Colour-Shifting Interference Paint finish

Ram · 21st January 2006, 15:27

When a few cc of petrol spills onto a puddle of water on the road, don't we see rainbow colors? This effect is also seen on soap bubbles in the sunlight. Then there are the "Dhoop-Chhaon" (double shade) sarees from Bishnupur, West Bengal. These sarees, for example, look green when viewed from one angle and brown from another.

The first Indian car I saw, with a remotely similar effect in paint, was a Ford Ikon with that peculiar brown-grey paint (What do they call it?), that looked pale brown at some angles and pale grey at others.

Then, the other day, on the Pune-Mumbai expressway I saw a pearl white Mitsubishi Lancer, that had pink specular highlights in the sun, when viewed from some angles and green specular highlights from some other angles. The Lancer had a lustrous metallic sparkle and changed color as I saw it from different angles.

Turns out the paint system is called ChromaFlair by DuPont. Competing paints are called Chameleon Colors, Rage Extreme Silk, ColourShift, MystiChrome, etc.

The paint contains tiny one-micron sized aluminium flakes, coated with glassy film of magnesium fluoride. Just to appreciate the perspective: One micron is 1/50th the thickness of a human hair!! Over this glass coated metal flake is an ultra-thin, semi-transparent layer of chrome. Production tolerances are so tight they’re measured in atoms!!!

Just like the petrol droplets floating on water, the scintillating color effect is due to thin-film optical interference between reflected light and light refracted by the MgF2 glass layer on the flakes.
Light enters each tiny flake through the chrome layer and the glass layer and reflects off the aluminum core, and is refracted by the glassy layer. These two light beams interfere with each other producing brilliant rainbow colors.
The exact color seen, depends on the thickness of the glass on the flake.

SPEED_DEMON82 · 21st January 2006, 17:39

I have seen the DuPont paint in action at a car restoration workshop outside Mumbai. The same paint was also got done by a family friend on his 1959 Royal Enfield 350 side by side with the car. This was Green-Blue-Violet kinds colour - ones seen on TVR Tuscons. It looks great but then again you need to have a personality (and car/bike) to match and then carry off that paint scheme when drving/riding around

Ram · 21st January 2006, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPEED_DEMON82

I have seen the DuPont paint in action at a car restoration workshop outside Mumbai. The same paint was also got done by a family friend on his 1959 Royal Enfield 350 side by side with the car. This was Green-Blue-Violet kinds colour - ones seen on TVR Tuscons. It looks great but then again you need to have a personality (and car/bike) to match and then carry off that paint scheme when drving/riding around

Hi SPEED_DEMON82:
When you say, “You need to have a personality (and car/bike) to match” are you referring to it being too “Dhinchak”?

Metallic automotive paints were not available on Indian cars until 1988 or so.

Isn't it just a question of time, before these fancy colors become commonplace -- from automotive paints to lipsticks and nailpolishes.

... come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize, what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters, are beyond your command
Your old road is Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one, if you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin' ! ...

from Bob Dylan's song, The Times -- They Are A-Changin'

Best Regards
Ram

angelfire · 21st January 2006, 22:30

hi thre...the paint was introduced in india few years ago...when mrf came up wit Auto coat....we have a choice of the number of colors it can have...the local painters call it multi tone paint......my cousins got an activa painted in 4 diff shades...looks aweful although.....every angle of viewin wil reaveal on colour...so more the combination of colors...more Dhinchak its gonna look..

viper · 22nd January 2006, 09:13

Hi,

This paint or process is referred to as the flip flop paint by most painters. As far as Mumbai is concerned it was first done way back in 1997 by Mazda Motors(Standox Paints). It is very popular here now.

Viper

Gtea · 26th January 2006, 22:49

My Car is going to be painted in about 2 weeks from now. Can anyone give more details on this colour changing paints? I would really like to paint my Car with this.
Will a local workshop be able to paint with these type of paints or do you need professional's who have been trained especially for this paint job?

viper · 27th January 2006, 09:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gtea

My Car is going to be painted in about 2 weeks from now. Can anyone give more details on this colour changing paints? I would really like to paint my Car with this.
Will a local workshop be able to paint with these type of paints or do you need professional's who have been trained especially for this paint job?

Hey,

You need a professional to do this job. Also to be done in a paint booth. Touch ups for these jobs are also dicey and only someone who knows their job will be able to perfect it. Do it only if you have someone with a professional pint booth and you can afford to spend on touch ups as these jobs are expensive, or just live with scratches and dents which are a part of our lives and unavoidable.

Viper

autopsyche · 27th January 2006, 11:13

I love colourshifters! or flipflops as you might call them.

I did a beemer in a slight green/purple shift from Rage Extreme. Im planning to do a full on shifting paintjob very soon too, maybe a five tone. The silk range that you mentioned has softer colours similar to the pic you posted.

Arush

Gtea · 27th January 2006, 18:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper

Hey,

You need a professional to do this job. Also to be done in a paint booth. Touch ups for these jobs are also dicey and only someone who knows their job will be able to perfect it. Do it only if you have someone with a professional pint booth and you can afford to spend on touch ups as these jobs are expensive, or just live with scratches and dents which are a part of our lives and unavoidable.

