoid chemical reactions. Good luck Jerry!
What. Color. Can. I. Use. As. A. Base. Coat. Under. A. Burnt orange metallic?