[Cammer-6]

I asked this in interior section but didnt really get any action.

I would like to use modern solvent based paints to match the various shades of gloss that GM used in the 60s.
I was very comfortable using Amerflint colors and their flattening agent but that product is long gone.
Perhaps I can try the flattener that SPI has and see how it does.
Whats most important is having the right ratios for the percentage of gloss.
rubbing and waxing to achieve it isnt my idea of accurate.

[JSuchma]

An old trick is to use baby powder. I have used it many times with great results. I use this method when doing vintage-style lettering on rat rods and barn find trucks to give it that faded/ weathered look. The only problem with doing it this way is you will have to spray test panels and let them dry to get the percentage of gloss you are looking for.

[Entropy11]

I used black SPI epoxy and their flattening agent to achieve every % gloss effect I was trying to match. Playing around with the ratio of flattening agent is an easy way to dial things in, but you have to spray consistently every time you do it. What I mean is, I would do a light coat, let it flash, then do my wet coat. If let that coat flash and gave it another wet coat, the flattening effects would diminish. It wasn’t as complicated as it sounds and once I arrived at the correct ratios for the % gloss I wanted I was able to have decent repeatability/matching. Epoxy is much more finicky to flatten than other paints but the same principles apply.
For my interior areas that were subject to more sun/UV, I decided to clear over my epoxy and just flatten the clear. Again, all the same rules applied. Large swings in humidity can also impact the gloss levels day to day, even with spraying technique and mix ratios held constant.

[Cammer-6]

I dont know how long ago you did this using epoxy,but SPI has a matte black single stage urethane and flattening agent for it.
I havent found much feedback on it on the SPI forum so I may call Barry and ask what the formulas are to duplicate the old lacquer
in various degrees.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by JSuchma

An old trick is to use baby powder. I have used it many times with great results. I use this method when doing vintage-style lettering on rat rods and barn find trucks to give it that faded/ weathered look. The only problem with doing it this way is you will have to spray test panels and let them dry to get the percentage of gloss you are looking for.

True. I became aware of this technique back when I was building RC aircraft models. Done it a couple of times and it does work.

[Entropy11]

Originally Posted by Cammer-6

I dont know how long ago you did this using epoxy,but SPI has a matte black single stage urethane and flattening agent for it.
I havent found much feedback on it on the SPI forum so I may call Barry and ask what the formulas are to duplicate the old lacquer
in various degrees.

I remember looking into that a year or two ago when I was doing all that work but the cost ($200-300/gal) plus the extra step just didn’t seem worth it to me. I was doing my frame and all the other under the hood sheet metal and components that I had stripped down to bare metal. Epoxy flattened to the appropriate gloss levels just made more sense to me as it all had to be epoxied anyways. I love the way it came out so I can’t complain.

I think SPI pulled their flattening agent off the market 4-5yrs ago but they were still willing to sell it to me last year as long as I agreed that it was an “unsupported” product. I think Barry posted that the amount of time they were spending on the phone dealing with ratio questions and people unwilling to do simple test spray outs before bothering them with questions just wasn’t worth their time. I could see that and don’t blame them. I’m just happy they will still sell it. The only other flattening agent I ever used was Transtar.