Ghost flames and how are they made? I have some old junks that I use for parts and would like to try my hand at painting ghost flames,some one around this place might just be able to tell me. thanks JNT

 

do a normal flame layout/mask then use a dry pearl mixed in a clear basecoat binder or an intercoat clear and spray. all depends on what effect your actually trying to achieve. a white or ivory pearl against a white base will give the truest ghost flame, however watch out when using like colors & candies for example a copper pearl with an orange candy can make the ghost flames completely disappear.the darker the base color the more the color flame will stand out. the amount of pearl mixed in will also change the ghost effect. less is more approach.

 

So I am painting my sons pick up with in the next week with house of kolor true blue with mica in it in a case like that then could you still add the mica to clear and make it work?

 

if your going to use the same color mica in both you'll lose the ghost flames, the colors will blend right in when cleared.unless you put on several coats of mica but then you'll lose the ghost effect you'll have a set of blue mica flames (or whatever color mica your using) over a true blue truck.Now if your going to spray the true blue, then mask out your flames and shoot the mica over the base (without mica in base) you should be fine with one or two real light coats.e heres a little trick -even if its a quickie test panel shoot a practice test panel ahead of time.Get your self a decent piece a sheet metal from menards or whoever, prep it -this can be a rattle can etch primer after you've scuff up the metal, shoot your true blue, now mark out stripes so you have lets just say 6 partitions on the piece painted blue,put a coat on with the mica just like you would when your painting, now mask off 1 partition,now spray another over the remaining,now mask off that next partition the one with 2 coats of mica-ya get where i'm going with this the last partition has six coats of mica when your done. clear it. then when dry look at it in the sun move it back and forth to see your flip and the difference the # of mica coats makes now you've got your let down panel and you can see how many coats you'll want to put on. i normally do a let down panel on my pearls and even candies so i know exactly what shade/color i'm going for and how to get there.

 

+1 to this guy, make sure there is no gouges or scratches, the mica will fall in and u will see the scratch.good luck. mad painter dude, dont u just love to get a ****ed up car in and do the body work,prime,seal,base,and clear,then buff and fell so damn proud when its like glass,i know i do especially when i paint show aircraft.

 

Thank you for all the help I most certainly will try the corrugated metal trick.

 

theres an easier way to make a let down panel.scuff up a piece of steel,prime. put five sections of paper down evenly,pull first one,paint,pull second,paint,pull third,paint and so forth.then vertically mask off into 3 sections, clear first open section,pull next paper,clear again,pull last and clear all.then u have tons of choices,clear can effect the base color,lighter or darker if its tented,or clear or yellower if u use ****ty clear.just easier so u don have to mask after every time u paint a section, u just pull off for a new section.good luck.

 

at first its what then you think and it makes good sense you end up with the first block having eight coats

 

first block has 4 base and 3 clears

 

capnmorgking- your ways right on the money too just alittle more masking then i like but every painter has their own way do to things- that and all the fumes is what makes us unique. you shoot aircraft- now thats some big canvas. do any major custom work or all restorations? and yes theres a HUGE sense of satisfaction with the finished product. overshooting the customers expectations and seeing there reaction doesn't hurt the ego either.

just-n-time-good luck and glad the info helped. just be patient don't cut any corners prepping don't rush your flash times (dry times)or your final product will show it.Hok is really pretty user friendly.if you have anyother questions ask away i'm going to be in kc for the next 2 weeks but i'll have a lap top with me and try to check in.again good luck.
p.s. wear a good respirator (buy the 3m one is only about $35) and make sure you have pletty of ventilation where your spraying.

 

yes i do spray small planes like Cessna's and pipers and all kinds of custom made planes,its easer for the fact most planes u etch then paint single stage.thats it. harder because they have way more area and tighter spots which it can run if ur not really care full, u have to use summer time hardeners in the winter so u can get a layer down before any flashing or drying starts and summer thin it and mix less hardener for the same reasons.also harder on show planes cause the body and wings have to be perfect and u can spray 2 and 3 stage jobs,and then have to color sand and buff entire aircraft. but yes i do restorations but rather paint planes, way more money involved. but right now av gas is like 4.56 or something like that so the small aviation is taking a dive because most of them cant afford to fly all the time.thats what sucks about this recession that kills people like you and me makes times get tough.also since i live in cal, la county all vehicle painting has to be switch to water born paint so im probable going to get out of vehicles.o and yes i had to spray a north American f-86 once,what a huge freaking job, got 25k not bad but took 3 month's from start to finish,strip all paint,bondo,etch,paint 5 colors all in a 2 stage paint.lots of work.under charged by far but i know he has 2 Russian L39's he is planning on having me paint,good for money but lots of 14 hour days.anyway good luck and have fun in kc.

 

Clear coat I finished the paint on the truck to day, I got one good coat of c/c on the truck, my next question is how many coats should I put on? I put it on so that it looked wet but not wet enough to form any runs. It looks like a twenty footer,it should look even better when buffed, thats the part I wish I could get some one else to do. lol JNT

 

what kind of clear ? HOK ? i would think at least 2 maybe 3 depending on mix ratio. if you've let the clear sit overnight you'll have to sand with 600 before recoating you can get away with 800 or even 1000 but your going to have a better chance of running the next coat with the finer grits.

capnmorgking- and i thought conversion vans were a pain the arss.that water borne makes no sense to me because you still have to use a solvent based clear and thats got the isocynates. not to mention the addtional amount of air flow to dry.they havn't gotten to crazy with pushing the stuff but i believe its 2010 most comerical bodyshops around here have to use it.

 

[quote=
capnmorgking- and i thought conversion vans were a pain the arss.that water borne makes no sense to me because you still have to use a solvent based clear and thats got the isocynates. not to mention the addtional amount of air flow to dry.they havn't gotten to crazy with pushing the stuff but i believe its 2010 most comerical bodyshops around here have to use it.[/quote]

yea it is a pain but i heard the clears were water based to.and LA county requires all auto shops to convert by 2009,and i dont want to.

 

OK I under stand the 600 paper the paint is martin Senior some one told me the parent company was Sherwin Williams, the mix is 25% of hardener ,8oz to the quart (32oz) after I finished the first c/c I let it sit over night till I had confirmation from you two., what made me think of it was the buffing, if the c/c is not thick enough one might burn threw it.