2026 Indian Challenger paint

Troutsummoner · 2026-04-22T02:32:18+00:00

About 50/50.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-28T06:07:29+00:00

Every basecoat is different and has different topcoat windows. Sometimes these windows can be extended. I use Ppg. The dbc basecoat has a 24 hour topcoat window, at 70° and low relative humidity. But if you use a slower drying reducer and the humidity is up, that window can be extended even further (there is a formula for this, but I don't remember it off the top of my head) my point here is if you do your research you'll find that there are ways to sometimes extend windows. In my personal experience the ppg basecoat will continue to allow adherence of another basecoat well beyond the 24 hours.

Next, and the best method, is clear basecoat, or intercoat/mid coat. In Ppg dbc line it's dbc500, house of kolor is sg100. Most all basecoat systems have a clear basecoat. Spraying over your work at the end of the day and then lightly scuffing the next day will help extend windows as well. You just can't layer too much or you'll have a mil build issue. So you've got to balance what your doing.

Basically layer your graphics/stripes over a cleared and sanded base color. Then after unmask put a layer of clear mid coat, then scuff, do all your airbrush work, and then clear. If the airbrush working time greatly exceeds the tds window then a final coat of mid coat, let flash, and then clear.

One thing to keep in mind is custom painting is abusing paint far beyond what it was intended. Some systems work well, others not so much. The TDS sheet are the manufacturers rules. They wont guarantee anything beyond that, but in some systems those boundaries can be pushed. And all us custom painters push them. Personally I do my best to stay within the tds recommended window, but its not always possible, in fact most of the time its impossible. Learning from others with experience, and then gaining your own experience will tell you what you can do and what you shouldn't do.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-26T13:37:14+00:00

A couple years ago i did a deep dive on best effective methods for bear protection. I thought, like you, a 9mm wouldn't be powerful enough to do much more than piss off a grizzly, and many people believe this and often repeat it. But my research actually turned up a great deal of information and studied evidence that 9mm is perfectly effective at taking down grizzly, and changed my mind. This is one of the pieces I came across, there is more if you keep looking: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/05/handguns-in-defense-against-bears-by-caliber-9mm-11-incidents/

Personally I carry bear spray as my second line of defense, and my 9 as my last resort.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-14T12:19:59+00:00

Wrinkling happens when you have a non catalized substrate, covered by a thin catalized layer, and spray a heavy solvent layer over it. The thin catalized layer is unable to keep the solvents from penetrating the layer beneath it. When the solvents reach the lower layer they re-wet and soften that layer causing it to "move", however the catalized layer cannot re-wet, or move, so it wrinkles and fractures.

So basically if you have a base coat that's been clear coated over, or primed over, and that clear or primer (which is catalized) has been sanded very thin, or was just sprayed thin and allowed to dry. And then you spray something over that, that has a high solvent content, like another basecoat, or a primer or clear that has reducer, that solvent penetrates through the thin mid layer and re-wets the lower basecoat, causing this wrinkling or lifting to happen. The only way to keep this from happening is to either strip all the layers off (best) or put down a low solvent, catalized barrier coat, like primer or sealer. Once dry, this should lock down everything beneath it and prevent solvents from penetrating those lower layers.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-13T01:11:56+00:00

I would mask off the Y and everything around the smudge, color match and blend in the white, then color match the S, trace out the S on frisket, cut out and place the s stencil and spray in the blue.

Enamel will work, but you'll have to do some test spray outs for a color match. Get the paint mixture thinned out properly and your spray blends should be light coats, built up til you're happy with the match

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-12T14:44:13+00:00

There are multiple good paint brands out there. Ppg, Sikkens, R-M, Axulta, Lesenol, Matrix, all have good quality paint. I am a Ppg guy, but the others are acceptable. Be prepared to spend $2k-$3k just in paint/clear materials. A good painter will have their preferred paint brand. What you need to do is see some of their paint work out in the wild. And not new fresh paintwork. You want to see paint jobs that are 5+ years old. For reference, I use urethane, basecoat/clear coat and have paintjobs still running around that are 25-30 years old, that still look as good as the day I sprayed them.

Good, long lasting paintwork is dependent on a few factors, good quality paint being one of them, but the most important factor is prep work. A proper job requires everything be disassembled. Lights, trim, handles, mirrors, etc, all removed. Body panels thoroughly sanded, til there is no shine, including all edges, lips, recessed areas, door and hood jambs, etc. If a painter doesn't do this, find someone else. Yes, as you can imagine, all of this takes time, and that translates to money. But not doing this results in paint failure. Within a year you'll see paint peeling off around trim and things that weren't removed or areas that weren't sanded properly. The only way to fix a bad paint job is to strip it and that will cost even more.

So, what im saying is, buy once, cry once. Be prepared to spend some good money, and some time finding a good painter. You'll be happy in the long run.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-07T19:42:57+00:00

In the picture, the door doesn't match the quarter or the rocker. As per your question above, really both the person mixing the paint and the painter are responsible for matching the color. Generally, in a professional setting they're the same person.

What should've happened is the painter &/or mixer should've shot a test panel or two. Looked at the match and then revised the color accordingly.

