digitalhav0c

i was wondering how you mix perl in to clear? how much is what im wondering

hotrex

it depends on how much you want to thing to change in the sun. also you can buy many different colors of pearl. go to your local paint supply store. they will have a ratio table im sure.

Amallick

sometimes pearl is mixed the paint

45psi

the more clear coates you put on, the shinier the finish is right?

AgentMurdoc

I think I actually read somewhere that said that you actually sand down the clear coat with VERY VERY fine sand paper, and just buff the hell out of it.

I guess the sanding of the clear coat eliminates any little bubbles or something. Sounds wierd, but the pictures they had of the car during the process was no joke. That thing had a mirror like finish. Plus I had a major dull spot on my car, I polish the ---- out of it with some megiures, and wow it looked gorgeous, but then the car broke down and all that work was pointless.

I think it was in one of these import mags, from a couple months ago showing the steps a body shop took when painting little show cars or something.

Cyclonus

The only thing i have painted is my front bumper and it looked Nice when i was done, but as time went by ... rocks, pebbles and stuff dulled the finish.

Anyways .. what i noticed is that when i first put the base coat, i can notice a mess load of imperfections. I mean you can notice where you sanded a little harder or you will see spots that you may have missed why sanding the primer. So the only way i got a mirror like finish is to make sure the surface was flat and perfect. I mean i had to reacoat and wet sand the hell out of it to make sure the surface was smooth. ONce that was done then went the clear coat and i went sanded it again with like 1200 grit paper i think. After that any coat of clear i put would make the sucker shine like crazy.

PoorMansPorsche

Multiple layers of clear tend to deepen the visual effect of the paint.. you can have 0 clear and still have shine but it will be a more flat appearance.

-CF

Amallick

we wetsand every 3 coats of clear, then buff it out when we're done. the wetsanding takes out orangepeel, ripples, and junk like that. mulitple layers of clear just adds depth to the overall finish.

airtonics

Pearl does not go into the clearcoat. Pearl is mixed in with the basecoat in most cases. Sometimes you can have a tri-coat finish where a pearl coat is put somewhat lightly after the base but clear coat is always last. The only thing you sometimes mix with clear is a small about of basecoat which is called "tinting" the clear. Usually when I do this I just dont clean my spray gun after I use the base and it leaves a little bit of clear in it. Then when that cup runs out I'll just add a very small amount of base. I hope this helps you out but normally you don't need much pearl at all. Pearl is quite expensive at least the powder PPG stuff I'm used to. Oh by the way some factory metallic paints contain pearl. Also if you use pearl, always remember how much pearl you used. Its a real bitch to match paint that someone added pearl to especially if you dont know how much they used.

hotrex

in all ou rcases we ad the pearl to the clear coat
apply 2 coats of pearled clear coat then one coat of clear with no pearl. then wetsand and buff that coat. it comes out damn nice