Achieving a Hot Rod Black Paint Jobs
You may have seen the black cars rolling on the road that have no gloss or have a “flat” sheen. Sometimes this look is the result of weathering on an old or poor quality finish but in many cases it is a finish that the vehicle owner has chosen because of the unique appearance. These finishes are commonly called “hot rod black” or satin black and have been around for decades where they were mainly used on classic hot rods or to achieve a “rat rod” look. In recent years Hot Rod Black paint demand has surged as the classic look has branched out beyond classic old school or rat rod circles. In fact, several OEM car manufacturers are now offering this type of finish on new car models.
There are several ways to achieve this unique finish using automotive aftermarket coatings. The most common approach is the application of a single stage paint, typically a 2k urethane or enamel that has been formulated with specials pigments and additives to give a low gloss finish once cured. Versions based on enamel such as “blitz black” may be inexpensive but often the color will fade and chalk to an unattractive appearance in a relatively short period of time. However, single stage hot rod black finishes properly formulated with urethane resin technology offer a much greater resistance to fading and chalking. The second most common approach is buying a gloss black paint and a flattening agent that the painter mixes with the gloss paint at specified ratios to create a low gloss finish. While this can be effective it can also be inconsistent making the sheen less repeatable. It is easy to mix it a little different when you mix multiple times which can cause a slightly different gloss sheen on certain parts of the car or in the case of a repair. The third approach is the use of a flat clear coat applied over a black base coat. This approach is less common but actually yields superior longevity results when done properly with quality urethane products for many of the same reasons that base coat clear coat gloss paints are very effective. As far as pricing goes the pre-flattened single stage hot rod black finishes tend to be the least expensive but base coat clear coat kits can be purchased online for fantastic values as well.
One of the downsides to low sheen finishes is that it can be more difficult to achieve a clean defect free finish compared to gloss finishes. Seasoned painters know that very often during the painting process you will get some dust, dirt, fibers or whatever in your paint job. These particles are easily removed from gloss finishes by wet sanding and polishing. However, wet sanding and polishing low gloss finishes will typically result in increasing the gloss n that area making it stand out from the areas that have not been polished. Therefore, great care must be taken to achieve a clean, defect free surface straight from the gun. Despite this challenge, the effort can be well worth the reward in creating a truly unique finish.
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