Re: [CR]flamboyent / candy / polychromatic

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From: <"brianbaylis@juno.com">
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 16:50:29 GMT
To: cfenstermaker@ophthonix.com
Subject: Re: [CR]flamboyent / candy / polychromatic
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Good friends and listmembers,

Please allow mw to make a few comments regarding this topic before I head off to work and spray some of this stuff.

"Polychromatic" for paint is not a common word in the US. "poly" implies more than one color in the effect. Recently there is what we call "cameleon" paint that can be two distinct colors in the same paint, depending on your angle. I would call that "polychromatic" paint.

Technically, colored pearls are sort of polychromatic because the green pearl additive for example will transmit green sparkles and reflect blue ones, or vice versa. Pearl colors are not commmon on vintage English frames. How pearl is used in paint is a complex subject I don't have time to discuss today; but suffice it to say that the possibilities are numerous.

I suspect the English usage of the word Polychromatic paint refers to what we call "Candy Apple" colors, meaning that there are two colors involved. The silver, gold, or actually any metallic color sprayed over with a translucent toner. Again, the possibilities are nearly infinite, which is why I love painting so much. I vertually never use anything "out of the can", it's so much fun to create as you go.

Here in SoCal, painting capital of the world, most of us use these terms:

Standard color= any regular non-metallic or otherwise color.

Metallic color= any basic metallic color straight up.

Candy apple= a color that involves a metallic base coat and a translucent top coat.

Pearlescnt color= any color that involves any of the numerous ways of using a pearl additive except for "candy pearl".

Candy pearl= a color that uses a pearl color as the base coat over which a translucent top coat is sprayed. For example a pearl white with read toner over the top. Does not look the same as candy apple red.

Flamboyant= any color that is sprayed over a white or other light standard color with a translucent top coat.

Cameleon= multi prismatic color that changes with the viewers perspective.

Fantasy color= any color that the customer can't describe, doesn't really know what it is and when they see it it isn't the same as they imagined it would be, and the painter is expected to recreate perfectly by reading the customer's mind. Love those ones. They're the MOST fun. ;-)

Gotta run now, boys and girls. Gotta spray some metallic and some pearl colors today and finish up on a flamboyant green, with pearl ice green pearl accents and gold leaf lugs. Typical day.

Brian Baylis El Cajon, CA Vintage Cycle Studios visit:www.VintageCycleStudios.com (Not VintageCycle "Specialties")


-- "Fenstermaker, Craig" wrote:


Dave wrote: << Thanks fo the info. Are you say that polychromatic and flamboyant are the same as metallic? I am just trying to keep track here. Dale says that flamboyants are the "candy" color paint style, unless I am interpreting his response incorrectly.>>

Peter wrote: << Dale... good question and one a frame painter could best answer. But yes I think polychromatic translates into metallic and flamboyant into "candy". >>

I forgot what I wrote but Peter has it nailed. Ha! "Flam" is definitely what we call "Candy" or translucent paint coating over a reflective metallic base, whilst "Polychromatic" = "Metallic" which is suspended metallic reflective particles floating in a single coating. All of which has been around for a surprisingly long time....

Dale Brown Greensboro, NC ------------------------------

My partner has explained to me that;

Flamboyant = a translucent color coat sprayed over a bright white base coat

Candy = a translucent color coat sprayed over a silver base coat

Metallic or pearl particles could be added to either a color or clear top coat. Alternatively, metallic particles can be suspended in the color coat.

But I'm just an apprentice and could be wrong :-)

Craig Fenstermaker San Diego, CA

Visit us at
WWW.vintageCycleSpecialtes.com