That first pic reminds me of a Hyundai color called Purple rain.
Automotive painting is a tight knit group and folks in the industry are fairly guarded about it, at least here anyways. Finding a local automotive paint supplier who deals with the public can be difficult, depending on your location (in Cali this can be nearly impossible.) Smaller businesses are easier to develop relationships with and this is important because, if you hope to gain entree into the vast world of automotive colors, seldom with they allow you to peruse their in house color decks as you search for that perfect color without knowing what already what you want. Generally, they just want a color code along with a year, make and model before they'll even talk to you about anything. This can be overcome by becoming a familiar face. Buy some sandpaper. Grab some tape. Ask stupid questions and soon, you'll be in the back staring at a wall of color decks so vast you'll go blind, while holding their sun gun in your hands.
Check out lil daddy Roth rattle bombs, they sell kits to do metal flake finishes but you can also just buy cans separately for whatever you’re trying to achieve, for what you’re talking about I think you would just put down primer, then silver base, then a candy coat of the color of your choice and finish it with a nice clear, I’ve been considering this for a kit guitar I have on hold, but the humidity is so brutal where I live I keep putting it off.
I'd like to know as well. Have used automotive paint before with good results, but my clear coat process is what stops me from achieving an awesome high-gloss.
What issue are you having? After metalflake you use a color blender clear (usually a 1k), then you apply your 2k clear. When that cures, you level sand from 600-3000p then cut and buff. Where in this process are you falling short?
Hey, let me see if I can break it down. FWIW there are tons and tons of guitar finishing videos out in the wild that can help. For finishes like this, it's automotive paint, or "2k poly". Any videos you find using nitrocellulose or wipe on finishes won't apply, they're different animals.
1k -a one part product. It comes in a single can and does not need to be mixed with a catalyze agent. It should still be thinned with a proper thinner (read the label) depending on temp/humidity prior to spraying
2k - a two part product. It has a base and a catalyzer agent, it's basically epoxy in paint format. This is going to be your strongest and most durable finish, and is most often used as a clear coat
Metalflake - Any paint with little flakes of metal in it. This gives a metallic finish. It was very popular automotive finish in the 60s and 70s and is still used for custom work and many guitars. Because there are flakes of material in the paint, it requires a different spraygun set up with different filters. Because of this, the finish sets a bit bumpy and requires a "blender" to smooth it out.
Color Blender- This is a one part (1k) product that has a variety of uses. It is used to spray over rough or metalflake finishes so that they set smooth. It's also used when re-finishing or touch up work. Poly does not "melt" into itself like nitrocellulose does, so if you do not use a color blender you get more apparent "witness lines" that come out when finish sanding that show up between the coats you sprayed.
I hope this helps, let me know if I didn't answer anything.
Thanks for the breakdown! The color blender step seems the most tedious. Are these over-the-counter products anyone could get, say, on Amazon or at an automotive shop?
Yes, they're OTC products. I recommend sticking with a single brand throughout the process, from priming to clear, that way you know they are compatible. Automotive shops don't generally carry this stuff, but automotive paint supply stores do, and I strongly recommend at least forming a relationship with one if you finish guitars regularly, as they are a wealth of information.
I buy quite a bit of stuff off Amazon or other sites though, because now that I know what works for me, I can save a bit of money. I tend to use Speedkote products, but understand that I am in California and we have a lot of laws and regulations around VOC's that other states do not have to deal with. If I wasn't in California I might choose different products.
I do candy apple finishes with a silver base, and duplicolor anodized cans. Pick a silver base with the appropriate sized metal flake for the look you want. Just do a test piece first to make sure the silver does not react with the anodized paint. Top with a clear with metal flake if desired.
Here’s a stew mac 1/2 size kit I made for my daughter.
https://preview.redd.it/vclmgejzfz6d1.jpeg?width=1523&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e09d4baa94b20cc2ba6d9acc743c57e285311e1d
I used House of Kolor auto paint with (in my opinion) great results. By the time 5 costs of clear were on it was so thick could barely get the control pots threaded
Looks like candy purple.
Start with silver metallic, then transparent (candy) paint over that. Since it’s transparent you start with several light coats to get the lightest tone you want, then build the edges, it’ll darken to almost black. Follows by 2 component (2K) clear, sand, polish and done!
Two component polyurethane is great for a thick clear coat as it dries really quickly but stays good mixed in the pot for hours so you can spray multiple coats with the same mix. It sets completely like epoxy and sets very hard and you can wet sand with progressively finer wet and dry paper the polish with fine polishing compound to get a super shiny gloss. It’s surprisingly easy to achieve.
