I'm fighting with a couple colors in transtar at the moment. I have pics of hyundai H5. The left is the only one that comes up in the computer, the right is ford HS which looked good in my dupont color chips. The transtar color decks don't have any color I have mixed yet, maybe they only have the ones that are close to matching. We had the color scanned and then cross referenced but I don't have the pic of that one, it was not close at all. I may have made a close enough one at the end of today. Was no time for a spray out.

The other color is T8 ford silver. Its on the blue side and I found some that someone else mixed so I will look at the tints and make my own.

We are trying to get a different paint system to try. I have only mixed one color that was blendable. Good thing I'm paid by the hour and don't paint alot.

Well thats kinda how it goes with second tier companies making basecoat. They simply cannot afford or have the resources for color match that the large companies have. The larger companies probably spend more a year on color match than the smaller ones make overall.

Hopefully you'll find something that works for ya!

fun stuff..... I've had many of those issues to deal with in the transtar line over the years. When that happens I usually revert to some old school base that I keep a stash of for emergencies, or if the customer will allow me, I send over some H20. See if your supplier can/will make you a shot of waterborne to put on the car, it will probably match fine and you can move on....

on your T8 silver, try adding a bit of yellow to kill the blue.... it wont take much so go easy.

I will have to see if we can get pre mixed water base. That will still have some of its own issues with gun cleaning and waste disposal. There is another low voc system the paint supplier has, I don't know the name but my boss asked them if we could switch. Supposed to have better color match but more transparent.

I have the whole dupont chroma premier system still, they didn't remove it but have no binder or reducer.

I have noticed they use the wrong aluminum tint in the colors I have been mixing, all too course. When you use the less course one in its place you get a different color. Its lighter. This was my 2nd time swapping them and had to add a ton of black to compensate.

A couple tips on tinting, try to avoid killing colors if possible, it causes mud. Its almost always easier to remix and leave some of the color that is troublesome out of the mix. Make a sprayout and add some back in as/if needed.

If you are swapping a smaller metallic for a larger one do not add the same amount in. Smaller metallics cover better and will need less in the formula. Start with half, make a sprayout and add as needed. There will be a color shift when different size metallics are added so it won't always be an easy switch. The smaller flake will lighten side-tone, and make the color dirtier.

Good Info Ryan

Thanks for the info.

Gonna be a bit of a learning curve to this stuff. Usually first time its mixed they have added a color it doesn't need and is way off. I did a UJ ford and it had blue where it needed green and the metallic was way course. The first few paint jobs I did here I had my boss come out of the office and tint the colors. They were not any better than what I have been able to do. Getting the color scanned and cross referenced is a waste of time as that color is way off as well.

I only painted as an apprentice and for almost a year a did a bunch of jobs start to finish but still handed most over to a painter after body work. I never had to tint any color, I always found a variant close enough.

I have more been elected the painter as they won't be hiring one in the near future.

The funny thing with low voc base is you pretty much can't get a run in it, I tried on a piece of paper with the spray pattern sideways and the very center got a sag about 1/4 inch thick that sagged about 1/2 inch.

Find out what the other system is before you commit to switching. There isn't much out there in LV solvent that will be any better than transtar. Omni, value-pro,prospray,atx,nason, and dimensions all suck too for color match. Tell your boss to demo some waterborne, and get you into a training course on it

I'm about to dive into valspar's LV system, I will let you know how it goes, but I'm not expecting anything miraculous. I haven't found that any of the waterborne systems are bad, they just all have their minor pros and cons.

I would have no issue with water but they have an issue with the booths. I can't remember how much money they wanted to be spent in upgrades which is really some kind of scam.
I heard they wanted my old work to spend 50grand. Pro spray did a demo in there and only brought dryers and it worked no prob. I don't know what happened there because the painter moved shops before the laws came in.

If I even had a full color chip selection I would be far ahead of where I am now.