Thank you all for the compliments.

Yes, Steve, that's basically how it's done, but not while it's wet. Apply your base color and let it dry completely. Turn on the acetylene to a very low flame with no oxygen. It creates a copious amount of soot smoke. Then wave the flame over the area where you want the smoke effect. Keep the flame moving; you don't want to burn the paint. The soot will be deposited on the surface. When you have enough, stop. If you don't like what you have, just wipe off the soot and do it over! When you have the smoke amount and pattern to suit your taste, very gently blow away any soot lumps and apply the clear or candy coat.

Back in 1970-'71 I had an old Zundapp 250 motorcycle. I painted the tank and fenders Marina Blue metallic and smoked them all over before applying the clearcoat. It's a simple process and easy to do, but makes a dramatic effect. That old Zundapp attracted attention wherever I went with it.