Are pearl paints hard to spray?

[mygrain]

I was going to redo my 87 T this winter and drive the GN, well plans have changed. Im going to restore the GN and daily drive the T. I want to paint the GN in Black Red Pearl. Its an awesome color that is black but has a red hue in direct sunlight. I painted my T myself in the spring and it came out okay in a regular base/clear but with a wet sand and buff it could be really nice. Is it any harder to paint pearl colors? Ive heard conflicting stories.

 

[Drop Top]

I use pearls alot in my line of work. I have some pearls left over from the 50s and 60s that I still use. They where given to me by my close friend and mentor Bill Cushenbery before he passed away.

Pearls are really no harder to aplie then a regular metalic job. The metalic in those bases are mostly pearls anyway. The easiest way to do a pearl is to use House of Kolor pearls and their SG100 to mix them in. HOK works very well and their pearls are very brillant. Then have GOOD equipment. A GOOD gun is a painters best friend when it comes to doing a custom paint job. You need a gun that has a very wide fan but keeps the atomazation good at the same time. I use Sata and Iwata guns for this. These guns run over $350.00 each. Closer to the $400.00 range. Once you get the base color on. You want to mix the pearl. Then adjust the gun to its widest patern that will keep it even from top of the pattern to the bottom of the patern. You may have to adjust the psi to keep the patern uniform. Then use a 75% overlap and keep your gun at least 8 to 10 inches away from your work area. You basicly want to dust the car with the pearl (not too dry though, you still want it to stick) to keep the pearl from tiger stripeing. Two coats should be enough to do the job. You want to let it flash inbetween coats and lightly blow and tack each coat. (This goes for the base color as well.) Then do your final tacking and spray your clear. Remember a little pearl goes along way! Enless your looking for that low rider look.

 

[Drop Top]

Just another note here. You might want to do a test shoot on an old deck lid or fender before doing your car. That way you will get a feel for it and see how it turns out. What if you did the whole car and didn't like what you saw?

 

[YBLEGL]

Pearls arent hard to spray at all like drop top said spray on a test panel. Try and keep a even pace and move across the panel with the same speed and distance from the panel. A good gun is a deffinete I paid about $525 for my sata jets but they are the best guns on the market and you can see the difference in the quality. I only use them at work on high end cars not on rentals =). Most PPG's pearls today are liquid havent sprayed HOK but if you are spraying a pearl with PPG make sure you spray a coat of DBC 500 color blender on first it makes all the pearls and metallics lye down so they dont stang up on end and look incorrect.

 

[Drop Top]

YBLEGL; I love my Sata Jet guns and still use them. I never thought that anyone could improve on them. Then, a year ago I tried the new Iwata gun. I have never seen clear lay down so nice in my life. And I've seen some real masters at work! They work great on Kandys, Pearls and Clears. The fan is the widest I have ever seen and still have good atimazation. There a little cheaper then the Satas too. Ask your local paint suplier for a test spray or a loner. You'll never want to take it back. Trust me on this one! You won't be sorry.
I think I payed around $350.00 for it. It may be more in your area. My paint suplie store sells me my equipment cheaper then I can find anywhere else, even on the net. They tell my they do it as more of a curtasea to me. They would rather sell me the equipment cheaper to help me out so I will keep comeing back. I guess there right. I have been with them a long time.

 

[YBLEGL]

ive never heard of them but ill ask my paint rep see what he says if its better then a SATA then its gotta be good, didnt think it was possible if I like it that much and the price is crazy here can I send you the cash for one =)

 

[mygrain]

I use a sata. So Its not any harder to paint a pearl color than a regular metalic? Cool! I cant wait to get the 86 stripped down then.

 

[YBLEGL]

just go at a nice even pace and dont get to close with the gun and you should be all set. Like I said use a color blender before you put on the pearl or flake I only know PPG products so I can recommend DBC 500 it works really well and make sure you reduce it 1:1 with a DT reducer like 870 or 885 depends on the temperature you are spraying in.

 

[Drop Top]

YBLEGL; I'll check my price on another Iwata tomarrow. It may have changed. But I have no problem with sending one to you.

FYI PPG's DBC500 is basicly like HOK's SG100.

 

[YBLEGL]

thanx let me know ill give one a shot if I dont like it I can make it a primer gun =)