I really want to paint some candy green flames on my jellywagon soon. I'm thinkng of a metallic silver base coat with the candy over it. What would it look like if I were to use large chunk flake under the green top coat and micro-flake over the green? I'm just playing with ideas at this stage, so I'm open to all suggestions. I want something that really stands out since the flames will be over about 90% of the car. I like the look of flake, but I'm not sure about mixing the different sizes over and under the green. What's the opinions of the painters out there?
It could look decent (or different at least), I would think. But it would be quite a task to get just right. Quite a difficult task, and to be decent it would have to be perfect. Enevitably I would think it would look better with just one or the other though. Just my 2.
Do a few test panels before you start. Its crazy how many different looks you can get with the same Candy over different Pearls or metallics. Jdee
Bend a gentle convex curve into your test pieces,so you can see how it will look at different angles.
I don't think it would make any difference. All you are doing is suspending the material in the clear for light diffusion. Ask Rick....he'd know better than anyone.
if you do it over a silver flake then put a fine flake on top it will loose alot of its luster. the flake on top will cause the light to reflect less and kind of look muddy. same goes with putting pearls over flake base coat.pearls look best over a solid color and candy colors look best over silver flake but some do look good over gold flake. if you do a test panel make it big enough to tape off area's on it to try diffrent things.
house of colors has a website where you can try different paint themes/colors on cars interactivly. they may have your colors. Its worth a shot.
I agree to stick with one size of flake and put it under your candy. Another size flake on top really wouldn't add to the effect, and would complicate application. Lay down a metallic base close to your flake color before spraying the flake. I found when candying over flake it works best to spray the flake, then shoot straight clear to build it up, let it cure, sand, then go over with your candy and another topcoat of clear. Then I usually have to sand one more time, add another coat of clear, then cut and buff as normal. I think that will accomplish what you're after. I used big chunk gold flake under orange candy for the flames on my Triumph. Be prepared for lots of sanding and clear to get it slick. Just be sure not to sand through the candy into the flake!
i wuold say you would loose alot of the heavy flake when you put the micro flake over it. Ask donnie aka lownslow. He will give you the awnser yourlooking for. Nate
Oh, and when doing flames with this technique... you really need to clear the whole car the last couple of coats so that the film build on the flames isn't much greater than the base paint it was applied to. It also makes it easier to pinstripe if the paint is 'flat' without a heavy edge to the flames. Or you could always flake the whole car then go back over it and 'reverse out' the flames, using your tape line as your pinstripe, ala lownslow. It's gonna take a lot of clear to do that big ol' car no matter how you do it.
Just finished some flake stuff myself. I used HOK standard flake (not as large as Old Skool Flake) and micro flake or mini flake. I forget which it's called. I had a silver base coat under the standard silver flake on the roof with no micro flake. Red candy scallops over that. The candy looks awesome. The body is silver with lots of micro flake laid down first and then a light coat of standard flake. I feel like I wasted my time putting any micro flake in at all. I can't really see it because the standard flake attacts my focus completely. I have to look for the micro flake. So...I think that you're gonna waste your time with the mini flake stuff. Stick with the large flake and do a****s job on it (in the way Bass was talking about) before you do the candy. I think that the micro flake works best as an enhancement to a metallic paint job but not to a metal flake paint job. Michael
Another 'negative' about your scheme is that the use of a smaller flake (or any flake) over an existing candy will take away the depth of the candy finish. This depth is what makes candy look so great. The flake closer to the top will obscure the flake underneath. It tends to block out the deep look that comes from looking THOUGH the candy into the flake underneath. And just to bust Slag's balls (kidding!) Candy looks good over different bases, but tend to look more spectacular over a "pure" color base. Silver gives it the maximum brightness, and purity of the color. Gold is a bit more subtle, but gives the candy a "warm" glow, or tone. For a darker, understated, deep color, I've used Galaxy Grey metallic base, or various mixes of grey, silver, even black pearl. My 55 Olds has Candy Cobalt over a Lavender metallic base, to give the blue more of a purple cast. Different color bases can 'tint' the candy toward other colors. Candy over a pearl white base doesn't have much 'sparkle', but the colors are BRIGHT! Best used as flames.
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