Most of you probably know this, but the famed paint color scanner does not produce a unique tinting formula. It scans the sample and then compares it to the multitude of formulas for standard paint colors of thousands of existing and pre-existing cars and trucks—domestic & foreign. It then displays the make, model and year of car and its formula that matches best. I’m pretty sure the scanner does not scan for the presence or amount of “poly” or fine aluminum powder/flakes.
The thing to do is mix up a test batch, spray it on the special cards and then start someone with a great color “eye” working with the formula until you have a satisfactory match. For the older “poly” colors, be sure to really cut back on the aluminum powder. Another thing to do is find a car with the recommended formula on it and observe the car in the sunlight and compare it to a valid sample. Further, each paint company has different formulations and tinting colors.
I’m very disappointed with the paint manufacturers that they have chosen not to use their staffs and technology to do this for us. The cost of the new water-based non-volatile paint certainly should support some R&D to come up with a current formula for Platinum, Tango Red or Roman Red Poly.
In a somewhat related bent, there are now some really magnificent colors available on new cars and from the custom color folks. Yet, in CA anyway, the predominant colors are silver/gray, white and black. That said, I was amazed to see eight pretty red metallic crossovers/SUV’s in the church parking lot yesterday.
Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA
I wonder if anyone out there has ever dealt with this problem ?---the 60 Toreador red---Chrysler-----Plum red----Plymouth-----Winterberry Red----Desoto--- all have the same paint code---and same formula-----I had a sample made for the Winterberry red met----it is much too red-----checked the formula for Plum red and it is the same as Winterberry---this Desoto was repainted sometime in the past and this paint is very faded---however the door jambs, under the trunk lid,and some other areas have nice original paint still on them----there is an F cv. on the website----and I have seen others---that is Toreador red and it looks to me to be correct-----anyone have a paint code for a paint that is correct---or very close-----thanks------Johnnie Slayton
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