Thread: Candy Apple Red

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What is the proper way to paint a car Candy Apple Red?What should I use for a ground coat and how many coats?

As a custom painter for 35+ years, it sounds like you aren't familiar with custom paints, and how candies are applied. It is usually a reflective base, like silver, gold, or other brilliant metallics. That is covered with a transparent tinted clear. After that a regular clear is used as a protective finish coating.

The reason they are so radiant is because the light passes through the candy paint, and then reflects back from the base coat... illuminating that transparent color from behind.

Candies are one of the most difficult to do, and unless it's a show car, they are not adviseable... especially for a street car. They are very hard to spray, and almost impossible to repair.

If you are determined to do it anyway, I have two options I would recommend.

The first is a factory tri-coat color. They are a candy, but use a darker basecoat, about the same color as the candy on top. They are easier to spray... and easier to repair, because if the candy on top is not of an even thickness, it doesn't show as much, since the base will not appear much lighter, where the candy layers are thinner.

The other is a product called "basecoat Kandy" and is offered by House Of Kolor. It is a transparent candy, with a pearl or metallic mixed in. The appearance is simillar to a tru candy, but easier to spray and repair. They even offer videos showing how to use it.

Good luck.

Usually gold base or silver base, As hotrodpaint says its a bitch to use and not reccommended for a car thats see's a few miles

Along the same subject, I too have always liked the candy colors, especially candy red, and I know the candies are very difficult to paint, even for the professionals. I've noticed several of the new cars from Ford, Cadillac, Dodge, etc have factory colors that look very similar to the candy reds. The new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO lists a 'Candy Red' and I've seen one of those cars and it's gorgeous!! My question is, for the painter with less experience, would the factory candy colors be more forgiving to paint? Do you think these OEM 'candy' paints are still sprayed on in a triple stage (metallic base, candy, then clear) or are these colors available right out of the can from a paint supplier based on the factory paint codes?

Mike

I'v always liked candy apple red myself.. I just wish I was good enough.. but solid single stage colors will have to do for now.....

I can get a candy effect for things like valve covers, using dupli color paints.. use the silver high temp, and then 1 of the 'metalcast' colors, and put a thin light coat on over the silver, and it will 'pop' almost like a real candy... I will keep practicing that and keeping the coats even.. before I dump a bunch of money into real candies

as for what the 2010 SHO has. I bet it's a 2 stage, with pearl mixed in.. you know a sedan marketed as a grocery getter with over 300 hp ( I think ) is going to need bodywork once in a while. so the paint is probably pretty forgiving

Matt.............painting candies are the HARDEST paints to get right. If the overlap is not perfect, you will tiger stripe it. If you make a mistake, it has to be done all over. Stick with BC/CC . If you are a beginner..............practice, practice, and then................more practice.
Also remember.............painting the car is about 5% of the job.....the other 95% is preparation of the body. If the bodywork and prep are not right, even the best painter in the world can't make it look good.

Originally Posted by sunsetdart

Matt.............painting candies are the HARDEST paints to get right. If the overlap is not perfect, you will tiger stripe it. If you make a mistake, it has to be done all over. Stick with BC/CC . If you are a beginner..............practice, practice, and then................more practice.
Also remember.............painting the car is about 5% of the job.....the other 95% is preparation of the body. If the bodywork and prep are not right, even the best painter in the world can't make it look good.

Your right there!!!! Ya can't polish a turd.
Most of the factory candy look paints today are a tri-coat, simular to candies .
done with a base coat,color coat(with pearls) and clear coats.
Still takes a lot of experiance to get it right. then if ya got to spot it it's not as easy to do any blends etc.
Just my 2 cents after 45+ years experiance.

Originally Posted by DA34GUY

Your right there!!!! Ya can't polish a turd.
Most of the factory candy look paints today are a tri-coat, simular to candies .
done with a base coat,color coat(with pearls) and clear coats.
Still takes a lot of experiance to get it right. then if ya got to spot it it's not as easy to do any blends etc.
Just my 2 cents after 45+ years experiance.

I saw this thread before and forgot to check back. I was looking at Red Jewel myself. It comes on most of the newer GM cars, Camaro, Malibu, etc. The paint itself is very expensive and like you said its still a tri stage. Do you see any advantage to going this route instead of a traditional candy apple red? It certainly does not have quite the same "glowing" affect candy apple red does and if the paint is expensive and just as difficult to apply I see no real reason for me to chose Red Jewel.

Is this candy apple red? It looks real dark, but I know lighting has a huge affect on what shade it looks.
http://image.rodandcustommagazine.co...ed_mercury.jpg

EDIT: just reread HOTRODPAINT's first response. Red Jewel I guess would be included in "factory tri-coat color" I suppose and therefore has the advantages you listed, correct? The basecoat candy by House of Kolor...is that a single stage? How is that applied? Thanks

This is what you are talking about right? http://www.tcpglobal.com/hokpaint/ho...rin-kandy.aspx

This says "Kandy Basecoats over BC25 - Black" Does this mean you apply a black basecoat then one of these candy colors over top? Wouldn't that make it real dark since traditional candy is sprayed over silver or gold or since this paint isn't as transparent a darker base produces similar effects as a silver/gold base candy?

Many of the production candies are sprayed over a red metallic base. This makes it easier to get a more even color. The factory paints the cars with robot systems... so they can fine tune it.

I recently did graphics for a guy who had a newer candy red MoPar. He started with a small dent in the hood. The dealership painted it... and eventually painted the entire front end, blending the candy halfway down the sides. $1800.00!

My Candy Apple Red 34 Ford is a real DEEP candy that sometimes looks like a Candy Brandywine.

Using House of Kolor paints, It is started with 3 coats of BC25 (Black Base Coat) paint. Then 3 coats of KBC11 (Kandy Apple Red Base Coat) paint. The first coat of KBC11 just looks like you sprayed more back paint. It isn't until the third coat is applied do you actually have the color POP. Painting with Base coat Kandy paints is much easier than with painting a candy top coat with much less tiger striping (IMHO).

Many people paint Candys on top of Silver or Gold base coats, but mine is over black. You can not achieve the paint on black without a Base coat candy.

We painted a Trailer to match my Street rod and got pretty darn close to an exact match.

jerome

Originally Posted by MRJB1929

My Candy Apple Red 34 Ford is a real DEEP candy that sometimes looks like a Candy Brandywine.

Using House of Kolor paints, It is started with 3 coats of BC25 (Black Base Coat) paint. Then 3 coats of KBC11 (Kandy Apple Red Base Coat) paint. The first coat of KBC11 just looks like you sprayed more back paint. It isn't until the third coat is applied do you actually have the color POP. Painting with Base coat Kandy paints is much easier than with painting a candy top coat with much less tiger striping (IMHO).

Many people paint Candys on top of Silver or Gold base coats, but mine is over black. You can not achieve the paint on black without a Base coat candy.

We painted a Trailer to match my Street rod and got pretty darn close to an exact match.

jerome

sounds easy enough haha. Soooo where are the pics?!