During the final phase of the manufacturing process, many products and components are coated with a paint to create a more aesthetically-pleasing appearance as well as to seal over the material to improve corrosion and stain resistance. When talking about most painting applications, people are aware of both oil-based and water-based paints. Yet metallic paints are highly desired in a range of manufacturing industries, especially the automotive sector, as well as home painting projects.

Rust-Oleum is one type of metallic paint product. Metallic paints consist of oil or acrylic lacquers, varnishes and clear coats and glazes that contain powdered metals. These paints can be used on plastic, metal, wood and other materials.

Powdered Metals in Paints

Powdered metals in painting applications will be picked based on the color that is desired. The powdered metal may also become heated to change the colors through a process called heat oxidization effect. Common powdered metals that are used consist of aluminum, copper, copper alloys, zinc alloys and tin alloys.

The type of color finish that is desired during the painting application will be dependent on the size of the powdered metals that are used. A coarser powder will create a very bright and brilliant finish to the appearance as it reflects more of the light. A finer metallic powder will create a smoother finish, or one with a duller color as it doesn’t reflect as much light on the surface.

Protecting Surfaces and Covering Imperfections

Metallic paint will typically consist of 50 parts of the paint with 1 part of powdered metal added. Besides adding specific colors to a surface, metallic paint can also hide imperfections, especially light scratches on metal surfaces.

It can be used for exterior finishes to provide tarnish resistance as well more durability to the surface. While applying powdered metals directly into liquids is easy, it can be harder to do for powder coating applications using certain sprayers. This is due to the size and type of the metal particle and how it will settle and flow through the machinery.

Getting Powdered Metals from Belmont

Here at Belmont Metals, we have a variety of powdered metals to select from based on your painting application. We offer high grade zinc, tin, and copper-aluminum powders such as 98.5% Minimum Silicon Metal for coatings and polishes, #325 Granular Copper for thermal spray coatings, Cadmium Oxide for glazes, and 99% Aluminum powder for paints and sealants.

If you are looking for powdered metals for a specific painting application that requires corrosion resistance, speak with our technicians. We can recommend the type of powdered metal to obtain the color you are looking for to coat the application while providing the desired characteristics.