my first flame job

[kenenthwinter]

Great web page. I have read everything and am ready to proceed. I wanted to get your input on few things not metioned in the basic instructions.

These flames will be on a 1990 Honda Civic. After an accident the fenders and hood have been replaced. The goal is to paint the hood and fender black metal flake fading to deep grey metal flake to grey metal flake. This will be over the original metal grey paint.
Questions:
1. How do I fade the colors?
2. The flames will be painted on the doors over the orginal paint. How do I prep and clear coat over only part of original paint.
3. My plan is to use lacquer based paints and clears offered in a spray can from an automotive store. I do not have access to a spray system and can live with a less than professional finished product. This is a learning project on a 11 year old car with 110k miles.
Can I expected a moderate level of success with spray can application???
4. Do I have any hopes of painting an entire hood with spray cans with any success? I have spot painted with good success, but never a whole part.
5. My plan was to Sand, clean, prime and paint the hood and fenders Silver. Then TRY to blend the black into the dark grey. I think these should be an pearl paint to make the ghost effect you talk about. Then I will TRY to blend the dark grey into the light grey in the flames on the doors.

Any input you offer will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jay]

You can probably buy paint from an auto paint store and they might be able to put it in a can for you and it usually costs about $5 a can plus the cost of the paint. The answers i'm gonna give are just what I think I've heard but here goes.

1. To fade the colors, you mix clear in w/ the color. The mixtures include paint and clear that has the hardener and reducers already mixed in. I'm guessing for the first coat of fade, mix it 2 parts color to 1 part clear, then 1:1, and probably 1:2 paint to clear. This will make the darker color, in your case black, sort of gradually transparent where the gray will show through.

2. The easiest way that i know to prep a part is to buy 3M scotch brite pads. These will scuff up the original paint or clear so that the new stuff will stick. If you plan to paint even a minor amount onto one panel, plan to clear the whole thing or it won't blend right from what i've heard.

3. W/ the paint I said above, it should turn out kinda good. It'll be hard to blend it since you can't mix clear into a can that has paint in it i believe, but you can gradually pull the can further away from the body to that it'll give kind of a mist effect so it lightly coats the body part.

4. You can paint entire parts w/ success but it takes a lot of paint.

5. I'm kinda confused by this one. Maybe Scott F should answer it.

I hope he jumps in on any of this and can further explain or comment on what I just said. Hope any of this helps.