Metallic silver paint alternatives

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sat Sep 17, 2016 4:38 pm

I Hope the following makes sense.
My 82 model MY Wagon has a paint code of No 15 which is a metallic silver.
I am not a fan of metallic paints but I want the car to remain a silver color of some sort as I go along and repaint panels (the cars name is Silvie so changing the color just wouldn't be right

).
I may be living in a dream world but my aim is to find a silver color that is not metallic and/or does not need a clear top coat.
I feel this essentially makes the color grey but I am hoping to find a color with silver in its name.
I guess in the end I am changing the cars original color but I am not at all keen to have to repaint areas such as inner door faces etc so I need the new color to be reasonably close to the original color.
I want to be able to apply the paint color and then when done cut it back just like any other paint till shiny.
I have found (10) Silver paint colors in the Dupli-color catalog that don't need a clear coat but I am struggling to see any color samples of the colors to be able to see what they look like.
I guess I am asking if anyone has any experience with silver colors that are not metallic and don't need a clear top coat.
I am not finding any colors on line like this in the Subaru range but if anyone is aware of any non metallic Subaru silvers that don't need a top coat please let me know.
As far as I am aware and from previous posts on the metallic paint subject I believe all metallic paints need a clear coat which is another reason I want to steer clear of metallics.

Post by **Bantum** » Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:36 pm

None that I know of, as silver is a metallic colour that needs the top coat as that's what contains the 'shine' elements ... You can base coat it, but you'll not get it to match without the top coat. I'm no expert, so would check with someone who does this kind of thing in their sleep ... &#55357;&#56843; Ciao, Bantum

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:51 pm

This is an example of one of the silver paints within the Dupli-color catalogue.

There are a total of (10) colors for a variety of car makes that are silver and do not have the Clear coat ticked.

Am I reading this right in thinking a clear coat is not needed for the color in question ?
This one for the Honda looks to be pretty close to the original Subaru color I am after.

Post by **Bantum** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 2:28 pm

Yeah you can use just the base coat & not put a top coat on it, but like I said before - you'll still have a mismatch to the original, unless you paint the whole car in it. + the top coat protects the base & provides surface that can be polished easier ...

My understanding of the top coat process is that a small precent of your base coat used - can also be mixed with the top coat to give it a extra sparkly effect, something to do with suspension of reflective metallic particles ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 3:39 pm

Bantum

I might follow up with this Honda silver, even just get a hold of a spray can worth.
So far the car still has all of its original 34 year old No 15 Silver paint excepting for the roof.
I painted this some time ago when I removed the screwed on luggage carrier racks which had attracted rust under their rails.
I have noted that in the right light that I obviously didn't spend enough on prep work in some parts of the roof so the ideal is to do the roof again.
As I certainly don't have the skills to carry out a metallic silver repair and also have to apply a clear coat I need to look for an alternative.
If I can find a silver which is close to the original and does not need a clear coat I would have no issue with painting the whole car.
As I have rust issues with the front LH guard I am thinking it would be easier to just replace the whole guard which would mean a repaint of the guard anyway.
As I mentioned there are a number of Dupli-color silver paints that don't look to need a clear coat, I will see what I can find in a pre mixed can and see how I go.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 5:17 pm

Cliff I don't see what the issue is with using a metallic based spray paint and top clear coat?

We sprayed an RX7 in metallic silver when I was in year 9 or 10 in the shed. There wasn't really any extra prep work compared to a flat colour - It was more in your mixing skills as dad was very particular about this.

Going with a metallic silver colour will allow you to do a closed door respray at the most if you wanted to. Personally I'd have the front windscreen out to fix/touch up any rust under there, seal it up then cap it with the colour coat when you spray the rest of the vehicle

