[bobyell]

Hi Guys,
Do you think a newbie painter could pull off the 3 stage viper blue perl paint job? Of course I will be practicing before shooting the car and asking lots of questions.

Bob

[bobjob]

you CAN do anything you want to!!! YES YOU CAN!!! that's how hotrodders are born....

[cboy]

One option you might want to consider is a two stage pearl...where the pearl is in the base coat rather than being applied in an "inter coat" or middle stage between the base and clear. Obviously you will never quite achieve three stage results with a two stage paint...but the challenges are also much less frightening.

You can see a bunch of pictures of my two stage pearl here. This was not only my first experience with a pearl, it was my first time shooting BC/CC. So I needed to keep things as simple as possible, yet try to get some pearl effect.
This will give you an idea of the final effect. (First two shots taken before cutting and buffing. Last shot after buffing.)







Which ever way you choose to go, there are some great painters on this site with tons of experience to share. They were a great help to me all along the way.

[bobyell]

Thanks !
That looks awesome, gives me hope!
I ended up going with daytona blue, which has pearl in it also. The guys at the paint shop said it will be more beginner freindly having less flake. That isn't why i chose that color but it is an added plus being a beginner. When I finish painting I'll post some pix.
I bought a new gun also as my cheapy gun was very hot at the top of the pattern and nothing I did would fix it.

Bob

[302 Z28]

Don't be intimated with pearl BC. Mine also came out excellent, and I am by no means an expert, or even an accomplished painter. The color I chose had two colors of pearl and between the two amounted to a full 16oz bottle of pearl.

Vince

[bobyell]

No not intimidated , just cautious!
The pearl is in the basecoat, so he said it should be fairly easy to shoot. Hopefull I can stay consistant with my spraying,I can spray metallic from a rattle can without too much mottling.

I'll practice on an extra fender and valance panel tomorrow. I borrowed my neighbors DevilBiss shopline gun, my cheap gun is crap. It really didnt work for primer well. Should i use the 1.4 tip or the 1.8 ?

Bob

[302 Z28]

Good luck, come back here if you need more help.

Vince

[cornfieldcars]

Cboy....what brand and color paint is that?

[cboy]

Originally Posted by cornfieldcars

Cboy....what brand and color paint is that?

The base is Restoration Shop and the clear is Kustom Shop. They are available together as a package deal from TCP Global. A gallon each of base and clear, plus the reducer of your choice (slow, med, fast) and the required hardener...all for $240 plus shipping.

The color I used above is Firethorn Red Pearl.

The "kit" price is pretty hard to beat but the next car I shoot I'd really like to try out SPI's clear (as well as their epoxy). So I'd probably just get the base color from Restoration Shop and then use the SPI clear. SPI is very reasonably priced and many painters on this and other forums rave about the ease of use and terrific results. Plus they have very good tech support, including advice for the novice painter.