To understand the difference between a Candy paint and a conventional paint you need to look at how the "paint system" is constructed. A conventional paint will have the plastic that forms the protective film, pigments that provide the color and solvents to make the paint sprayable. The pigments are suspended in the medium. This is like mixing fine sand with water, which results in an opaque system. If allowed to stand the pigments will fall out of solution. In a Candy system the color is provided by a dye which is soluble in plastic/solvent system. This results in a translucent system. This is similar to dissolving sugar in water. As has been pointed out the final color is dependent on the base coat underneath. The final color is also dependent on the NUMBER of coats of paint, as each succeeding coat will darken the color. This requires careful application of the Candy color as tiger striping can be the result of improper application technique.
The candys of the 1950-1960's were based on lacquer paint either nitrocellulose or acrylic lacquer. These systems have marginal durability. The current systems are based on Polyurethanes a much more durable system. I am not aware of any OEM that uses a true Candy paint.
|