Still chasing a blend issue on a 2018 Honda Civic crystal black pearl

I got this car in last Wednesday from a local dealer up in Salem. Rear bumper needed a respray after some parking lot scrape. I shot three test cards and still could not get the metallic to lay down right. The color looks fine in the booth but as soon as I roll it outside the flake pops way too heavy on one side. I tried reducing it more and even swapped guns to a Iwata but same result. The painter who used to work here said it might be a clear coat angle issue but he retired last month. Has anyone else run into this with crystal black pearl where the metallic just refuses to cooperate?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.david1mo ago

I mean, you mentioned 'the flake pops way too heavy on one side' - that's a dead giveaway for a gun angle or distance issue, not just the clear. Have you tried holding the gun at a different angle when you hit that side? Sometimes if you're tilting the gun even a little bit off 90 degrees, the metallic will build up heavier on one edge because the flakes are landing differently. The Iwata is a good gun but it's still about how you move it. I had this same crap happen on a dark blue pearl once and I had to basically change my whole spraying pattern to keep the flake even. Maybe try doing a lighter pass on that heavy side and see if it evens out before you blame the paint itself.

emmam671mo ago

Did your buddy try slowing down his passes on that side at all?