rhinotrikes
New member
Question for UK based spray shops; I am a trike manufacturer, as such I have the need to colour match frames and mudguards to OEM colours. For the last 18 years, I have had no problems, having invested £400 in a comprehensive Lechler motorcycle colour swatch box. Recently, however, Lechler have stopped production of solvent based paints meaning water based was the way to go. At first my usual Lechler supplier was able to formulate the colours in Hydrafan however, I found the colour match was way off and the stuff is all but impossible to spay coat a complicated trike frame where depth of coat is critical to colour. I do also spray cars and have managed to adapt to using water based on car panels but the technique to spaying a trike frame is vastly different.
As luck would have it, I found a supplier of Max Mayer solvent based paint who reckond they could continue mixing solvent based for some time to come. Problem, they do not have the Bike formulas or colour swatches and cannot work at all from the Lechler codes or chips. That said, they do a commendable job of trying to match the complicated sometimes 3 process colours but in some cases it's just not good enough.
I thought I had the solution; I would spray the frames out with the "close match" solvent paint, then a dust coat over with the correct colour water based paint.
When I called up my Hydrafan stockist to order the colours, they dropped the bombshell. They no longer support the motorcycle chips in hydrafan. So I am stumped!
For those that don't know, in Europe, the European union, in an attempt to look as if they are doing something for the enviroment have banned all use of solvent based paints to the car refinishing industry.
Motorcycle sprayers are exempt from the directive. However, as we can't buy the paint, it makes no difference.
Have any UK sprayers found a way round these problems?
Can anyone in the UK cross reference the Lechler codes and supply paint in solvent based.
Can a UK supplier mix the colours in Lechler Hydrafan? (Lechler colour code example; Motocicli SUZ 16 Suzuki Bleu Mica Intruder 800 97D)
Is there a company outside the EU that can supply solvent based mixed colours for motorbikes and ship to the UK?
I know it's a lot of questions but I have tried various industry insiders in the UK and it seems that everyone is just trying to wing it with no real solutions on the horizon.
God I hate the European union!:beat:
http://www.rhino-trikes.co.uk
As luck would have it, I found a supplier of Max Mayer solvent based paint who reckond they could continue mixing solvent based for some time to come. Problem, they do not have the Bike formulas or colour swatches and cannot work at all from the Lechler codes or chips. That said, they do a commendable job of trying to match the complicated sometimes 3 process colours but in some cases it's just not good enough.
I thought I had the solution; I would spray the frames out with the "close match" solvent paint, then a dust coat over with the correct colour water based paint.
When I called up my Hydrafan stockist to order the colours, they dropped the bombshell. They no longer support the motorcycle chips in hydrafan. So I am stumped!
For those that don't know, in Europe, the European union, in an attempt to look as if they are doing something for the enviroment have banned all use of solvent based paints to the car refinishing industry.
Motorcycle sprayers are exempt from the directive. However, as we can't buy the paint, it makes no difference.
Have any UK sprayers found a way round these problems?
Can anyone in the UK cross reference the Lechler codes and supply paint in solvent based.
Can a UK supplier mix the colours in Lechler Hydrafan? (Lechler colour code example; Motocicli SUZ 16 Suzuki Bleu Mica Intruder 800 97D)
Is there a company outside the EU that can supply solvent based mixed colours for motorbikes and ship to the UK?
I know it's a lot of questions but I have tried various industry insiders in the UK and it seems that everyone is just trying to wing it with no real solutions on the horizon.
God I hate the European union!:beat:
http://www.rhino-trikes.co.uk
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