PPG's new VWM5556 Waterborne Midcoat allows the speed and efficiency of PPG’s waterborne basecoat system, Envirobase High Performance (HP), to be combined with the range of custom colours and special effect finishes available from PPG's Vibrance Collection. The company says that with VWM5556, 'creating the hottest colours and coolest special effects is an eco-friendly reality'.
Formulating custom or pearl midcoat colours is as simple as tinting VWM5556 with Envirobase HP toners, Vibrance powdered pearl or specialty flakes, such as Luminescence, Flamboyance, Liquid Crystal and Prizmatique. By creating a midcoat layer that can be applied over the waterborne basecoat, VWM5556 allows isolation of graphics when using multiple colours, especially when the custom finish is being created over an extended period of time. It can also be applied as transparent protection over special custom graphics and effects for added depth and distinctive appearance.
Leading custom shop, Andy’s Restorations, was the first to use it on an Australian built vehicle: “We were doing a ’32 Ford – an original steel car which is rare these days – and the owner wanted a yellow with a bit of extra ‘zing’,” he said. “After looking through the Vibrance range he settled on a Liquid Crystal colour called ‘Yella’ that we tweaked a little to get more highlights. Using VWM5556 was a little different but we had no issues and we finished it off with the new PPG D8141 Ultra High Solids Clearcoat. The colour came up really nicely – it looks straight yellow but in sunlight or bright lights you get touches of red or green tones jumping out at you from different angles.”
The car was awarded ‘Top Hot Rod Pickup’ and selected in the show’s ‘Top Five’ at the Melbourne Hot Rod Show in January.
