Car painting with mother of pearl – aerosol spray cans with paint
Painting a car with mother-of-pearl is a rather complex process, but with proper application techniques, it can be done by yourself. Either with a spray gun or with ready-to-use pearlescent car paint from a spray can.
Car paints with mother of pearl in the spray can – pearlescent car paint
Pearlescent car paint is created using special pearlescent pigments – synthetic mica crystals that resemble prisms in shape and can reflect and redirect incoming light. Pearlescent car paint is a mixture of pigment particles, lacquer, and solvents.
The mother-of-pearl effect on a car, although only visible during the day, creates a beautiful and impressive play of light, unusual iridescence, and reflections that change color depending on various factors. The most important prerequisite for a beautiful pearlescent finish is the quality of the paint and adherence to the technological rules during application. It is particularly important that the color gradients run symmetrically with the car's body. This can be achieved through the correct painting technique.
Car painting with mother-of-pearl from the spray can
Preparation for painting. Generally, this is similar to painting with other paint materials—thorough cleaning and degreasing with special solutions . In addition to the normal preparation of the vehicle or component for painting, the room conditions for pearlescent paintwork should also be prepared. Outdoor painting is not recommended, except for the restoration of minor scratches.
The room (a garage is suitable) where the painting is carried out should have a stable temperature – a positive temperature (ideally around 20 degrees Celsius) that is uniform throughout the room. Drafts should be avoided. This can be easily achieved in a garage environment.
The surface to be painted should also have a uniform temperature across the entire surface, which should be neither higher nor lower than room temperature. The paint materials (primer, solvent, spray paint, clear coat, etc.) should also be at this temperature.
After preparing the room, the vehicle and all necessary materials, the pearlescent spray paint is applied according to the usual rules of car painting with a spray can , although some special features must be observed.
Pearlescent paintwork of the car from the spray can – special features
Pearlescent paint must be sealed with a clear coat (2-3 coats), so you should have the appropriate clear coat available alongside the car's paint. A special feature is that you can't just paint the car with pearlescent paint today and then apply a clear coat tomorrow. The pearlescent paint process is continuous – from the first coat of paint to the final clear coat.
The spray can of pearlescent paint must be shaken thoroughly (2-4 minutes) before painting to ensure the pearlescent pigment is evenly distributed. The temperatures of the paint, the surface to be painted, and the room should be the same.
A test coat is very important to see what the result looks like with 1, 2 or 3 coats.
Pearlescent aerosol paint should be applied more carefully than with conventional aerosol car enamels. The spray can should always be held at the same distance from the surface, and the paint should be applied in a single plane, at a constant speed, and in a single direction.
Typically, two coats are applied, but with some colors, three coats are better. The first coat is applied from a greater distance so that the pigment dust lies finely on the bodywork and does not create a continuous wet film. This coat should dry for 15-20 minutes. The following "wet" coat is then applied in a continuous film. The spray can is held slightly closer to the surface than when applying the dry coat. When applying three coats, the last coat is the wettest. After 20 minutes, the surface is ready for the clear coat.
Typically, two to three coats of clear coat are applied to the pearlescent paint, each with a drying time of 20 minutes. The first coat is drier and subsequent coats are wetter. The paint job must be uninterrupted – from the first application of the car paint to the final application of the clear coat, the process must be continuous. After completion, the vehicle should rest for at least 24 hours at a constant positive temperature.
