Need paint code to match polished Airstream

[ventport]

Has anyone painted an Airstream silver, to look like it's polished? If so I need the paint manufacturers name and paint code of the paint. If you have any pictures and advice that would be appreciated.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ventport

Has anyone painted an Airstream silver, to look like it's polished? If so I need the paint manufacturers name and paint code of the paint. If you have any pictures and advice that would be appreciated.

That paint would be the invention, not of the decade, but of the century.

There is no way a paint can duplicate a polished mirror shine.

We did paint many Airstreams metallic silver at one time, but we stopped because of state laws.

Our formula, was approved by Dupont, since the color was never in their inventory, and still isn't.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ventport

Has anyone painted an Airstream silver, to look like it's polished? If so I need the paint manufacturers name and paint code of the paint. If you have any pictures and advice that would be appreciated.

Typical metallic silver that we formerly painted.

Andy

[DieselBreath]

Andy
What would be available today? Need to repaint water heater door.
Thanks, Dan

[Jim Foster]

Toyota trucks use a very bright silver. It would most likely be a base coat clear coat process. Getting a really good paint job on an Airstream is very difficult due to the rivets. The area next to them must be prepared properly, and much care taken not to end up with small air pockets around the rivets. That will result in little "tents" of paint. Lots of good preparation around each rivet, and not too much paint, 6-8 mils finished. It can be done, but a really good job will cost lots of money due to the intense labor involved. I saw such a job a couple of years ago on an Argosy. Went to the trailer several times, nobody home. I would have loved to see the inside.

[Bowmans]

You will never be able to get an exact match to polished aluminum with paint but a company called Alsa makes a very innovative product called MirraChrome that mimics chrome with paint and it is reflective. Be forewarned, it costs $1,299 for a 1 gallon mix but it can be colored to match any hue and be reflective .

I also watched a video of someone using their product called killercans (chrome in a spray paint can) that was pretty incredible (but still expensive). Maybe ok for painting a heater door but the whole AS would make your finger sore HAHAHA!

Alsa | MirraChrome

Here is a car painted with it...

[ventport]

Andy is it possible to get your Dupont formula for the silver? Was it a base coat/clear coat process? Jim do you know what year and model Toyota trucks the silver came from or what the name of the color is? I have a 1964 Avion that has too much light body damage on it to replace all the damaged panels to fix it, plus the 64's were anodized aluminum so it cannot be buffed to match the replaced panels. I was going to do the body work on it myself and paint it silver. I have painted cars for over 40 years so the prep and spraying is not a problem.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ventport

Andy is it possible to get your Dupont formula for the silver? Was it a base coat/clear coat process? Jim do you know what year and model Toyota trucks the silver came from or what the name of the color is? I have a 1964 Avion that has too much light body damage on it to replace all the damaged panels to fix it, plus the 64's were anodized aluminum so it cannot be buffed to match the replaced panels. I was going to do the body work on it myself and paint it silver. I have painted cars for over 40 years so the prep and spraying is not a problem.

This is the formula that we used, and Dupont approved almost 20 years ago.

The paint system used was the old base maker, clear coat.

1 quart 814
15 oz 150
30 oz 175
64 oz 7175
1 oz 259

This was applied on top of a flexible primer, at the rate of 2 to 3 double wet coats.

The clear coat was 2 to 3 double wets coats as well.

Andy

[Jim Foster]

No idea what year the trucks are that I have seen.

The up side to painting is that body work can be done to get the panels straight before painting. The new paints out there are quite flexible as they are applied to "plastic" outer panels on many newer cars.

The down side is still all of those rivets.

I have painted several street rods. They must be straight and the paint must be finished flat, no "orange peel". I didn't like working with louvers, I wouldn't even think of trying to get it all right around all of those rivets. No thanks.

[ventport]

Thanks to everyone who replied, and thanks Andy for the formula, I will check with my paint guy and see if he can mix some up for me.