Cheers

Bennie

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:52 pm

Bennie
I am just looking for options to metallic and needing a clear top coat.
From my experience with painting the roof I find the whole metallic/top coat spray painting process difficult.
It became obvious I would not be in a position to be able to spray the whole car at the same time. Space to do this effectively and time were big concerns plus reading various info stating the final base coat shouldn't be sanded before the clear coat and the clear coat should go on within an hour or so of the final base coat just put additional pressure on the job especially when no matter how much I tried to organise things and be left alone weather, family and other unforeseen circumstances seemed to always take over meaning I struggled to keep up the continuity required for the job. I am the first to admit my inexperience with painting, using a metallic and a silver paint too shows in my finished product.
I tried laying down several base coats, sanding these back and then applying a fine third coat. I ended up with (probable) incorrect paint gun setting and tiger striping and a powder finish. This meant the clear went onto a less than perfect finish sealed under the clear coat.
I have sprayed cars before with solid colors (non metallic) without issue and but with the advantage of being able to cut back the final paint layer to a polished state.
I may get better with experience and teaching myself to spray metallic on a roof was probably not the smartest move for my moral so I will still be looking into alternatives but am reasonable resigned to the fact I will have to continue with the No 15 Subaru metallic silver especially since the next panel to do is the bonnet (easier to work with) and I already have 1 litre of No 15 from when I did the roof.
I do not have the funds to get the car sprayed by a professional and I tend to use the car at least once a week so would not really like it to be off the road for any period of time.
I also prefer to do things myself and not involve external people.
I guess I need to accept my limits on this though.
Just out of curiosity for those who have experience in spray painting, are there advantages to using a gun with a remote paint pot ?
I have both a gun with the pot under and a gun (Low pressure) with the pot above the gun (High pressure) but with the gun and the paint pot being remote (connected via hoses) I a wondering if this gives better control of the gun and so the paint application.

tony · Post by **tony** » Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:34 pm

You could try a silver hammertone, i have used it with a paint brush works fine and has the advantage of being very strong, only problem is it ends up with a sheen like galvanised iron, and takes a few days to dry properly, there may be variety that is a plain silver, try rustoleum and see what they can offer, has also ability to be applied in sections .
No promises though !

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:38 pm

tony wrote:You could try a silver hammertone, i have used it with a paint brush works fine and has the advantage of being very strong, only problem is it ends up with a sheen like galvanised iron, and takes a few days to dry properly, there may be variety that is a plain silver, try rustoleum and see what they can offer, has also ability to be applied in sections .
No promises though !

Thanks for the info and will keep this in mind.

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:40 pm

OK, this may not be exciting to anyone else but it certainly is to me.
Yesterday, I cut back the paint on part of the panel that goes across the front of the car, below the windscreen and around the wiper arms.
A year or so ago I painted this panel off the car with the mixed, original No 15 silver metallic including clear top coat.
I painted the panel and when the it was dry re installed it but almost straight away it started cracking all over the place. I am thinking I should have painted it on the car as I think I flexed it putting it back on.
Anyway, after cutting back the drivers side paint across to the wiper and the start of the panel vents I applied some grey undercoat and with a can of over the counter Dupli color DSC44 put a few coats of Honda Vogue Silver on.
The following photos may not do justice to the result but suffice to say, if I leave this a week or so, cut it back and all goes well, then the car is in for a color change.
The paint color is really close to the original No 15 but is actually a nicer silver than the original. The color changes depending on the angle viewed and some of this can be seen from the photos.
There is a lot of attraction to this new color.
-The DSC44 may not be a common color that auto shops keep on the shelf but it is available over the counter in a pre mixed can.
-It is very close to the original silver.
-The paint can be mixed like any other paint and it apparently does not need a clear coat.

See how we go over the next week.

On the right from the windscreen wiper shaft to the RH guard is the new paint. You can see where the new and the previous paint on the panel joint. Also not the bonnet with the original 34 year old No 15 silver all faded and crappy.

New paint on the LH side this time.

Close up with new paint on the LH side.

From all the above it can be seen that I have made little effort to mesh the two paints together. This wasn't the point of the exercise as I will need to paint the whole panel anyway and I only wanted to see if this exercise is worth continuing or not.
At this stage it certainly is a very impressive result.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 7:34 pm

Looks good mate.

Now to get stuck into all that prep work!

Cheers

Bennie

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:43 pm

El_Freddo wrote:Looks good mate.

Now to get stuck into all that prep work!

Cheers

Bennie

Thanks Bennie

I am resisting the urge to take to the newly painted section with cutting compound.
Have to use will power for at least a week (especially in this weather), it needs to harden properly.
If it polishes up well everything is a goer.
If it doesn't, well, will need to access and go from there.