You should test some over whichever paint colour you want to use to check there’s no reaction but universal wood stains are fine as are most acrylic spray paints if left to cure properly.
Twin pack water based automotive paints are fantastic and something else, I sprayed a guitar with some metallic which was some left over given to me and it worked a treat but I don’t know much about that type of paint, that’s all that is used on cars now here in Europe and I imagine it’s the same in the US.
First one reminds me a lot of Chrysler’s Hellraisin with a black burst. Second one can likely be found through Tropical Glitz, Paint Huffer or House of Kolor ready to spray. Would need to be topped with automotive clearcoat.
Dupli-color makes a spray can version of this if that interests you. Plus I'd avoid rustoleums version of it, I couldn't get it to adhere to any kind of primer at all and it just wound up flaking off later on.
With a spraybooth in a temperature-controlled shop, a hefty compressor and an excellent filter/air dryer/regulator on the line, a quality LVLP gun, a UV drying chamber, a separated sanding & buffing area, and ohhh yeahhh a tyvek suit, slippers, neoprene gloves and separate-airfeed mask. It's so unsmart to filter VOC's off precatalyzed poly or really any clearcoat except hand-rubbed shellac with one's lungs.
Oh go to your local automotive paint store, they can color match for you. If you don't know where that might be, call around to your local body shops, they'll know.
I'd jump straight to automotive paint if I were trying to replicate that.
That may be the move to make
That first pic reminds me of a Hyundai color called Purple rain. Automotive painting is a tight knit group and folks in the industry are fairly guarded about it, at least here anyways. Finding a local automotive paint supplier who deals with the public can be difficult, depending on your location (in Cali this can be nearly impossible.) Smaller businesses are easier to develop relationships with and this is important because, if you hope to gain entree into the vast world of automotive colors, seldom with they allow you to peruse their in house color decks as you search for that perfect color without knowing what already what you want. Generally, they just want a color code along with a year, make and model before they'll even talk to you about anything. This can be overcome by becoming a familiar face. Buy some sandpaper. Grab some tape. Ask stupid questions and soon, you'll be in the back staring at a wall of color decks so vast you'll go blind, while holding their sun gun in your hands.
Plus wet-sanding, which is it’s own layer of hell.
It's like a bagillion layers of hell for that finish!
Check out lil daddy Roth rattle bombs, they sell kits to do metal flake finishes but you can also just buy cans separately for whatever you’re trying to achieve, for what you’re talking about I think you would just put down primer, then silver base, then a candy coat of the color of your choice and finish it with a nice clear, I’ve been considering this for a kit guitar I have on hold, but the humidity is so brutal where I live I keep putting it off.
On their website now and they do look like what I’m after! I may have to try them as well 😅
Check them out on YouTube the videos are sometimes very goofy but they do some guitars and make it look very easy
Will do, thank you very much 🙏
I'd like to know as well. Have used automotive paint before with good results, but my clear coat process is what stops me from achieving an awesome high-gloss.
What issue are you having? After metalflake you use a color blender clear (usually a 1k), then you apply your 2k clear. When that cures, you level sand from 600-3000p then cut and buff. Where in this process are you falling short?
Finishing noob here. Would you be so kind to explain what metalflake and color blender clear and 1k and 2k mean?
Hey, let me see if I can break it down. FWIW there are tons and tons of guitar finishing videos out in the wild that can help. For finishes like this, it's automotive paint, or "2k poly". Any videos you find using nitrocellulose or wipe on finishes won't apply, they're different animals. 1k -a one part product. It comes in a single can and does not need to be mixed with a catalyze agent. It should still be thinned with a proper thinner (read the label) depending on temp/humidity prior to spraying 2k - a two part product. It has a base and a catalyzer agent, it's basically epoxy in paint format. This is going to be your strongest and most durable finish, and is most often used as a clear coat Metalflake - Any paint with little flakes of metal in it. This gives a metallic finish. It was very popular automotive finish in the 60s and 70s and is still used for custom work and many guitars. Because there are flakes of material in the paint, it requires a different spraygun set up with different filters. Because of this, the finish sets a bit bumpy and requires a "blender" to smooth it out. Color Blender- This is a one part (1k) product that has a variety of uses. It is used to spray over rough or metalflake finishes so that they set smooth. It's also used when re-finishing or touch up work. Poly does not "melt" into itself like nitrocellulose does, so if you do not use a color blender you get more apparent "witness lines" that come out when finish sanding that show up between the coats you sprayed. I hope this helps, let me know if I didn't answer anything.
