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Rattle can paint job queston


jeffyjeff

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I am trying to touch up several plastic fairing pieces on my 2000 Honda VFR after a low side spill earlier this year.  The paint code is Y124P.  I ordered the ColorRite three stage paint product (aerosol cans) through Amazon.com.  Today I did the spray out on the test card that came in the kit.  The color match was pretty good when I held the card next to the gas tank.  Then I practiced on a spare fairing panel (the one that I messed up in the accident).  The color is strikingly mismatched when viewed in my garage under fluorescent light. The number of base coats and color coats do not significantly alter the effect.  However, when viewed outdoors, the match is nearly perfect.   My question is why? and is there anything I might try differently on the panels that will be going on the motorcycle? 

 

I posted my question to the ColorRite tech support, but I thought I would see if anyone on VFRD might have had a similar experience.

Thanks.   Jeff  J.

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My experience with paint(cabinets) is even different amounts of hardner or brand of paint can make a difference. Remember too that you won't get the same finish from a can as a proper gun and heated booths etc.
Each trade has their tricks. Metallic paint for instance, you can't paint one panel, you have to blend it into the adjacent panel.
Someone may be more experienced, but if you're happy then price was ok.
Ps. unless things have changed you would normally add a plastic flex compound so the paint doesn't crack over time.

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4 hours ago, jeffyjeff said:

I posted my question to the ColorRite tech support, but I thought I would see if anyone on VFRD might have had a similar experience.

 

Sorry that I can't be of any assistance. I only have a request: 

 

Do let us know what ColorRite has to say, please. 

 

Just to make sure: Your spray card is a good match for the tank under all light conditions ? It's not absolutely clear to me from your post.

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Thanks for the replies so far.   I get what Forbes said about the blending.  Gonna have to practice on that a bit.  Also, ColorRite has a good instructional video on the internet, which I followed exactly; using the Wax and Grease Remover, tack cloth, etc.   When I saw the results, I thought maybe this was a result of the temperature and humidity conditions in my garage when I sprayed the paint, or maybe the spray angle wasn't right.  I don't know.

 

Haven't heard from tech support yet.  Here are a few pix that illustrate what I'm talking about.  Top: in the garage under fluorescent light, the paint appears to have a bit of a "pea-green" tint to it.  Middle:  Outside next to the garage.  Bottom: Spray card.  I only viewed the test card in the garage.  It did not occur to me to take it outside at the time. 

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I thought the yellow had a pearl in it. Nearly impossible to match and harder still to blend. You might check with UltimateVFR as that is his vocation and he has a 6th gen painted factory yellow.


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I thought the yellow had a pearl in it. Nearly impossible to match and harder still to blend. You might check with UltimateVFR as that is his vocation and he has a 6th gen painted factory yellow.


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Well spotted...drama, full respray?

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I went through the same thing with Colorite with the lower right fairing on my Y2K.  I ordered the base and pearl coats but the results were off - similar to yours.  Colorite told me the base can sometimes vary so the best way to match is to send them an actual sample to match - rear cowl, etc.  Fortunately I bought a small touch up bottle from them a couple of years ago that exactly matched my plastic so I sent them a small sample of that.  Also, remember your original paint may have faded somewhat so a perfect match might be impossible.  Anyway, new base coat match is VERY close and difficult to spot unless your told it's repainted. BTW, the replacement base coat was NC. Hope that helps.

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This may be useful when talking to ColorRite:

 

"Metamerism describes the optical phenomenon through which a colour changes under different light sources.


Sometimes a colour (e.g. serial finishing/refinishing) seems identical in daylight, though it appears different under a different light source (e.g. street lights). 


Metamerism is the result of different colour pigmentation, for example, if a green is based purely on a green colour pigment, while the same green has been mixed in a different composition with blue and yellow pigments.


Metamerism is avoided by exclusively using pigments for refinishing which have also been used in serial coating."

 

Source: Standox Standothek

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Nice scientific explanation of the phenomenon, RC36Rider.  Now I'll know how to respond if someone says "your beautiful pearl yellow paint job looks like snot."

Talked to ColorRite tech support, they said that Y124P is a "high variance color", and that Honda used up to ten different formulations of the same color over the years.  I suppose a journeyman painter able to mix paint and apply it in controlled conditions might do an acceptable job of matching the color, but for an amateur like myself, using paint from a spray can, what you see is what you get.  Anyway, the color match is close enough under outdoor light conditions that I doubt anyone will notice, especially after I perfect my skill at blending the repair.

 

I have in the past had very good success painting from aerosol cans.  You would be surprised how nice Rustoleum looks when properly sanded, rubbed out, and polished.  So it's back to my spare fairing panel for some more experimentation before applying the paint for keeps.  Wish me luck.  I'll post pix of the final results.   JJ.

 

PS:  nice job, vfrvCO!

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17 minutes ago, jeffyjeff said:

[...] but for an amateur like myself, using paint from a spray can, what you see is what you get. 

 

The point is that this has little or nothing to do with skill, technique or equipment. It is a fundamental flaw in the paint formulation. 

 

No idea if ColorRite's explanation is plausible or pure BS but at any rate, they are not living up to their name. 

 

Anyway, it's your bike, time and $ so... good luck with the repair and thanks for the info. 

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  • 3 months later...

So...dumb question...did you have any trouble sanding out or filling the plastic before painting? A friend of mine who does professional painting said that plastic from this era doesn't sand or play well with any but the exact right filler, and that cracking of the new finish is always a risk.

 

On the other hand, one of the gentlemen at my local Honda dealership rides a 5th-gen VFR, and gave me contact data for acquiring genuine Honda paint, be it touch-up, rattle can, or paint for my spray guns. I'll let you now how it works out.

 

 

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