Custom Paint and Automotive
Most of our range started life as automotive effect pigment. Aurora shimmers, chameleon multichromes, holographic flake and pearl micas all spray the same way they always have: mixed into an intercoat clear over a base colour, then buried under clear. This page is the short version of what we tell painters who ask.
How much pigment do I need
Effect pigments load at roughly 15 to 25 g per litre of sprayable intercoat clear. Go lighter for a see-through candy effect over a strong base, heavier for a solid pearl. A litre of clear covers about 10 to 12 m² per coat before overspray, and an effect coat usually wants two or three passes.
- Motorbike tank, helmet or a set of wheels: 10 to 15 g
- Bonnet, roof or a truck interior (around 4 m²): 25 g
- Full small car: 50 to 100 g
Every pigment has a different density, so treat these as a starting point and spray a test panel first. Always.
Which pigments suit spraying
- Aurora and iridescent shimmers: colour-travel pearls. Particle sizes are on each product page; anything up to about 60 µm sprays like a standard pearl, larger sizes give a crystal or flake look and need extra clear to level.
- Multichromes: strongest colour shift, best over black. Mix light, they are highly concentrated.
- Mirror chromes: these are buffed, not sprayed. Not for intercoat.
- Micas: classic pearl, easy to spray, the most forgiving place to start.
- Holographic and iridescent glitters: solvent-resistant polyester flake, made for exactly this. Spray through a 1.8 to 2.0 mm tip or a flake gun at 1 to 2 heaped tablespoons per sprayable litre of intercoat, then bury under three or more coats of clear. Our Spectratek range is the automotive-grade line.
- Chameleon and aurora flakes: sprayable the same way, happiest in a gravity-fed flake gun. Ask before ordering for a spray job.
Mixing notes
- Mix into intercoat or a clear base, not the colour coat, so the effect sits on top of the colour.
- Stir, do not shake, and keep the gun moving; effect pigments settle.
- Base colour changes everything. Black gives the strongest shift, white the softest.
- Two to three light coats beat one heavy one.
- Bury it under at least two coats of clear, more for coarse particles.
Everything that sprays well is gathered in our Custom Paint and Automotive collection.
Bulk quantities
Product pages list our small jar sizes. For a paint job you will usually want 25 g or more, which we price as a single bulk lot rather than a stack of jars. Email hello@thepigmentwarehouse.com.au with the pigment code and the area you are covering, and we will send an invoice for the amount you need. Samples of the small jar size are available for test panels.
Safety
These are raw pigments, not finished paint. Wear a respirator when handling loose powder and when spraying, and see the Safety Data Sheet for any product on request.