Hey guys,
I just wanted to update this thread on my findings. I'm not a professional painter and I'm not saying this is the end all be all on the rocker molding paint, but I'm pretty particular and I'm happy with the outcome.
The PPG 33053 is a good starting point, and after messing around with tinting with black (using black tint, NOT some black basecoat paint to tint with) I am very happy with my results.
I am using:
PPG 33053 in the Shopline 2-stage urethane ( JB basecoat + JC60 clearcoat) with a tint ratio of 3 parts basecoat to 1 part black tint. Please note this ratio is obtained BEFORE the basecoat is reduced/hardened. This JB basecoat is mixed at a 1:1 base/reducer ratio. So, it's a 6:1 RTS paint to 1 part black tint effectively. This may seem like a lot of tint, and I'm no paint expert, but it did take a lot of tint to see a noticeable change in color. Maybe that's why it's called "tint"? All I know is I have enough test strips to start a book on the variants of 33053 at this point!
The Eggshell finish is achieved with using a 3-1/4 : 1-3/4 : 0 : 1 ratio of the clearcoat (3-1/4 parts PPG JC60) to the matting agent (1-3/4 parts SU4985 Universal Matting Agent) to reducer (none in my case) to the hardener (1 part). Again, I'm no professional painter, but the key to spraying a flattened clearcoat is not to lay it on too heavy at once. If you do, the clear separates from the talc in the matting agent and you'll be left with a glossier sheen than you want. It will still be duller than a non-flattened clear, but medium coats with an extended flash window is what you're after. Obviously the gun, temp, airflow, etc. play a big part in this as does any painting environment, but this is just from my experience after reading a lot on the forums and from what I gathered messing around.
I did want to shoot these moldings with a SS Urethane that's been flattened, however I was steered away from that. A metallic SS is hard enough to spray and have look right, and even harder to achieve with an eggshell finish. I opted for the 2- stage urethane as mistakes can be rectified a bit easier, and it made it a lot easier shooting the various test-strips when figuring out the ratios. Although the clearcoat's effectiveness is cut down a bit with the addition of the matting agent, it's still a lot better than a SS urethane's UV protection, so that's a plus as well.
Anyways,
Here are some pictures of the result. I will say, the pictures make them look a bit darker than they are and they look even brighter in the sunlight due to the metallic. The clearcoat is still yet to cure completely and hence will loose a bit of the sheen once the solvents escape. To make that process quicker, you can leave them in the sun for a day or so.
Hope this helps someone in the future!
Matthew
