Instructions
TIPS TO ACHIEVE GOOD RESULTS
Customising projects and using metal flakes are fun. Remember to have fun while you are testing different ways to use flakes!
Flakes on a car or other clear coated surface
If you are about to use flakes on a car or other clear coated surfaces, here are the instructions how you achieve the best results:’
Flakes can be mixed in clear coat or sprayed dry, with a flakeslinger (dry flake gun with same purpose as a flakebuster). If you want to achieve a full cover, use a flakeslinger. When you use the dry flake gun the surface need to be covered with moist clear coat or binder to make the flakes stick to the surface.
Preparations
- Prepare your project with the necessary steps (wash, degrease, sanding, primer etc.)
- Spray your chosen color following the manufacturers instructions.
Mixing flakes in clearcoat
- Mix the amount of flakes you want in the clear coat, stir well.
- There are special spray guns with a propeller, that stir the flakes as you work. If you do not have access to such a gun, there are some off the record tips to try: If the flakes sink to the bottom of the cup to fast, a few (clean!) big enough bolts or nuts cand be added to the cup, so you can mix the flake by keeping a rotating movement on the spray gun as you work.
- Spray the flake clearcoat over the surface until the desired effect are reached, be careful to follow the flash-off times between the layers.
- When you are satisfied with the result, it is time for the first layers of clearcoat.
Clearcoat
Spray clearcoat following the manufacturers instructions, here is however couple of ways we use:
- Spray a few layers of clear coat. Observe the drying times between each layer, let dry and sand using a red scotch brite, before adding the next set of clearcoat layers. After that you sand with sandpaper.
or: - Spray a few layers more of clearcoat after a longer drying time between the first set of clearcoat layers (if the manufacturer allows this, check the instructions for information about drying times), and then after that sand with sandingpaper.
- Then it is time for sanding. Sand the surface when it is completly dry. We recommend P600 or finer sandpapr, and red scotch brite (P360). Be careful to not sand through the layers of clearcoat to the flakes!
- Spray more layers of clearcoat. Repeat these two last steps until you are happy with the finish.
Dry spraying flakes
If you use flakeslinger or a similar dry flake gun:
- Spray the surface wet with binder or clearcoat, then spray the flakes over the surface, be careful to get all the flakes lying flat to the surface, if any flake is “standing”, it will show as a dark spot in the clearcoat. You can use air pressure to get the flakes into the wet surface.
- When you are satisfied with the result, it is time for the first layers of clearcoat.
- Spray the clearcoat following the manufacturers instructions, here is however a couple of options that we use:
-
- Spray a few layers of clear coat. Observe the drying times between each layer, let dry and sand using a red scotch brite, before adding the next set of clearcoat layers. After that you sand with sandpaper.
or: - Spray a few layers more of clearcoat after a longer drying time between the first set of clearcoat layers (if the manufacturer allows this, check the instructions for information about drying times), and then after that sand with sandingpaper.
- Then it is time for sanding. Sand the surface when it is completly dry. We recommend P600 or finer sandpapr, and red scotch brite (P360). Be careful to not sand through the layers of clearcoat to the flakes!
- Spray more layers of clearcoat. Repeat these two last steps until you are happy with the finish.
- Spray a few layers of clear coat. Observe the drying times between each layer, let dry and sand using a red scotch brite, before adding the next set of clearcoat layers. After that you sand with sandpaper.
Nozzle size
flakesize nozzlesize
0.004 1.4 mm->
0.008 – 0.015 2 – 2,5 mm->
0,025 2.5mm->
To spray bigger flakes we recommend you to use a flakeslinger or similar dry flake gun.
Other information
It is important to use the proper saftey equipment when working. We recommend suitable vinyl or nitril gloves, coverall, and respiratory protection (at least saftey level 4259).
All of this is about your own taste and preferances, only you imagination sets the borders, and only by testing you can be sure to achieve the finish you want, we wish you good luck on the way! We are always here for you, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
