Powder Coat Primer with Wet Paint Top Coat?

[FigureLLC]

Customers often want a product color-matched to their vehicle's factory paint, and I don't know of a way to do that with powder, so I've told customers they'd have to have a body shop local to them wet paint the product, which also means we make no money since we do not wet paint. Even then, when the customer gets the color right, he still doesn't have the durability of powder. So I want to try the zinc primer epoxy powder coat with a color-matched wet paint top coat. I expect this would be more durable than wet primer and wet paint, though still not as durable as purely powder, plus we could still make some money.

Does anyone have any experience with powder primer and a wet paint top coat? Any pros/cons, tips for preparation, etc. would be *greatly* appreciated!

[4birdman]

NIC will color match powder. I think that Columbia does it too.

[FigureLLC]

I talked to an NIC rep, and they said I'd either have to send them a chip (not feasible) or pick a near match and they could send me some chips to select and order the closest match. This would take too long, I'd still only get a close match (or more likely a not-so-close match since I'm not experience with matching), and they require a minimum quantity of 5lb - when I'd be using maybe 1/4lb. I want to provide a durable, near-perfect-matched but reasonably fast and economical option to customers, and I think wet paint over powder primer could do this.

Thanks for the suggestions, though! I'll definitely keep NIC in mind for one-off colors. They seemed helpful. I haven't gotten through to Columbia yet...

[speeddemonrodsteration]

In a Hot Rod magazine a month or two ago they did just that- powdered the whole shell of a car ("project F bomb") and then painted over it. The painter said he liked doing this because 1: the powder will get in places you can't spray liquid, and 2: powder attaches to the metal better than any etching primer out there.

[Banditperformance]

FigureLLC I have used NIC a few times now, and their near match's are nearly Dead on. They have, at their disposal, over 6500 formulations. I know 5 Lb's sounds like a lot, but it can be stored, lasts along time. Just keep it in mind.

[FigureLLC]

Banditperformance,
What process do you go through with NIC to get a close match? Today I received a sample chip book from them. So far I'm impressed...

[Banditperformance]

TO get a close match or exact match, you fill out an application, and send a sample to them. They will send the sample back, too, with the swatch that they come up with. Email Jessie, at jessie@nicindustries.com for a color match form. If you want an exact match, they can formulate it for you, but it cmes with a fee. I had some made for a customer, cost me a $100 formulation fee for the Blue I got.

[FigureLLC]

Ok, great. I talked to someone from PSS yesterday about getting a part for our gun, and we discussed color matching... The rep said they can get very close (sounds like a similar process), but if you need an exact match that they'd custom make, you'd have to buy 220lb of it. So the NIC fee doesn't sound too unreasonable.

As far as sending a sample for them to match... Typically it won't be reasonable for me to send a customer's car part, so what should I send? Maybe some coded touch-up paint? I'll email Jesse to find out and follow up with what I find out.

[Banditperformance]

Ya, I've sent them touch up paint on a base metal substrate
ANd NIC, if they have to make the color from scratch also reuire 200+ lbs I belive, but some, like my blue were a simpler reformulation I guess, that's why it was only $100

[duke46]

It easy. Learn how to paint? Buy a video get a gun set the pressure to 45/55 and start shooting? Don't read the pressure setting on the new guns. Let the gun do the math and go for it. Oops paint is not cheep at all. One lb of powder 8 to 20 $ lets say and then you buy the base coat and the reducer and then the clear and the reducer and the harder and you are at the $180 to 400 range maybe? I am talking a QT not a gal.

So on second thought just forget it because you have to have at least a $150 to 400 dollar gun and all the other stuff!!!

I am lucky I guess. I did paint before powder so I go both ways for the buck. Thinking about going into spray painting sun tans but then the wife would be on my "A" for sure.