An inferno flame paint job can enhance your car's appearance.
Very few styling touches are so historically and literally synonymous with the words "hot rod" as a flame paint job. The original flame jobs were graphic representations, due partially to the art deco style popular when they were introduced and partially to the paint technology of the day. The modern "inferno" flame job is an entirely different animal, designed from the outset for ultra-realism and artistic beauty. These flame jobs require a certain amount of comfort and familiarity with automobile painting, but are certainly achievable with a practice and the right technique.
Instructions
1. Mix all of the paint colors you need in cups before you begin. At the very least, you'll need white, five shades of red, six shades of orange, eight shades of yellow (including a darker one with some purple in it), three or four shades of gray and black.
2. Cut several pieces of cardboard of varying size, S-shaped on one side and flat on the other. Cut a few more pieces of light-bulb-shaped cardboard in sizes ranging from 2 inches across to 6 inches across.
3. Sand the entire panel to be painted with 400-grit sandpaper until it loses its gloss. Mask any areas you don't want painted with painter's tape and newspaper.
4. Lay down a base coat of single stage clear paint. This "wet bed" will help your colors to more smoothly flow together.
5. Lay down a narrow coat of white paint at the leading edge of your panel. the leading edge should be completely opaque, but you can freehand and reduce opacity as you move away from the edge. Use a little more white around the edges of your panels.
6. Spray a coat of the darkest red you have, holding the gun about 4 inches away from the panel. Use your S-shaped masks to control where the pain goes, giving your flames form and flow as you go. Remember: red is the "backbone" of your flame job, so where you put this coat will determine their ultimate shape.
7. Apply the brighter shades of red around the center "backbone" of dark red, working outward to fill out the body of your flames. Use the S-shaped masks to form the edges of the flames and the light-bulb masks to create the dynamic whirls and swirls that make the flames look alive.
8. Apply your orange shades. Remember your flame temperature progression: white-red-orange-yellow. The center of each flame "lick" is the hottest and cools toward the edges, so use the orange primarily to highlight the red, making sure to keep the red-to-orange transitions smooth and seamless.
9. Apply a deep shade of yellow to highlight the edges of your orange. Highlight it with your next darkest shade of yellow.
10. Start again with your second-darkest shade of red, masking and marking entirely new flame "backbones" over your existing flames. Repeat the orange-yellow highlighting over your red, stopping at the third-to-lightest color yellow you have. This second, lighter layer will give your flames a great deal more depth.
11. Add more and more layers of flames, starting with a lighter color red and ending with a brighter shade of yellow each time. This layering is the key to producing deep, ultra-realistic and dynamic flames.
12. Allow the flame job to dry for at least 48 hours and cover the entire panel with at least two coats of clear. Allow to dry for 24 hours, wet sand with 2000-grit sandpaper and polish.
