Fancy colours, fancy names
By H. Kishie Singh

Phoenix rose red, rogue red, toscana red, neptune blue, noble white, casablanca white, mica henna green, calypso green, velvet grey, neutral silver, majorca black.

As the shapes change, so do the colours and keeping pace with the new and exciting colours are the names that describe the colours.

Metallic colours are a rage and there is no doubt that these colours are vibrant and alive, just like the cars they adorn. Like chameleons, they even change colours. They sparkle in the sun, are splendid in the shade and vary at night.

And they are as expensive as they look. The new breed of paint referred to as 2K is what is being used. It is a special paint and applied through a special process. If at a later stage the car has to be "touched" up, the match is perfect. That is a great advantage as it keeps the car looking new. Gone are the days when three times "touching-up" would mean three different shades, the fourth being the original, or what was left of it.

Is expensive. A small-touch up on the bumper is about Rs 4000. To re-spray and "bake" the whole car costs between Rs 40,000 and 50,000. The car does get "baked" as it is put in a temperature controlled oven. The whole process is over in under an hour.

No more standing around in dirty, dusty Sector 28 to have the side walk artist-mechanic spray paint the car and hope no dust would settle on it. A futile hope. Chandigarh has dust that is as fine as talcum powder.

Dust on the metal does not allow full adhesion of the paint and once the paint has been sprayed more dust settles on the paint. To prevent this, the ‘paint booth’ was invented. It is just that, a booth, which can just about accommodate a big car.

There are exhaust fans to clear the air, hot air is blown through specially filtered vents. The temperature is a constant 65°C. An electronic thermostat makes sure of that. Strange to say, all paint booths are imported. They are not made in India.

The car emerges with a lustrous sheen, and has a hard-shell finish. Resistant to rocks. If you have ever passed through Zirakpur, you are sure to have been behind a bajri-laden truck. It drops little round pebbles which keep hitting the body. They nick the paint. They also smash or crack windscreens. The "baked" paint finish is more resistant to rock-hits!

There is a choice of 80,000 — Yes! Eighty thousand shades! Each shade has a number and the quantities of colours to be mixed. The paints are on a timer-mixer bench and being constantly stirred to ensure consistency. They are weighed — to a millilitre on a very special electronic scale called the mettler balance.

2K has nothing to do with the new century, 2K means two komponents (spelling!)— one, the resin or the paint and the second, the hardener. The finish is polly urethane — or liquid plastic — and this is what makes it long lasting and chip-resistant, In fact, a layer of lacquer is applied to the car. Other than being very hard, it maintains a lustrous sheen for ever! That’s plastic for you.

When the car comes out of the paint booth, it is ready for the road. No rubbing, or polishing is required. Pay your bill and go!

It could be a cool Rs 50,000 after the 65°C heat of the paint booth!

Happy motoring!