Pearls and metal flakes for bodywork paint

We hear more and more in the world of car painting, in particular for the personalization of bicycles or motorcycles, of techniques using the types of car paint flakes.

These are Metal flakes, a name that comes directly from the United States where this idea of mixing large metallic plastic flakes in a varnish and squirting it on a motorcycle tank probably originated! And yes, why not and why always settle for the same paints based on metal or mother-of-pearl… As long as the glitter is resistant to the Sun! And that's the case... The sequins create an incomparable and very flashy effect ! Metal Flakes for bodywork are not just any flakes because they are first and foremost UV resistant. But they are then cut on a microscopic scale in the shape of a hexagon. It is indeed a slightly higher quality than what can be found on Christmas tree balls and other economic decorative objects from China.

Today, Metal Flakes are available in all flavors and on almost all surfaces encountered in custom paint, such as bicycle helmets, motorcycles, etc... And the more they are bigger, the more we like it. And precisely, the size and the bling bling, that's what the metal Flakes allow, with flakes in all sizes, including the smallest approaches, the size of the existing mother-of-pearl in the world of car paint, it's i.e. between 50 and 70 microns, while the bigger ones, let's say it, no limit, but generally the sizes of these metal flakes are around 200 to 600 microns.

Why this craze for Metal flakes car paint flakes ?

Not only that, we can naturally understand it thanks to the wonderful metallic and very bright colors offered by these sequins. There are a few colors of Metal flakes car paint flakes, from gold, to red, through purple, blue, green etc. There are special versions that change color or are transparent, or even become iridescent.

To paint the Metal flakes car paint flakes, it is more about throwing them by any means, rather than painting in the classic sense of the word. Already, you need a gun with a large nozzle or a dry spray gun, it's called a flakebuster. By mixing them with clearcoat, they can therefore be applied with a spray gun or sprayed dry on a damp and sticky surface like clearcoat that is not yet dry. In the technique of painting, the background color plays a very important role : that -it cannot be white, ever, except in the case of the use of a white Metal Flakes. To apply these opaque metallic sequins, you need either a black background which will create an effect of depth and maximum shine, or a background whose color is similar to that of the sequin.

What background color to adopt ?

Why ? The reason is simple, the bigger the spangle, the more difficult it is to completely cover the background, because by overlapping one on top of the other, there is always a visible colored background.

Another interesting point is the type of visual feeling that Metal Flakes will create : it is unique and cannot be reproduced with any pigment, even those worth several hundred euros per kilo : in Indeed, thanks to the thick and coarse nature of its plastic flakes, and in particular because of their significant thickness, we will obtain a disorderly overlap on the surface of the glitter paint, which will create after varnishing, a flicker and reflections going in all directions.

Very thick varnishing : up to 7 coats required

The varnishing of the sequins is one of the most problematic points : indeed, it is no longer a question of varnishing, but rather of flowing ! Because, given the thickness and the irregular surface that you create with the glitter, it is important quantities of varnish that will be necessary to level all this until obtaining a shiny, wet and smooth surface. For varnishing, we recommend a clearcoat with a high solids content, i.e. a UHS clearcoat, and varnishing must be carried out in several stages, i.e. over a period of between one and three days. .

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