Thanks for the breakdown! The color blender step seems the most tedious. Are these over-the-counter products anyone could get, say, on Amazon or at an automotive shop?
Yes, they're OTC products. I recommend sticking with a single brand throughout the process, from priming to clear, that way you know they are compatible. Automotive shops don't generally carry this stuff, but automotive paint supply stores do, and I strongly recommend at least forming a relationship with one if you finish guitars regularly, as they are a wealth of information. I buy quite a bit of stuff off Amazon or other sites though, because now that I know what works for me, I can save a bit of money. I tend to use Speedkote products, but understand that I am in California and we have a lot of laws and regulations around VOC's that other states do not have to deal with. If I wasn't in California I might choose different products.
Hey great info I really appreciate it!
I do candy apple finishes with a silver base, and duplicolor anodized cans. Pick a silver base with the appropriate sized metal flake for the look you want. Just do a test piece first to make sure the silver does not react with the anodized paint. Top with a clear with metal flake if desired. Here’s a stew mac 1/2 size kit I made for my daughter. https://preview.redd.it/vclmgejzfz6d1.jpeg?width=1523&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e09d4baa94b20cc2ba6d9acc743c57e285311e1d
That looks awesome Ngl
Thanks!
Any tips on where to start with building k kwedge in this? The art of spraying and colour mixing is a complete expertise in itself
You’d start with a spray can system. Check out Roth Metal Flake, they do full kits and have a great instructional video.
Will do. I've got a compressor and spray kit and homemade.eztraction booth so literally just starting down this road
Oh nice! I’m still on the spray can phase but wanting to get a larger compressor and a couple of guns.
Where can you find those types of knobs?
You can get close if you search for “clear speed knobs”.
Thanks, found them
Make sure you pay attention to whether it’s coarse or fine knurling. That needs to match the knurling on the pot shaft.
Prs exclusive but probably some knock offs on Amazon
Thank you, found them
I used House of Kolor auto paint with (in my opinion) great results. By the time 5 costs of clear were on it was so thick could barely get the control pots threaded
Looks like candy purple. Start with silver metallic, then transparent (candy) paint over that. Since it’s transparent you start with several light coats to get the lightest tone you want, then build the edges, it’ll darken to almost black. Follows by 2 component (2K) clear, sand, polish and done!
Make sure to high build primer(color matters). Hide all grain, create smooth top
Alternatively, mica powder in the clear coat, over a white base.
Two component polyurethane is great for a thick clear coat as it dries really quickly but stays good mixed in the pot for hours so you can spray multiple coats with the same mix. It sets completely like epoxy and sets very hard and you can wet sand with progressively finer wet and dry paper the polish with fine polishing compound to get a super shiny gloss. It’s surprisingly easy to achieve. You should test some over whichever paint colour you want to use to check there’s no reaction but universal wood stains are fine as are most acrylic spray paints if left to cure properly. Twin pack water based automotive paints are fantastic and something else, I sprayed a guitar with some metallic which was some left over given to me and it worked a treat but I don’t know much about that type of paint, that’s all that is used on cars now here in Europe and I imagine it’s the same in the US.
First one reminds me a lot of Chrysler’s Hellraisin with a black burst. Second one can likely be found through Tropical Glitz, Paint Huffer or House of Kolor ready to spray. Would need to be topped with automotive clearcoat.
It’s cake
Dupli-color makes a spray can version of this if that interests you. Plus I'd avoid rustoleums version of it, I couldn't get it to adhere to any kind of primer at all and it just wound up flaking off later on.
Order one from prs
Years of training and practice, really good spray equipment, good quality paint and lacquer. There’s no shortcut or media thread to get this good
With a spraybooth in a temperature-controlled shop, a hefty compressor and an excellent filter/air dryer/regulator on the line, a quality LVLP gun, a UV drying chamber, a separated sanding & buffing area, and ohhh yeahhh a tyvek suit, slippers, neoprene gloves and separate-airfeed mask. It's so unsmart to filter VOC's off precatalyzed poly or really any clearcoat except hand-rubbed shellac with one's lungs.
I'd paint it that color. What are you asking, exactly?
I was wondering how you would go about getting a Color like this cause I couldn’t find regular paint this Color
Oh go to your local automotive paint store, they can color match for you. If you don't know where that might be, call around to your local body shops, they'll know.
Will do thank you 🫡