Making satin finish paint

[fv1609]

I am restoring a vehicle that was originally painted in a satin (not matt) finish. Not only is it a rather peculiar colour, but I am a mean old sold & don't like buying expensive paint. Most I can mix by buying up cheap colours that nobody wants to use. Eventually I arrive at the colour by trial & error blending with reasonable results

 

The problem is the paints that I have that I am sure I can blend to get a good colour for this project are all high gloss. The question is how can I bring that down to satin? I recollect being told you can add chalk. But would that need an awful lot & would it detract from the strength of the paint?

 

Any ideas?

[tyler]

Ive never heard of any think, but I'll ask a sprayer for you, if there is i

would think it would be rather pricey, you could try mixing some satin

varnish in with it and testing it, or try a matt varnish to see if it cancels out the gloss in the paint, or once you've painted give it a very light

rub down with a rough cloth like a scotchbrite.

[Richard Farrant]

The question is how can I bring that down to satin? I recollect being told you can add chalk. But would that need an awful lot & would it detract from the strength of the paint?

 

Any ideas?

 

Hi Clive,

 

The paint trade use Matting Agent, never used it myself, but do remember years ago when making models, before getting into 1:1 scale, that Humbrol did small tubes of it for their model paint.

 

My guess is you would have to experiment to get the required finish, too much and it would be like blackboard paint. Your remark about using chalk is quite true, but I guess matting agent is more "scientific". Are we going to be let in on the secret project or will all be revealed at the start of next season??

 

Look at this website;

http://www.hmgmarine.com/mattingspecs.html

 

or do a search for "matting agent", you will find a lot of info on it.

 

Richard

[fv1609]

Richard

 

No nothing new or secret, its the RUC pig. Last year it was painted Light Admiralty Grey as it was in 1962. Then records show in 1963 all the RUC Pigs were painted "Drab Olive". Now I don't know whether that is really the colour or whether it was a description that was used to describe an army sort of green. I know from records that by 1969 the Pigs, Shorlands & most of the Commers were painted the same green.

 

My Shorland is exRUC but attempts to get the layers of UDR DBG paint off to get a reasonable patch of layers of paint have been difficult. Anyway I have managed to peel a piece about 3inches square to reveal this satin green paint. It looks like a sort of NATO Green but with Brunswick Green overtones, I have a fair amount of both. Ah but people will say NATO Green is matt, not necessarily only if it is IRR.

 

I don't mind mixing paint. The Light Admiralty Grey, I made from French Blue, Dark Admiralty Grey & White. When dry it was indistinguishable from genuine Light Admiralty Grey which is obsolete.

 

The current stuff on it is pretty awful surplus stuff I had for years I bought very cheaply. I wanted to use it up & to demonstrate that it was not NATO Green or DBG, just to distinguish it from an Army Pig.

 

Last years grey colour seemed to confuse people to such a degree, it didn't get looked at much. I remember being at Denmead next to a Mk2. A member of the public didn't give mine a second glance, but was all over the Mk2 saying "Oh this is a Belfast one". I felt like saying why don't you read my notice board & where the hell do you think a vehicle with a registration 2996 OI was registered (OI = Belfast 1958)

 

I'm getting emotional, I must go!

[Jessie The Jeep]

I heard many years back that ground glass makes a matting agent, though where you would buy some I don't know.

 

You could also try spraying a dust coat after the main wet coat has dried out. That can have a matting effect.

 

Steve