Automotive painting types and detailed description

[Alberto Michelatti]

Hi!

I was intrigued about the secrets of the existing automotive painting types, so I did some researches that I would like to share with you.

I created the following scheme:

- One coat pastel paint:

primer + gloss pastel paint

- Two coats metallic paint:

primer + matt metallic (reflective aluminium flakes) base paint + gloss transparent paint

- Two coats mica paint:

primer + matt mica (semitransparent mica flakes) base paint + gloss transparent paint

- Two coats metallescent paint (exclusive of Lancia):

primer + matt mica+aluminium flakes mixture base paint + gloss transparent paint

- Two coats pearl paint:

primer + matt pearl (semitransparent mica flakes coated with a metallic powder, usually titanium dioxide) base paint + gloss transparent paint

- Three coats mica paint:

primer + matt base paint in the color of the car + matt semitransparent mica (semitransparent mica flakes) midcoat paint + gloss transparent paint

- Three coats pearl paint (iridescent):

primer + matt base paint, usually white + matt semitransparent pearl (semitransparent mica flakes coated with a metallic powder, usually titanium dioxide) midcoat paint + gloss transparent paint

- Multicoat Chromaflair paint (chameleon):

primer + matt base paint, usually black + matt semitransparent Chromaflair (reflective aluminium flakes coated with glassy magnesium fluoride, all coated with a semitransparent chrome layer) midcoat paint, usually five coats + gloss transparent paint

It is interesting to note that pearl paints have pigments that have nothing to do with real pearls, but are made by flakes of mica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica) coated with various metallic powders.

I hope these info can be useful.

Cheers,

Alberto

[Leighcm]

Interesting info...thanks for the post!!