Projects Why is it that there arn't very many cars that are painted in all metal flake?

I've noticed that there arnt too many cars out there painted in heavy metal flake. KripFink's ford is, and I've seen a few others, but is there a reason besides cost that itisnt down more often? I'm thinking of doing my '55 in all heavy flake when it comes time for paint.....any words of advice?

 

A little goes a long way.

 

True, that, but also, metalflake really looks like crap in anything but bright light. That's my humble opinion.

 

i did a 1968 Impala in 1970, droped all the chrome, door handles and even wheelhousings
sure was nice to be yound and ambitious
AND TO HAVE CLEAR LACQUER AT about $10 a gal.

use only one color flake or you will get mottled color
i used silver and red and had to spiderweb the car to break it up

want to flake a old car, but got a lot of peeling bad paint and am kinda hesitant and getting kinda old to think of a job like that


and dont let a girlfriend or wife toatal the car when you are done

 

There was a '32 ford at the GNRS about three years ago painted by the spade bros that was done in all candy red flake and it looked amazing, but it's also a small car.....that's why I was asking. I can picture it on my '55, just don't know the drawbacks of an all flake car.

 

My father did his 55 Metalflake red back in the 60's, He did my 64 corvette Metalflake firebrand with pearl flames, I was in my early twenties, whole lot of sanding. That was back in the early seventies,originaly going to paint the falcon red flake still have it sitting here, then thought about doing my 55, but all I can remeber is all those hours of wet sanding and making sure you didn't sand through,back then it was real aluminum and if you sanded through you got a silver stripe. Gary Terhaar on here did his Model a in orange flake looks nice,just a lot of wet sanding.

 

One of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen was a '62 Impala done in Bright Gold Heavy (Bass boat type) Metalflake...It ran the streets of Milwaukee in the mid '60's....Stunning, but later on the thickness of the equally heavy Clear began to craze because of the extremes in temperature here.....I also think much of it has to do with the "trend" of using it on tops only.....

 

I wondered that as well. Why are bass boats accepted with heavy gaudy flake, but cars are not?

 

Because it's a motherfucker.

 

Why ? Because heavy metalflake paint jobs are just that "flaky" as in poor taste or just plain ugly.

They detract from a vehicles otherwise nice lines or body panels and are best left in the history books where they appear on many 60s show cars or (shudder) "boogie vans".

The heavy metalflake jobs are also quite popular with the low rider crowd along with tons of chrome or gold plating, gawdy colors, mirrors and miles of tufted velour upholstery.

Along with hydraulic suspensions that allow them to jump down the road like some kind of schizophrenic jumping bean.

We may also find heavy metalflake paint jobs on the latest Donks

Hot rods on the other hand should not have metalflake paint.

JMO for what it's worth

 

I thnk it becomes a bit of overkill and takes away from the everall appearance of the car. Your eye's are so focused on the paint you miss out on the rest of the car. Although I have seen some bad ass Lowriders that have all metal flake but are multi colored in panels or what not.

 

Yeah, okay.


If you ever see this car in person, it will melt your face in half.

 

I think that the overdose of flake on the bass boats over the past 30 years may have something to do with why you haven't seen a lot of full flake cars in a while. But if you check out the few that have been done in recently that are truly outstanding, like Fink's rig, it makes you think that it may be worth consideration now.

On boats, a heavy dose of gel-coat is going to be used no matter what color scheme anyway, so the cost of going flake on a boat is negligible compared to a car. It's expensive. Not for the rustoleum budget. If you dig it, go for it. It's not like there is anything that ain't hip about it.

 

Heavy metal flake was sold and/or marketed down under as 'wildfire' many years ago. Continued exposure to the sun and other elements made it deteriorate relatively quickly when compared to normal paint. Plus you need someone who knew how to apply it as the flakes need to lay a certain way to get the most from the paint. Poor application was a waste of time and money. Plus your required a good coat of clear to seal lit. Really thick when applied by comparison. Can't recall if a base coat was required.

 

...

