Abstract: The present invention relates to an efficient method of applying a metallic paint using both an air atomized spray machine and a spin coating machine. In the method of painting, matching the color shade of metallic painting using an air atomized spray machine with the color shade of metallic painting using a spin coating machine is achieved in the following manner. The overall content of the metallic pigment in the metallic paint for said air atomized spray machine and for said spin coating machine is maintained almost the same, but the ratio of the brilliant pigment and the color pigment composing said metallic pigment is varied to increase the content of the brilliant pigment in the metallic paint for the spin coating machine compared with the content in the metallic paint for the air atomized spray machine.

Abstract: The disclosed present invention relates to a method of applying a metallic coating, such as a finish paint coating to an automobile. This method comprises two processes or stages using a bell-shaped rotary atomizer and a metallic paint. The amount of paint ejected from the rotary atomizer, shaping air pressure, and coating speed are maintained at approximately the same values during both the first and second processes. In the first process, the peripheral speed of the bell-shaped atomizing head is set within a range of 39 to 65 m/s. In the subsequent second process, the peripheral speed of the bell-shaped atomizing head is set to a lower value than in the first process, that is, within the range of 21 to 39 m/s, and the reduction rate of the nonvolatile (NV) value is set to 3% or more. This method improves the orientation of a bright pigment, enabling the automobile to appear high-grade, and providing a quality metallic coating.

Abstract: Light reflected from a sample coating is measured in three directions that are angularly spaced by angles of about 15.degree., about 45.degree., and about 75.degree. or about 110.degree. from the direction of regular reflection of illuminating light toward the direction in which the illuminating light is applied. Color differences are then determined from the measured lights and known values of reference color tones, and one of the reference color tones whose color difference is minimum is determined. Flop values of the sample coating with respect to lightness, saturation, and hue are determined from the measured lights, and the color tone of the sample coating is determined based on color differences between the determined flop values and flop values that are characteristics of the reference color tones.