...So i am thinking of doing a dark grey or black metallic base, and then lightly dusting that with a dark blue metallic. like literally about 2 feet back and just barely hitting it with the blue. Kind of going for a pearl effect...
...Any advice on that ? thoughts ? is there a better way to achieve this effect ?
I'd recommend using flat colors since they don't run that easily. Gloss paints run very easily, so it takes longer to get a good coat and finish since you have to paint in lighter coats. With flat, you can spray a good, thick coat once, touch up with a second maybe 10 minutes later. Then you spray some clear (also available in piss-can) to get the shine and finish.
Trying to get a pearl effect with spray-cans is kinda difficult just due to the nature. The way you'd like to do it is going to end up looking like overspray and it's difficult to get even coverage as the cloud is going to disperse and settle differently, especially spraying outside, even in a slight breeze. However, try spraying maybe another 6-10 inches farther back then the base coat. Also, if you feel like putting the time into it - lay down the base coat, then clear it when it's dry enough. 'Dust' with your 'pearl' color, then clear over that as well. This way the base coat has a shine to it, and the pearl (which is basically going to be intentional overspray) will have a shine to it as well. Should provide some depth and the shine desired, however it's not going to pop in certain light and angles like a true pearl paint job will. Spray paint isn't setup to refract light differently at different angles, so it's going to look the same from any angle, in any light. You're more than likely going to end up with a good paint job that looks like it had overspray from another project.
However, going back to paint type - if you pick the colors you want in a gloss metallic, you should get a better effect than flat. Or base coat in flat, clear it, then dust your pearl in a glossy metallic. The light will reflect differently and shine and sparkle more than a flat with clear. Honestly, this is the way I'd do it - with the flat base cleared then dusted in a gloss metallic, also cleared.
mojojojo said:
I am not super concerned about quality since the rig is already dented up really bad. i'll do some prep work, but prob wont be wet sanding and all that.
If it rains, you can wet sand with a fine grit sandpaper or emory cloth. Just pull the rig out, let it rain on it, and sand as it's raining... lol.
Even dented up, you can still get a decent paintjob. As previously stated, a good paint job is all in the prep work. Honestly all you should have to do is scuff-sand the entire rig, wipe clean with a lint-free-ish cloth, DON'T spray alcohol to clean it up - some alcohols leave a residue that'll lead to the paint cracking as it sets up. Scuff-sand, give it a good, proper, even coat of primer. Let the primer set up, wipe again with similar cloth, then spray light coats of the base. Don't start spraying pointing at the area - you want to use smooth, sweeping motions. Start spraying before the area, sweep across it, stop spraying past the other side. Start spraying again before the area, sweep back across, stop once past. Repeat, repeat, repeat until your panel is covered. Be sure to shake the can every couple passes to keep things mixed and agitated properly. If you use a flat, you can get a decent first coat on that'll set-up quickly, allowing you to re-coat in about 10-15 minutes.
bruthas for a hand !
