Paint matching

The Cagiva era Morinis
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nickst4
Posts: 185
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 06:55
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK
Location: Norfolk

Paint matching

Post by nickst4 »

Hi People,

Not that I've quite got a Dart yet (soon, weather permitting!), but I'm wondering if anyone has found a good match for the pearlescent white of the bodywork? Or is there a code stamped somewhere on the bike?

Thanks,

Nick, Norfolk
hendre
Posts: 600
Joined: 11 Aug 2007 06:51
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Paint matching

Post by hendre »

better idea: go to a professional paintshop and have the original paint scanned... then you'll have a 99% match :mrgreen:
morini_tom
Posts: 920
Joined: 05 May 2006 13:47
Location: Northampton

Re: Paint matching

Post by morini_tom »

Nick,

I think NLM have repainted a few dart panels over the years so should be able to get the right colour. Being pearlescent it's hard to get right.

Dad's old dart was repainted many years ago by dream machine. I imagine it would have been an expensive job, but on the plus side it probably means they have the correct colour codes.

Tom
nickst4
Posts: 185
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 06:55
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK
Location: Norfolk

Re: Paint matching

Post by nickst4 »

Answering my own posts again...

NLM put me onto RS Bikepaints, and they list the Dart including the pearl white and the light blue, which latter is weird 'cos it appears that both the blues and grey are vinyl on mine. Anyway, I'm waiting on supplies of the pearl white from RS, and will blow it over a base coat of Old English White on the advice of NLM's paintshop chappie. RS do do a basecoat, but, like the topcoat it is very expensive (£18-20 for 400ml) and the topcoat doesn't cover very well. As it happens, NLM's GFRP huggers are gel-coated in what looks very Old English White, so it may not be difficult to get an adequate finish, with a couple of coats of lacquer of course.

Only problem now is the weather doesn't favour paint-spraying outside, and I don't currently have a warm area with extraction facilities, so this bit of tarting-up will have to wait. Meanwhile, the carbs are getting a good service with bigger main jets, the airbox has been modded, the electrics are being fettled, the mirrors sorted, a multitude of corroded fasteners replaced, etc., etc. All that and I haven't even ridden the bike yet! Something that exquisite has gotta be fun though? :D

Nick, Norfolk
nickst4
Posts: 185
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 06:55
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK
Location: Norfolk

Re: Paint matching

Post by nickst4 »

I got the expensive RS Bikepaints kit for the pearl white and made a real mess of it! As it turns out, the paint/gel-coat colour that NLM supply on their rear hugger is as near as dammit the same as the RS base-coat. I matted it and applied the RS base too, getting a nice finish. That was my first mistake! Then I tried to flow the pearl over it, but it's like sparkly water and refused to lay cleanly on the base-coat, running very badly. Hmmmm...

So, resolving to phone RS for advice, I looked through the paperwork they sent and found I'd been doing it totally wrong! They make a big point of spraying light 'dust' coats with aerosols, drying immediately with a warm hair-dryer. This leaves a matt finish, which is what is needed for the pearl to adhere. Equally, the pearl has to be dusted on. None of the carefully-practised technique of spraying just enough to get the paint to flow but not drip, as I've been doing for years!

When I felt I had a good coverage of pearl, (maybe a dozen coats), the surface was still quite matt, and it has been difficult to get a smooth lacquer finish, even using a whole 400ml can. Another one is in the post, hopefully allowing sufficient thickness for polishing to the beautiful gloss of the old panels. So far, the hugger looks very nice and close to the OEM in colour. I'm not sure if it will be identical yet, but I doubt there would be a better way to do it, short of respraying the whole bike...

Nick
nickst4
Posts: 185
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 06:55
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK
Location: Norfolk

Re: Paint matching

Post by nickst4 »

A caution to anyone else trying to match the Dart's pearlescent white: in my hands, RS Bikepaints products did not produce the right colour. I've spent as much on aerosol paint (base, pearl and lacquer, with some left over) as NLM's hugger cost and the nice pearl-white colour is distinctly warmer in tone compared with the cool white of the original. I could (and in hindsight should) have left it in the flat white that NLM's supplier applied and it would have done almost as well. Maybe a professional sprayer could have done better for the price, but colour is colour, after all.

Nick
EVguru
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Joined: 01 Aug 2006 11:13
Location: Luton
Contact:

Re: Paint matching

Post by EVguru »

Lacquer is often the culprit when the results aren't quite what you wanted when coated over white.

I once saw an MGB that had been painted in base white (that all the various whites are mixed from) and every panel looked slightly different. This was down to different batches of lacquer applied in different thicknesses.
Paul Compton
http://www.morini-mania.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/user/EVguru
nickst4
Posts: 185
Joined: 31 Oct 2011 06:55
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK
Location: Norfolk

Re: Paint matching

Post by nickst4 »

RS do caution about lacquer over-application, but in this case the problem lies in the pearl coat because it was already the wrong tint before the lacquer went on. In fact the lacquer is the best of it's type I've used: very clear and fast-drying, unlike some brands that never seem to go hard. Now looking at the hugger, it's quite the worst bit of aerosol-painting I've ever done, with many blemishes in the reflective pearl layer. All my previous efforts with one-pack metallics have been perfect. It'll just have to do. I've learnt a lesson there: let a professional do such jobs. It couldn't have cost any more than the near-£100 I spent on RS paints, and I could blame someone else if it didn't match! :roll:

Nick
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