metal flake paint jobs

[original_balzer]

Anyone have a candy paint with big metal flakes?post up some pics.

[special-K]

Like a Ranger Bass Boat,carnival ride,or diner seats?I`ve never seen that.Let`s see is there are any.That would be retro-cool.

[ChevyC102007]

Im an odd ball, after I get all the body work done on my truck ( dunno when Im gonna start on that, might be awhile yet) Im thinking of going with a Black Cherry with either gold (wifes idea) or silver metal flakes. Anyone have a pic of that?

[original_balzer]

Bigger flakes than a bass boat but yea. Ill try to find some others like what I mean but its usually 50's-60's cars with it.

[special-K]

I`ve never seen flake bigger than on a bass boat.
It was a`60s thing.I`d go with silver flake.The gold will make it look dirty.If it`s a two stage gold underlay will just darker the top coat.I have a ghost flame job on my bike (not metalflake) that is metallic gun metal gray with silver and gold flames then a candy plum.The result is a black cherry with violet and burnt orangish flames that has a dark cherry hew to it...depending on lighting,of course.
I`d like to seesome flake jobs.

[1bad chevy]

here's a truck i painted black with a prizmatic metal flake the flakes actually are multi colored that change with the light hitting it.pic's may be to small to see the flake but if you go to this link you can see all of them better http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...lbumId=1065572

[CrashBob]

Wow, you brought back some old memories. Back in the late '60s we used to do metalflake paint jobs. What a pain in the azz, base coat, flake coat and 3 bazillion gallons of clear along with many sleeves of 600 sandpaper. Sand it flat, polish the heck out of it, look fantastic and about 1 year later, crack city and 1 unhappy owner. Never failed, the boss finally quit quoting metal flake paint jobs. What a relief.
The only reason bass boats can keep a decent finish is because the flake is in the resin and not clear lacquer.

[original_balzer]

Its claimed they will hold up much longer with modern paint and clears. Im no expert though. I been thinking of actualy doing the interior in a metal flake and the outside flat black. Or perhaps just the cab from the bottom of the windows up like the 2 tone paint was originally, and flat black from there down.

[CG]

I love flake paint, but our style trucks seem a little new (that sounds weird lol) for what was a late 50's to mid 60's thing. Of course some one will post pics up that prove me wrong...again...lol

I just remembered my Manx style dune buggy is gold metal flake and I believe its registered as a 71....I dont know it that throws my theory out the window or what?

[original_balzer]

CG while I mostly agree with you about the age thing, my truck is a 67. I say, at least for my own tastes, that its still old enough even if just barely. I love old cars and trucks in general but 67-72 chevy pickups are my absolute favorite truck. I know it will upset a few guys and some will hate the direction I go, but heres my plan. Im going to retro an already retro truck. By that I mean Im going to use even older parts in the resto. Subtle things though, and some body mods to blend the differnce in a 66 and a 67. Ill post more about my plans in a new thread when im ready to expose them. Think a merger between the 2 trucks tastefully done to at least appear it could have been a real factory truck.

[68shortstep]

Just for the inquiring minds who want to know:

I never worked at Ranger or Champion or BassCat boats, which are all within about 10 miles or so of here, but I've talked to several guys that have, just out of curiousity on my part, as to just how they get those beautiful multi-color & flake finishes.

As I understand the process, it's an outside-in job type finish (not a paintjob), just the reverse of painting a car, that starts with a good coat of car polish type wax (release agent) inside the boat mold (to make the finished piece let-go to take it out of the mold later), then a heavy coat or two of clear catalyzed gelcoat, which is what you see as the outside of the finished boat.

Then after that hardens, they tape-mask off the areas for the wide stripes & pinstripes, multi-colors, the metal-flakes, etc. Then they apply those, & wet-gelcoat another layer or two to seal the color or flakes in, and then chopper-gun & mat the thickness of the whole fiberglass "on top" of that, another final layer of usually milky white colored gelcoat finishes it off --- which ends up being what you see on the actual inside of the finished boat.

The metal flake finish is really deeply-embedded down in the clear gelcoat layers, so it stays looking good for a LOOONG time if the boat doesn't sit out in the sun & oxidize badly, or get gouged or deeply scratched. And the gelcoat can be sanded & re-coated if it does sun-oxidize, & that pretty much brings-back the clarity to reveal the flakes & make it look like new again.

Never would work that way on a car paintjob, I'm afraid.

[ratrod67]

Hard to tell in this pic but the truck has metalflake on the sides. He's a board member but i can't remember his user name.