Metal Flake – Metallic Flakes
Classically, metal flake paint is a staple in the custom painting world. The problem has always been the tons of extra work involved when painting with standard sized flakes. In most of the older flake jobs, the amount of extra knockdown and sanding involved with doing the overall paint job makes metal flake the lesser desirable option when using custom paint. We have seen some metal flake paint jobs that were such a disaster because the flakes were too large to go around the edges of doors, hoods, etc. The fact of the matter is that painters can still get big sparkle out of small flakes, so we choose to sell mainly the smallest metal flake, although we can get larger flake sizes for those who insist upon larger flakes. See our user’s pictures for a good idea of what these beautiful flakes can do for your custom paint job. Our flakes are so small, they give perfect coverage to even the smallest edges you can find in any applications. We order flakes in the .004″ size (that’s 4 thousandths of an inch).
Creating a great metal flake paint job is super simple with our flakes. Just choose your base coat (black is good if you want the paint to take on the color of the flakes), and add a heaping tablespoon of our flake to any clear coat (although we recommend a base clear for mixing the flake into, like PPG’s DBC-500, or HOK’s intercoat clear). Knockdown isn’t even an issue with our flake. We have seen full coverage with just 3 coats of clear on these flakes, and your door and hood edges will be as smooth as if you just rolled the car off the showroom floor. Keep in mind, that even though they are called “metal flake”, most of our flakes are made from special solvent-resistant polyesters that can withstand the chemicals in the clear coat. See our tips pages for more information, our download our instructional PDF. Remember, unlike some flakes that people dust onto wet clear-coat dry and spend about 400 bucks for 20 jars of flake to paint a single auto, our system is much more efficient. As we say around here, “One jar paints a car.”
We also sell an variety of chameleon flakes, which are doing great things in the color-changing and ColorShift Pearls world. These flakes, when painted over a black surface, add an incredible overall color-chaging effect to your project.
Speaking of color-changing, we sell a full variety of hologram and prismatic flakes. These little beauties add holographic rainbow effects to any paint job, whether it be candy paint or pearl paint.
Powder coaters have also had great success with our products. Even mixing the flakes at 1/40 ratio with any color of powder coatings can give you an excellent flake effect. All of our flakes (except for the chameleons) have a 400 degree temperature threshold, so they can be used easily in powder coatings as well as paint and gel coat.
In addition to paint and powder coat, boat builders and fiberglass fabrictors have used our products in both the restoration of old fiberglass and the creation of new fiberglass products.
We have had great success with people in the world of interior decor and faux finish as well. Whether creating an underwater look using our peacock flake or just adding some glitz and glam to a storefront, our flakes have been doing great things in the world of faux finish and interior design. For tips on using flakes with faux finish, see our faux tips page.
We have seen our metal flake used in other applications as well, from custom toy builders to custom helicopter paint jobs, so the possibilities are endless! You can mix any of our pearl pigments and candies in with our flakes. Our metal flake has quickly gained popularity and notariety in the paint world, and a look at our user’s pictures can show you what your possibilites are. The fact is, we have discovered that our Metal flake, pearl paint, ColorShift Pearls, and candy paint come from literally the same manufacturers as flakes you will pay 5 times as much for at your local paint shop with a fancy name on them. In today’s economy it’s time to be smart. Creating a custom paint that saves you money will equal more money in your pocket in the end, and gives your project a look like it cost a fortune.
If you are still confused over which products would look good over your existing paint, or want to discuss your options, contact us!
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