D4 Color Code, Ford Rapid Red 2021 F150

[aje7445]

Never painting with Tri Coat. Painting a bumper. Purchased Matrix Paint, mixed at the local store. Applied 3 coats of the base coat, basically looked like a dark red. Applied the Mid Coat much lighter version of the red color. Keep spray gun approx 15 inches away and moved fast side to side. First mid coat lessened the base red color, second mid coat made it look more pearl or a pink color. Applied a 3rd mid coat and made it more pink. Talk to the store, they recommended I clear and wait. Next day, the paint looks great, but not Rapid Red, its on the pink/ Peral side of the color. Any suggestions. They are re-mix the colors on Tuesday

[Len]

Never painting with Tri Coat. Painting a bumper. Purchased Matrix Paint, mixed at the local store. Applied 3 coats of the base coat, basically looked like a dark red. Applied the Mid Coat much lighter version of the red color. Keep spray gun approx 15 inches away and moved fast side to side. First mid coat lessened the base red color, second mid coat made it look more pearl or a pink color. Applied a 3rd mid coat and made it more pink. Talk to the store, they recommended I clear and wait. Next day, the paint looks great, but not Rapid Red, its on the pink/ Peral side of the color. Any suggestions. They are re-mix the colors on Tuesday

One thing to keep in mind when shooting a three stage paint is that the mid-stage is usually translucent so every time you apply an additional mid-coat it will change the end result. If the mid-stage is translucent pink then each additional coat will make the final result more pink.

[Phil V]

I agree with Len. It sounds to me like the mid coat is too concentrated. Maybe add more reducer to get a more muted effect which will give you more control over the coverage.

[bmarler]

tri coat colors in my opinion, require spray out cards to fine tune the color before taking it to the vehicle. you have so many options for adjusting the color. light or dark primer, # of base coats, # of mid coats, pressures, etc...
if it were something i cared about i'd nail down the formula so i could reproduce it at will.

[Phil V]

tri coat colors in my opinion, require spray out cards to fine tune the color before taking it to the vehicle. you have so many options for adjusting the color. light or dark primer, # of base coats, # of mid coats, pressures, etc...
if it were something i cared about i'd nail down the formula so i could reproduce it at will.

Good point. Spray out cards, especially in this case are a must.

[MidnightOilJK]

you need to do a "let down panel" you need to see how many coats of the mid coat you need to match the car.

here is a link to a explanation, I'm not patient enough to type it all out.
https://stage.axalta.com/content/dam...cedure-Eng.pdf

youre in a tough spot on that color and trying to panel paint, good luck

[baubau]

Nahh, you will not get it that easy...

You are in trouble..

Gotta spend a lot of money or buy experience with that lparticular paint system to get these tricoats right...

And let down spray out panel every single time..no matter how well you know the color..

I been painting for years and always do spray out cards even if I did that color many times..

[Ronf]

tri coat colors in my opinion, require spray out cards to fine tune the color before taking it to the vehicle. you have so many options for adjusting the color. light or dark primer, # of base coats, # of mid coats, pressures, etc...
if it were something i cared about i'd nail down the formula so i could reproduce it at will.

As usual bmarler is right on the money. I typically make cards for all my repairs unless I have access to original paint, brand used, etc.. When I shoot tri coats I always use spray out cards regardless of what info or material I have on hand, even if I did the original work. Here is an example of a tri coat spray out cards I shot.
Also, check with the paint manufacture to see if there is a specific TDS or Technical Bulletin for your color. For instance I shot Ford Ruby Red using PPG Deltron DBC2000 which has a standard TDS for shooting the DBC2000. However PPG also has a specific Tech bulletin (TBRR-4) for their application with this color to ensure you match a repair. My cards are usually 3x5, but for tri coats I spray out 6x10" cards to get a better comparison.

[Ronf]

Nahh, you will not get it that easy...

You are in trouble..

Gotta spend a lot of money or buy experience with that lparticular paint system to get these tricoats right...

And let down spray out panel every single time..no matter how well you know the color..

I been painting for years and always do spray out cards even if I did that color many times..

Absolutely, great advise baubau