I used to laugh at guys who spent big on mixing paint with a scale, now I'm the one weighing it

For like 6 years I was the guy saying 'just eyeball it' when mixing paint. Thought digital scales were a waste of money for the small jobs we do at my shop in Nashville. Then last month I had to match a 2018 Toyota Camry pearl white and my first batch came out looking like bad vanilla ice cream. I stripped it, borrowed my buddy's Accu-Tint scale, and mixed it exactly to the formula. 2.3 grams off on the first try. Second batch came out perfect, spot on match. I went out that same week and bought my own scale for $150. Now I weigh every single mix and my redo rate has dropped way down. Anyone else have something they swore was overkill until they actually tried it?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennyh553d ago

You ever mess up a pearl white and feel like you wasted three hours of your life? I did the same thing with a Subaru ice silver metallic, thought I had the ratio dialed in and ended up with something that looked like glittery primer. The scale is the only way to go, seriously. Once you start tracking your exact weights and writing them down, you notice how much humidity or temperature can throw off a mix too. Some guys at my local shop still think I'm being extra, but I'd rather spend two minutes weighing than two hours stripping.

wright.jesse3d ago

Call me old school but I've been mixing by eye for 15 years and I can count the bad batches on one hand. If you know your paints and you actually shake them long enough you start to just feel when the weight is right. I've seen guys with scales spend more time zeroing out and cleaning their little cup than it takes me to mix three gallons. Temperature and humidity matter way more if you're trying to hit some exact number grams because the paint itself changes density. Pearl white on a Lexus is tricky sure but that's more about how you lay it down than the ratio.