# spectrometer



## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

For colour matching , just how good are they ??


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

Depends on what percentage they actually match the colour at. If i remember correctly anything under 95% isn't a good match, it has to be above that last time i used it the match came out at 99.4% which was a good enough match but would need blending into adjacent panels. Certainly alot of money for.what they are.


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

Andy is on the money Higher the better ...some colours will never match unless blended like yellows .. pale blues and light greens can always be a pain .I have always found these are best using a wet bed of clear base to make an invisible blend .


Tommy


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

mr paint said:


> ...some colours will never match unless blended like yellows ...
> 
> Tommy


I'll bet my house that's not what Craig wanted to hear


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

squiggs said:


> I'll bet my house that's not what Craig wanted to hear


I only speak the truth !!

Sorry craig !


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

mr paint said:


> I only speak the truth !!
> 
> Sorry craig !


lol we all know my mg's about 30 shades anyway ! its just they are all relatively close , but all the colours ive had made so far i may as well have used black to touch it up they are so far out !

found a supplier near enough to visit who has a spectrometer so was just checking if its worth popping to see them or not !


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

im not worried if its slightly out , but im nearly every panel on my cars seen aint , somes 2k colour somes base and clear but they are all close enough that you wouldnt pick it out to look at it . 

but 3 times ive had paint made its massively out , if you blended it it would stand out lol . yet park my car next to another yellow zr and its the same !


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

get closest match and still blend ...use water and do a double drop coat extending everytime ...always works


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

The trouble with yellow is that film build can affect it quite a lot, so even getting a perfect match on the colour wont guarantee it looking perfect on the car. It depends on exactly what tinters are in it but as a rule of thumb they look greener with a thin film, then move towards the orange / red end as you build up the coats.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

I know i wont ever buy a yellow car again !


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

I always said I'd never have yellow :lol:


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Yeah but at least yours is worthy of respraying it if you need to ! I just want to touch mine up a bit lol


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

Could always start a new trend ?


__
https://flic.kr/p/0

just ask the paint supplier what old stock he has and let rip lol


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

God no that's hideous ! I remember when vw actually did those polos like that


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

I've painted a few cars that have turned out looking like one of those Harlequin special editions.

Not on purpose though! DeBeer are normally pretty good on colour matching, but when they get it wrong, they get it _really_ wrong :lol:

And even though I haven't touched it myself the Audi has definitely had some previous as it's got a few different shades of Imola Yellow on it.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Thing is the existing paint is all close enough that unless you look it wouldn't really jump out although i know its had paint both sides . So whys every single "match " ive had made resulted not in the bright yellow it is but a totally different shade ! Like night and day difference ! 

Id think the whole car had been painted if it wasn't for the fact its base and clear one side and 2k colour the other lol . And next to all other yellow mgs its the same !


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Its almost as if the code far doesn't actually correspond to the colour mg actually used !!!


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

The reason primary colours/solid colours are so hard to match is that sun bleaches the pigments in the paint, also hydrocarbons from roads etc discolour paint but they can be removed when rubbed down correctly.

With some of the primary/solid colours it also depends on the quality of the paint and binders used, some blacks look brown and so colours match in the day light but under street lights the colour is a mile out and it's all down to pigment. :thumb:


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

Paintguy said:


> I've painted a few cars that have turned out looking like one of those Harlequin special editions.
> 
> Not on purpose though! DeBeer are normally pretty good on colour matching, but when they get it wrong, they get it _really_ wrong :lol:
> 
> And even though I haven't touched it myself the Audi has definitely had some previous as it's got a few different shades of Imola Yellow on it.


Using 900+ myself mate not had any unblendable issues yet ...still time tho

Do you do many wet bed blends with harder colours ?

T


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

mr paint said:


> Using 900+ myself mate not had any unblendable issues yet ...still time tho
> 
> Do you do many wet bed blends with harder colours ?
> 
> T


Sorry, I've just changed my shift pattern so haven't been on here for a few days!

I've experimented with wet bed blends but to be honest I don't usually bother since I find 900+ so easy to blend out anyway. I think it's a bit gun dependent though as I did have a bit of trouble with my Iwatas but swapping to an old Sata 2000 HVLP nailed it. A couple of the other painters use GTI pros / prolites with the allround/solvent base caps and they work well too.

As for colours, we're having trouble with a lot of the newer Kia & Hyundai ones at the minute. Some of them are a mile out!

We've also had a problem with Ford Midnight Sky too since it contains a fancy new type of tint. DeBeer did their best to match it but have ended up bringing a new range of "Mystic Colour" tinters out to suit some of the new colours. They only come in tiny bottles as they are stupidly expensive!


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