pepboys inspires questions...

[Smirabi]

i was walking through pepboys when i realized that guys who mod their cars use lots of the same stuff we do... just a thought.

question 1 that pepboy employee was unable to answer. we've all see those cars with the paint jobs that change color depending on the angle.... right, well the maker of the paint has cans of it at pepboys. but the color can is "step 2" and step 1 is a black primer. i am interested in how this would look if applied to a polished steel surface without that black primer coat. anybody got any ideas?

question 2: i saw some big (relative to WC radiators) or small (relative to car) fluid radiators sitting on a shelf there... and i wondered if a larger radiator would improve the temps for a WC system? any ideas?

[stool]

I think you are mush better off using a primer on bare metal. You don't have to use step 1 as long as you use a flat black primer of the same type, but usually these paints are formulated to work well together.

As to the radiators, that would depend on your ability to cool them. For example, some transmission coolers are able to accomodate 2 120mm fans, which makes for great cooling.

[Kitler]

AWSOLME I NEED SOME PAINT LIKE THT were would i find some

[Breadfan]

Yeah, most likely the top coat is like a candy-apple, in otherwords it is somewhat transparent/translucent. It would work on bare metal, might not stick all that great though, and the properties of the color would be different. I'm not sure how it would affect the dual color thing though. If you want to effect from the paint though, you must use the primer to match what the maker says the colors will look like. For instance, even using grey primer will change how the end result looks.

[Robrules18]

isnt that stuff crazy expensive???

[Smirabi]

well, i figured i'd need osme kind of primer, but i wonder if there are any clear primers... because i really want to see how this paint will look on a silver surface. and, robrules18, it's about 8 bucks for a can that looks to be only about 1/2 to 2/3rds the size of a normal can of spraypaint. and as stated above, check pepboys to find some of this paint.

[340Duster]

I painted my case flames with that kind of paint. it is a 3 stage paint from Duplicolor, The kit was around $15 bucks it was enough to paint flames on a lawn mower and on my case. and still have some left over, keeping in mind that I just did the tips with it. It turns from purple to green depending on angle. The technical term is prismatic paint. And the "radiator" you mentioned is a heater core for a car.

[Smirabi]

yeah, well there are a few different color schemes, i am particularly interested in the blue green purple one. so... nobody wants to posit a guess as to what the paint would look like on polished metal without a primer?

[Annoyingrob]

for 8 bucks, I'd buy a can, and try it out to see how it turns out. If it fails, sand off, and do something else. If it succeeds, buy more for the case. I'm assuming this IS for your case.....

[stool]

Tough to guess. I'll tell you this, though. The blue green purple doesn't really seem to show as much color variation as the one with gold added in. AFAIK, there aren't any clear primers. Don't seem to get the point of not using primer, as whatever happens, the bare metal won't be visible any longer, and primer helps susequent coats adhere better.

[docwax]

one guess of mine is that the paint will not stay on as well and so when it dries, it will look thin and weak. if u want it to look more full afterwards, you will probably have to put on more coats. so instead of buying a cheaper primer that works better, u will be using the paint itself as a primer with worse results and it will probably cost more. my advise is to use the primer if u want it to look good.

[Breadfan]

If the paint is translucent, then having no primer would mean the bare metal would impact the color. However, it's impossible to say just how it would impact it, unless you talk to some paint experts. My guess is that the black adds darkness to the color, and that bright silver would result in a lighter appearing coat, and would most likely require more paint to cover adequately.

You could rough up the bare metal with 400grit sandpaper, which might help paint adhesion, but would still not be as tough as using primer. It would most likely peel very easily.

An alternative, if you want to experiement, is using black primer, then an undercoat of silver metallic or "chrome" paint. You could even try this on a scrap peice and see how it looks.

[Smirabi]

great idea breadfan. yeah, i was really just wondering how much the base color will affect the paint color, and that is a good way to find out.

[340Duster]

Originally posted by Breadfan
If the paint is translucent, then having no primer would mean the bare metal would impact the color. However, it's impossible to say just how it would impact it, unless you talk to some paint experts. My guess is that the black adds darkness to the color, and that bright silver would result in a lighter appearing coat, and would most likely require more paint to cover adequately.

You could rough up the bare metal with 400grit sandpaper, which might help paint adhesion, but would still not be as tough as using primer. It would most likely peel very easily.

An alternative, if you want to experiement, is using black primer, then an undercoat of silver metallic or "chrome" paint. You could even try this on a scrap peice and see how it looks.

The clear part that contains the metalic prismatic effects of the paint will not show up unless it is ontop of the black undercoat that comes with the system. I found this out from experience. And yes I would prime the metal with a regular black primer before putting the undercoat on.

[Smirabi]

thanks duster, i was really hoping that osmebody who had experience with this exact kind of paint would have an answer. i also very much appreciate everyone elses help

[StillLife]

Don't waste your time or money trying it without primer. It will flake and peel off extremely easy. If you are looking to slightly change the color of that chameleon paint. Go to a store that specializes in only auto paint. You can have them mix different paints, pearls, metallics, etc, to get the effect your looking for. Some of these places will put it in an spray can for you if you have no compressor/gun or you can buy one made for autopaint that you can pour the paint and hardener right in and spray.