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 coated with various metallic powders.

I hope these info can be useful.

Alberto.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Alberto Michelatti