Tri-coat pearl paint is increasingly common in the automotive paint industry. The material is no longer exclusive to luxury cars; manufacturers now widely use it on many mass-produced models. Over the years, even professional paint sprayers have encountered problems when applying tri-coat pearl paint, but the three-stage application process has become much easier as material and spraying technology has advanced.
Achieving the Perfect Color Match
One of the biggest challenges encountered with tri-coat pearl paint is achieving the correct color match. On three-stage materials, the number of coats applied at factory level establishes color depth. To determine how many coats you need, spray six small pieces of metal with base coat and leave to dry before applying one coat of pearl coat. Add a second coat to five of the panels, a third coat to four and so on until only you have applied the last piece of metal has six coats. Hold each piece of metal against the original vehicle finish to find the one that matches best.
Primer and Base Coat
Apply an even layer of Tri-Coat pearl paint and an even layer of compatible primer to auto body panels before adding the base coat. Once it's dry, confirm that the primer is lightly sanded to provide an adhesive surface to which the base coat can stick. Spray two even applications of base coat, using an HVLP spray gun. Allow the base coat to dry between coats before carrying out a visual inspection in good lighting conditions. Achieve uniform coverage across the entire panel. Re-coat any areas where insufficient coverage is obvious; minimize the risk of transparency in the final finish.
Pearl Coat
Apply an equal number of pearl coats over the base coat to match the number of applications on selected piece of metal. It is vitally Use pearl coat application methods exactly the same as those you used when completing the test strips. If not, you may get an inaccurate color match. Hold the test strips against the auto body panel between coats to make sure you haven't exceeded the required depth of color.
Clear Coat
Once the pearl coat dries, apply two full coats of clear coat to create a high-gloss protective shine to the surface of the auto body panels. Because tri-coat pearl paint requires multiple layers of material, solvents can diminish the final gloss of the clear coat once it has dried. Always leave tri-coat materials to completely cure in workshop temperatures for several hours before buffing dull areas back to a shine with cutting compounds and an electrical polishing machine.
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