Black Satin Paint Source US

[Tom in seattle]

There have been many discussions regarding the use of a satin black paint for the trunk area and undercarriage.  But I have not found a source for rattle can paint.  Can you help me find some?

[specracer]

Just a normal rattle can? I bought a few satin black Rustoleum cans recently. Have also bought a quart can, and used it in spray gun for chassis parts for a different project (non SL related), both with good results. Lastly I actually brushed the floor of the SL with satin Rustoleum (from the quart can). It was just under the mat, for some rust stabilization. I didnt want any over spray (beyond where the mat covers).

[thelews]

Duplicolor semi-gloss black engine enamel.  Great stuff, easy to use.  As always, prep is everything.  Used it to refinish my 190 SL engine bay which is the same finish level as my 113 trunk.

[KevinC]

Keep in mind that the factory interior trunk color was DB 164 "Tief Dunkelgrau" (Very Dark Gray). I would compare it to the color of charcoal.

From the Tech Manual....

Kofferraum innen: Tiefdunkelgrau, DB 164   Trunk inside: 164 dark grey

Heckdeckel innen: Tiefdunkelgrau, DB 164   Trunk lid, inside: 164 dark grey

Radkasten: Wagenfarbe UT   Wheel wells: body color

Schweller: matt schwarz DB 169   Rocker panels/Sills: flat black 169

Bumper innen: weissgrau DB 158   Inside of bumpers: white grey 158. Apparently RUST-OLEUM Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2x Almond Gloss is a good match in color and affords more rust protection (see http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=10791.0)


https://www.sl113.org/wiki/DataCard/PaintCodes






Try googling Mercedes Touch up Paint Code 164 or 7164

[kampala]

Sure looks like Palmbeach has directly lifted info from our site (sl113.org) including photos - seems odd they can do this?   Did the board allow this?

I'm not the IP police for our site - but this info on Palmbeach looks a lot like sl113's info.

[Garry]

This has been lifted directly from our own Technical Manual.  A please explain has been sent to the company.

Garry
Vice President and Membership Administrator

[johnk]

I will say that the DB 164 purchased from a PPG dealer is very expensive and not work it in my book. I paid $90 for just a half pint of the paint and hardner and ultimately it had more shine than the original.  Yes it is dark grey slightly lighter when you put black besides it, but I had to buy a second half pint to try and get the first application a little duller.  There has to be better options.

[wwheeler]

One thing you have to keep in mind when buying paint, is that it is gloss. It has to have a de-gloss agent added to the formula to reduce the shine. DB 164 by itself is a gloss paint. The formula on the can must also include the deglosser agent. Alternatively, you can spray the full gloss paint and use a pre-flattened clear like PPG's http://www.benspaintsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/EU150_+D8115++8117+Matt+Clear+11+12.pdf
I have used this under the car and looks really nice.

[ja17]

Flattening agents are added  to paint to achieve any degree of flat finish, from full gloss to full flat. These flattening agents can be purchased and mixed into the paint by the end user. Most paint systems recommend their own product to be used. DX10 is one flattener used with PPG paints and can be ordered separately. Dupont recommends their flattener for their paint system. Most suppliers have formulas for adding the flatteners to achieve degrees of flatness.

http://www.finishmaster.com/prod/assets/egrlyphg8gah2d8mrkon.pdf

The flatteners can be mixed by measuring volume or weight for consistency on more than one batch. It's really not difficult if you spray your own paint.

[ja17]

Another simple option for "mixing your own"  is to buy one can of flat paint and another can of gloss paint (same color same brand). Mix flat into the gloss paint until the desired gloss is achieved.

[Vander]

I will say that the DB 164 purchased from a PPG dealer is very expensive and not work it in my book. I paid $90 for just a half pint of the paint and hardner and ultimately it had more shine than the original.  Yes it is dark grey slightly lighter when you put black besides it, but I had to buy a second half pint to try and get the first application a little duller.  There has to be better options.