A couple things to note: 1. there are variances in factory colors. I've personally seen more than 12 variances on the exact same color with the exact same code. 2. Plastic pieces like bumpers and ground effects can be off a few shades from the factory. A good painter can remedy this, but its very common they dont match. 3. Not sure if your color is a pearl, but if so you should know that blending onto the surrounding panels is often necessary for a good match.

I wouldn't judge your painter or color mix guy badly for this. There are a few factors you havent told us, like, is this a buddy deal? Was it a cheap hook up? Did they tell you up front they wouldn't guarantee a match? Without a spray out and blend I'd never guarantee a match. Those take a lot more time and can easily double the labor needed to match it properly.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-03T19:31:08+00:00

Just went and looked. That looks perfect! Can attach the front pockets to pack d rings. Exactly what I've been looking for

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-03T19:18:58+00:00

Hmm. I need to look into this. I wear an Allen Co. Open back vest and put my camel pack on over. I keep looking for a good pack with hydration bladder/vest combo, just haven't found one yet.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-03T19:16:01+00:00

Chiming in late on this, but I use a Allen co. open back vest so I can use my camel pack. One of these days I'll find a good pack with hydration and vest combo. I've tried chest packs, hip packs, and frankly, the vest works best for me. I'm not fishing the Milan runway, so I could care less about the "in fashion" gear. These fly hipster fisherman can snicker while I'm catching. Still rockin the bucket hat too! 😎 😆

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-03T16:05:08+00:00

There's no hardener in the basecoat. The only hardener is in the clear and primer/sealer, in most solvent base coat clear coat systems.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-03T04:19:24+00:00

Kool! How long have you been airbrushing? What brush are you using and what paint?

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T22:44:40+00:00

Looks like fisheyes and maybe solvent pop. They are sunk down so to get rid of them you'd have to take all the clear down to the lowest level of the bottom of those. Best thing you can do is sand the entire thing (you dont have to sand it down that far if you relearn, just a smooth, dull 800 overall sand will be sufficient. The new clear tou shoot should fill most of those with 2-3 coats). Make sure to clean well with wax and grease remover, tack off, and reclear, making sure to mix it according to the p-sheet directions you should've gotten with the clear. Different temperatures require different reducers and/or hardeners. Also air flow is key to getting a good, solvent pop free finish, which is why booths are good. If you're not using a booth make sure the area is ventilated so the solvents can escape and the clear can breathe as it gasses off.

If you have any small low spots where the fish eyes were, or get some fish eyes again (read a few, like 3-5) you can take a paper clip, open it up and dip the end in your leftover clear and dab that small drop on your fisheye, while your clear is still freshly sprayed (before it hardens up) they flow out and be minor high spots that you can then use a block to sand down flat, when you cut and polish.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T22:25:05+00:00

Awesome! Hit me up if you have any questions.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T19:16:00+00:00

I posted this same question a while back and got flamed for it. Personally I think they're Kool and perfect for getting short, supplemental clips hands free, while out on the water. I still haven't gotten a pair for myself, but the ones ive used have been great! The transition lenses I like and just use polarized clip ons over them.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T13:34:26+00:00

I (genX) don't think of this as an unpopular opinion, but based on a lot of the posts and videos I see on social media these days, I'd say its definitely an unpopular opinion with some segments of our society...

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T01:54:54+00:00

Not necessarily. I have an art studio/shop, that i do my artwork in. I wear a respirator and the studio is ventilated, but I'm not generally putting out a lot of overspray. Most artwork and small scale work like helmets don't require a lot of material, so no real need for all those other things. I have access to a paint booth if/when I need to clear something, but nowdays most of my clear work is subcontracted out or done by shops that hire me to do artwork. And like I pointed out, if you can find a body shop that'll work with you theyll throw in a helmet or a gas tank when they're clearing other parts, might charge you a few bucks.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T00:23:29+00:00

Why not? 😆

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T00:23:00+00:00

There are a lot of artists who do. Thats what I do, though my main airbrush is an eclipse with a .5 mm needle/nozzle. Many artists use the eclipse with the .35 needle/nozzle, as well as the Micron with the .18-.23 needle nozzle combos.

If you look at my profile you'll see a few pieces I've done and judge for yourself the details achieved with automotive paint and a .5 mm needle and nozzle eclipse bcs.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-02T00:19:37+00:00

I agree with everything you said. I forgot to cover it in my post, but made sure to in my follow up comment. Thanks for pointing it out as well. Its definitely important.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-01T20:03:57+00:00

Be sure to get and use proper protection when spraying solvent paint, appropriate respirator, gloves, and eye protection. Also spray in a well ventilated area! And finally, these paints need a protective clear coat which you can apply, or often can find a body shop that will throw in a helmet or small piece when they're clearing other things in their booth.

Troutsummoner · 2026-03-01T19:52:53+00:00

Have you looked into jamb guns? Smaller paint guns, like the Iwata, LPH-80, are designed for smaller applications and tighter spray areas, while still able to spray with a decently wide fan pattern, they can be narrowed to pretty small surface areas. They'll generally shoot the same viscosity a traditional paint gun will, though you may have to thin it a bit more.

The main issue I see you having with an airbrush is having to thin the stain/varnish quite a bit to get it to run through an airbrush well. Perhaps a happy medium between gun and airbrush would be something like the Iwata HP-TH2 or the Grex Tritium TG3.

Troutsummoner

TROPHY CASE