Viper

Yeah the workshop has a Paint booth. Does anyone know where I can get these Colourshifter Paints?
I just need a two or three tone Paint. Today I went around looking for these type of Paints but all they had were Scorpio Blue or something which viewed from a different angle looks like it's Silver. (Does this fall under Colourshifters??? Can anyone clarify.)

Rudra Sen · 27th January 2006, 20:02

What's is the price difference from a normal paint job?

Gtea · 28th January 2006, 00:47

I think it's more costlier than a normal paint job as aquiring these paints is quite hard and as Viper said that it should be done by professionals.

Just my guess but I think we'll have to shell out twice as much money as compared to Normal paint jobs. (I may be wrong).

21st January 2006, 15:27	#1
Ram Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Singapore, Mumbai, Nagpur Posts: 2,166 Thanked: 219 Times View My Garage	Colour-Shifting Interference Paint finish When a few cc of petrol spills onto a puddle of water on the road, don't we see rainbow colors? This effect is also seen on soap bubbles in the sunlight. Then there are the "Dhoop-Chhaon" (double shade) sarees from Bishnupur, West Bengal. These sarees, for example, look green when viewed from one angle and brown from another. The first Indian car I saw, with a remotely similar effect in paint, was a Ford Ikon with that peculiar brown-grey paint (What do they call it?), that looked pale brown at some angles and pale grey at others. Then, the other day, on the Pune-Mumbai expressway I saw a pearl white Mitsubishi Lancer, that had pink specular highlights in the sun, when viewed from some angles and green specular highlights from some other angles. The Lancer had a lustrous metallic sparkle and changed color as I saw it from different angles. Turns out the paint system is called ChromaFlair by DuPont. Competing paints are called Chameleon Colors, Rage Extreme Silk, ColourShift, MystiChrome, etc. The paint contains tiny one-micron sized aluminium flakes, coated with glassy film of magnesium fluoride. Just to appreciate the perspective: One micron is 1/50th the thickness of a human hair!! Over this glass coated metal flake is an ultra-thin, semi-transparent layer of chrome. Production tolerances are so tight they’re measured in atoms!!! Just like the petrol droplets floating on water, the scintillating color effect is due to thin-film optical interference between reflected light and light refracted by the MgF2 glass layer on the flakes. Light enters each tiny flake through the chrome layer and the glass layer and reflects off the aluminum core, and is refracted by the glassy layer. These two light beams interfere with each other producing brilliant rainbow colors. The exact color seen, depends on the thickness of the glass on the flake.
	() Thanks

21st January 2006, 17:39	#2
SPEED_DEMON82 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 212 Thanked: 3 Times	I have seen the DuPont paint in action at a car restoration workshop outside Mumbai. The same paint was also got done by a family friend on his 1959 Royal Enfield 350 side by side with the car. This was Green-Blue-Violet kinds colour - ones seen on TVR Tuscons. It looks great but then again you need to have a personality (and car/bike) to match and then carry off that paint scheme when drving/riding around
	() Thanks

21st January 2006, 22:30	#4
angelfire BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Mangalore/Chicago Posts: 251 Thanked: Once View My Garage	hi thre...the paint was introduced in india few years ago...when mrf came up wit Auto coat....we have a choice of the number of colors it can have...the local painters call it multi tone paint......my cousins got an activa painted in 4 diff shades...looks aweful although.....every angle of viewin wil reaveal on colour...so more the combination of colors...more Dhinchak its gonna look..
	() Thanks

22nd January 2006, 09:13	#5
viper BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 19 Times	Hi, This paint or process is referred to as the flip flop paint by most painters. As far as Mumbai is concerned it was first done way back in 1997 by Mazda Motors(Standox Paints). It is very popular here now. Viper
	() Thanks

26th January 2006, 22:49	#6
Gtea BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Shillong Posts: 163 Thanked: Once	My Car is going to be painted in about 2 weeks from now. Can anyone give more details on this colour changing paints? I would really like to paint my Car with this. Will a local workshop be able to paint with these type of paints or do you need professional's who have been trained especially for this paint job?
	() Thanks

27th January 2006, 11:13	#8
autopsyche Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New Delhi, Indi Posts: 1,519 Thanked: 33 Times View My Garage	I love colourshifters! or flipflops as you might call them. I did a beemer in a slight green/purple shift from Rage Extreme. Im planning to do a full on shifting paintjob very soon too, maybe a five tone. The silk range that you mentioned has softer colours similar to the pic you posted. Arush
	() Thanks

27th January 2006, 20:02	#10
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,590 Thanked: 6,532 Times View My Garage	What's is the price difference from a normal paint job?
	() Thanks

28th January 2006, 00:47	#11
Gtea BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Shillong Posts: 163 Thanked: Once	I think it's more costlier than a normal paint job as aquiring these paints is quite hard and as Viper said that it should be done by professionals. Just my guess but I think we'll have to shell out twice as much money as compared to Normal paint jobs. (I may be wrong).
	() Thanks