flat finish vrs. gloss finish

[gtc73]

Afternoon guys!
Well it's that time of year again, when I start planning out my winter paint project for my bike. This year I am kicking around the idea of going with some hot rod flatz........possibly a burnt orange with black graphics, tribal axes, something along these lines.

Wanted to get some feedback on flat paint finish endurance. How do flat finishes hold up? how bout cleaning, or what about light scratches, spider webbing etc?

I'm thinking because it's a flat finish, I may not even have to ever worry about spider webbing or those kinds of finish marks.

?? thanks for your valued experience and input.
g

 

[Wydir]

well there is no way to fix it. only repaint it , can't sand it or buff it. PPG makes a flat clear called DCU2060 Flexed and Flat this will give you a bit more durability but same thing applies can't be fixed only recleared hope this helps.

 

[TAZ]

I've sprayed the single stage HOT ROD flat paint, and it get's very hard. Not for sure about durability.
Like Wydir said, if it gets scratched, you can't buff it out, so you'll need to repaint it.

You can take pretty much any single stage paint and add flattening agent to it, OR, you can use a basecoat, then use the Flexed in Flat, or your own clear with the flattening agent.

 

[gtc73]

good stuff guys!, thanks.....hmmm, decisions decisions.....I can't see myself repainting, or touching up due to scratches. Then again I have to ask myself, how many scratches are there on my current clear thats been on for 2 years now....and I can say pretty much none.....that said....figure I can put up with minimal nicks or scratches until the next paint job right!!!!! so, now I need to talk about flatz with pearls on them....

 

[Wydir]

Well sounds like something to test out... Never thought of adding pearls to a flat color have to let us know how it turns out.

 

[TAZ]

Actually, Harley-Davidson has a few satin finishes over metallics/pearls.
They call it "denim"

All you do is spray the basecoat, then clear with the flattening agent. The more flattener you add, the flatter it gets.

You can do a Google image search for "harley" "denim pewter", "denim black", "denim silver"

 

[Wydir]

The only denim color that has a very small amount of pearl in it is Pewter denim(.7grams per pint). No other denim color has pearl in it just basecoat with the DCU2060 clear over top

 

[scapegoat]

Same as above , Kirker paints makes a matte clear that works good . No need to ad a flatner . makes life easier . I painted a 51 Merc years ago flat black single stage , then flamed it bc/cc . After about 6 months the owner brought it back with shiny streaks in the flat paint . Mmmm what do I do now ? I thought about how to repair this . Never seeing this problem before , and not knowing what to do . Then I had a sit down talk with the owner trying to find out why this happened . He said they would show up while he used his California car duster . They contain wax and he didn't know it . The c/c flames was fine but the flat looked like shirt . Tried washing with dawn , wax and grease remover , nothing . Baked right into the finsh . Had to repaint . This time black bc/cc .

 

[discgolfer]

Ive had alot of experiance with spraying flat clear in the last 2yrs, both pre made(PPG 2060, RM DC5775, Glasurit 923-55) and making my own using flatting agent. What Ive learned is pre mades are expensive and work best for small jobs like motorcycles. Making your own with flatting agent or flop control agent is the best way to go for painting cars, trucks and vans. You can use just about any clear you want but ones that reduce 4:1 work the best. Heres the percentages of flatting or flop control to add into the clear for differant gloss levels. 40% semi gloss, 50% satin and 60% flat. heres an example. If you make a qt (32oz) of clear you multiply 32X.6=19.2oz. Hope this helps.