What about taking the original half pint, spraying it on a test panel then taking it to another paint company with a color eye? They will be able to mix an exact match to the PPG, but a larger volume at lower cost.

[johnk]

that could work. I will probably go back to the PPG store and ask them for some flattener. They didn't offer that the first time when I asked why it was so shiny.

[wwheeler]

Whenever I have bought paint and specified that I want it to be satin or semi gloss, I usually get a look from the sales guy. Most times, they will just hand me a bottle of flattener and let me have the fun. My experience of mixing in a flattener, like Joe mentioned, is mixed. And maybe why I get that look from the paint sales guy.

I think adding flattener is a bit of an art in that there are many variables that effect gloss. I tried to be smart once and use a Prevail hand sprayer https://preval.com/diy-pro-products/preval-sprayer/ to test the gloss. Using that, I shot the correct gloss and determined the formula. Then I used a standard spray gun with the same formula only to find that it had more gloss than with the prevail. So what I am saying is that it requires a lot of experimentation to get it just right. You don't just add X amount of flattener to X amount of paint and it comes out perfect every time. It is rewarding when you get there, but just takes time.     

[johnk]

Thats what I am afraid of Wallace unfortunately, a lot of expeimenting st $180 a pint. Spraying just a few light coats also provided less sheen than where i had to spray it thicker to get in the nooks an crannies.

[wwheeler]

$90 for a half pint seems crazy expensive and I buy PPG paint all the time. A quart with all of the hardeners included should be no more than $120. If you already have the correct DB164 paint, paint a swatch and get it color matched at the store and get a quart. They usually do not charge for the color match but can take a day or so. A quart will give you enough to be able to experiment with very small batches. What gun are you using to spray this?

Either that or find a new paint store.

[johnk]

I spray with a technica Pro-lite.  The hardener was half of the $90.
 
You could be correct about the store. A quart of the green primer used on the bottom of our cars was about $90 as well if I remember correctly.

[wwheeler]

I kept all my receipts for paint that I bought. It might be a day or two, but I can go back and tell you exactly what I paid for a quart of paint. Another option is that most auto paint stores carry an economy line of paint. I have sprayed those and can't tell an enormous of amount of difference. The trunk is not a critical application, so you can save $$ on using a different line. For instance, PPG has their Deltron line and then Omni in order of cost. 

[ja17]

Yes Wallace, big savings on the "alternate" lines of paint. PPG even has an excellent line of Commercial Performance Urethane Paint (AUE 100) it delivers excellent performance at a fraction of the cost. It can be a little difficult to source. It mixes and acts like any standard automotive urethane. It uses a catalyst.  It becomes very chemical resistant and tough when cured. Works great for engines, suspensions, engine bays, floors etc. DX 10 is the flattener for the system and can be added as desired. Like most "commercial products" it is meant for use by pros and is toxic like most durable paints these days. Safety precautions are important. The acid etching primer is great and really bites into difficult metal surfaces like chrome hubcaps. An optional accelerator can be added to the mix which will make the paint cure to the touch in about 20 minutes if desired.

[johnk]

Similar to the a axalta/DuPont line I believe a quart of Nason Clear was not much over 20 yet the same in their Standox line was over 150.  The cost of a quart of DP40 primer at my PPG dealer is what really surprised me.

[Tom in seattle]

I found the Rustoleum satin black at Home Depot.  It looks pretty damn close to the original trunk coating.  I know there is an endless discussion about the original being a dark, dark, dark gray but I’m done.

Thanks all for the help.

[ja17]

The price is right too!  In the trunk it should be fine. Rustoleum may not be a good choice on suspension and engine areas since it does not use a catalyst and will not be as chemical resistant and hard as other catalyzed paints.

[specracer]

As I had mentioned above, agreed, worked for me in my application.

I found the Rustoleum satin black at Home Depot.  It looks pretty damn close to the original trunk coating.

[m300cab]

I use Wurth Semi Gloss
it looks great, but it's Black not Charcoal Black, still got first place trophies!