Just curious... have a project up my sleeve and want to do something like a fighter jet.

 

in model cars I know you can pretty much use them interchangeably, but in automotive paint im not sure, lol sorry if this was a pointless post

 

Yes. There is a difference. Primer isn't going to stay looking good on the car. I don't know what's different chemically, though.

 

Primer isn't a barrier against shit such as rain, uv light and all the shit. Eventually its just going to break down.

Flat paint isn't just a basecoat either. It's has a clear coat on it with a flattening agent in it to still give the base the protection it needs. Depending how much of the flattening agent you put in, you achieve different results such as Semi gloss, Satin, and Matte finishes.

 

flat paints have a 'flattening' agent in it, the added agent dulls the paint down while also hardening it to give it its protection since theres no clear on it. i personally hate flat paints.


the flat paints are usually just acrylic enamels with the flattener in it, most primers are 2k urethane. i personally disagree with you on the looking good part though, primer stays looking the same over years. primer is 10 times tougher than any paint, it just doesnt look as good upon being sprayed because its a primer and was meant to fill in scratches and such so it is thicker and more textured. but your right, it does tend to dull down a bit, and its naturally going to be more orange peely cause of its thickness. but fuck it if your going to spray a gay ass flat paint, might as well just stick with primer.

 

beat me to it nate..you obviously know more than i do about them. never realized they did have clear on it, when i was reading about them it was just mentioning a single stage type paint with a flattener, never an actual seperate clear over to of it.

 

I use it all the time. I use it in my urethane clears. Many BMW rocker panels and such have the satin finish to them which you need. It's not just for enamels. Who still uses enamels now a days anyway


edit: yep, you just simply spray you sealer and basecoat as you normally do. Depending on the finish you're looking for I think you can add up to 15-20% of the agent to give it that really matte look, or less for satin and a semi look.

 

im about to have a hood painted flat black to look like the old fiberglass roadrunner hoods and going to do a black base coat and put some flattening agent in the clear
i wouldnt use a flat black primer because it would still let rain in and it would rust after a while

 

Oh... what are military planes painted with? 1 stage laquer based paint?

 

lol