 

'Craze' means cracking, due to thickness and expand/contract due to temp. I would love to paint a street freaked '55 chevy in House of Color Purple w/ boat 'flake.

 

Well, as the Kripple Kart has been mentioned I suppose I should put my 2 cents in. Yes, it's expensive, yes it's loud and no, it's not to everybody's taste. But, if you dig it, you really dig it. I can honestly say nothing plasters bigger smile on my face then when I wheel out of my front door and see that flake popping in the sun. And contrary to popular belief it can last and also cover a multitude of sins. The way the kart was done was actually a complete silver metal flake base, then candy apple red over the top. It was done well over two years ago now, and I have had no problems with maintaining it. All paint and metalflake products were from house of kolor I include two photographs purely to address the comments "detracts from the vehicle's body lines" and "looks crap in anything other than very bright light".
Blue one, that's a pretty broad brush you are tarring everyone with there.
Roadfarmer, if you dig it and you have the skill/cash and the balls to ignore the likes of blue one, you won't be sorry.
Best of luck whatever you decide
Paul

 

Boats are painted in a mould, so that when it comes out it is smooth and flat.
When you flake a car it is extremely orange peely so you have to flow coat the whole car (if you want heavy flake).....

 

Probably only cause ity takes a lot of hours of sanding to make perfect, and if you are not up to it its expensive to have it done.
Well worth it if done right, just like anything else.

 

It looks the tits Paul and don't know anyone that thinks differently. Folks It has to be seen to be believed, truely magical and flawless paint.

Here's you baby rolling and here it is barking!!!! Hope you don't mind me posting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUxVwMJ-ygk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzhLFzT51p4&feature=related

Catch you at HRD's if your going fella!

All the best Dan

 

Having painted much flake back in the 60's-70's..... I think a complete car/trk done in flake is gaudy looking. It also requires a tremendous amount of work, especially if you use the big flakes. It takes quite a bit of clear laid on over mulitiple painting sessions to cover properly. Clear, sand some of the roughness out, clear again, sand more roughness out, etc, etc. The amount of clear depends on flake size and how heavy it was laid on. By the time you get good coverage and a smooth finish, the clear is pretty thick and very prone to cracking especially if it is driven on the street much. Once the paint really cures, it will chip and is damn near impossible to touch up nicely.

 

Tons of clear is needed.It is so thick to Barry the flake it doesn't hold up long,cracks and flaking occurs unless you keep it out of the sun. If you do it plan on stripping it later and redoing it.

 

One of the nicest I've seen was Brent Jarvis' 66 Corvette in the HOK booth at SEMA last year. It was really well done in candy red over a medium silver flake, and they left the silver for rally stripes.

 

Brent's Vette was at the Indy 500 WoW this last year. You are correct, very tastefull and first class, not gawdy at all.

 

Yea, what he said......

 

Another fully flaked car from the UK .we dont get much sun over here but this Riv always looks good

 

Holy crap man, where does that baby live? I've never seen that out over here. Mind you, I don't get to travel far with my disability. Does the guy that owns it use any of our forums, and if so what is his user name?
Paul

 

For the same reason 30 miles of pinstripes looks tacky and detracts from the whole. It should be used as a detail or focal point, but not as a base. Repairs are difficult at best. You just can't blend flake and even the way you shoot it affects how it lies down. So even if you shoot the entire panel you will not likely match anything adjacent to it.

I still don't know why boats are OK with lots of UGLY big flake. I never liked it. For me it's like horseradish, a little goes a long way and only on the right things. Great on prime rib, not so good on a bannana. I'm just saying.

 

They detract from a vehicles otherwise nice lines or body panels and are best left in the history books where they appear on many 60s show cars or (shudder) "boogie vans".

Uhhh...O.K. I must be missing something here, because to me it accentuates the body lines on Krips panel.

 

ha ha Paul ..you need your eyes tested ..it belongs to Mark from The Vultures ..its normally at the Hayride, he is the crazy guy Breakdancing in the rockabilly room