Tamco Single Stage Paint is meant to be catalyzed and sprayed as is, however for the ultimate gloss and buffing ability, many choose to add CLEAR to the Single Stage.
You do not have to add clear coat to single-stage paint, as Tamco single stage 2K paints have exceptionally high gloss as is. However, integrating clear into the color for the last coat can give you more gloss, and makes some colors easier to buff. Unlike in 2-stage paint where the color and clear coat are separated, single-stage paint mixes up all the ingredients which are then applied at once. Therefore there is usually no need for a clear coat because the single-stage paint already has got some ingredients that will give the car the gloss you need.
Tamco actually makes five versions of single stage 2K paints. Here are the pro's and cons of each:
DURAFLINT (formerly Duraflint 1) is Tamco's version of the old green labeled Imron, that was so popular in the 70's and 80's. Although it is very durable, and has incredible gloss, it is the least expensive of our 2K colors for two reasons. The first is that it is an industrial resin, with a little color to it. Resins are rated from 0-20 for color. In the picture below you see the Gardner Color Scale that most labs use to measure the clearness of resin. Most of Tamco's resin fall below 1 (the first tube on the left) and some actually are a 0. The resin we use for Duraflint is between 2 and 3, which is still very clear for an industrial resin.
The second reason for the lower cost is that a "kit" comes with 3/4 filled its or gallons, and the hardener fills it up. So a gallon kit of Duraflint yields 1 sprayable gallon, no reduction. It is probably the most user friendly of all our topcoats. The clear version of this is HC-9040. Although it has some color, nobody with the naked eye could ever see the difference if used over our base coats. Integrating the 9040 into the last coat of Duraflint, will gloss like the photo above! It is a much slower curing coating versus the acrylic urethanes that make up the rest of our 2 K topcoats. That slow curing and flash times allows this product to melt in overspray, and even reflow dry sprayed layers. It's an old durable and user friendly resin that buffs easily, shines to 99% gloss and is actually superior in UV and chemical durability than our popular AG series 2K paint. Duraflint can be made in metallics as well!
Duraflint is a direct to metal, properly prepared aluminum, galvaized and almost any surface BUT stainless steel.
AG SERIES 2K- Our most popular single stage stage 2K paint, been around for 25 years now. It is made from the HC-4100 resin and that would be the clear that you would integrate into the last coat. Easy to apply, a true acrylic urethane resin. Durable and is a medium to high solids color that has excellent flow, leveling and gloss retention. At 45% solids it still provides plenty of film build for the custom and collision industry. As with many of the other Tamco products, the AG is manufactured from direct to metal resins. This means paint can be applied directly over properly sanded and cleaned metal where protection from the elements is required. AG is only available in SOLID COLORS no Metallic's!
High Impact: (formerly Duraflint II)- Comes in two versions, Speed Cure (made from HC9500 Hyper cure) or HC-7677 Standard cure resins.. The speed version can only be integrated with HC-9500 clear! That is a must! It adheres to all surfaces except stainless steel, and can be made in metallic's. It is more durable than Duraflint or AG. Perfect for small areas to be painted, like helmets and motorcycles.
The Standard High Impact can only be integrated with the regular High Impact clear (HC-7677). IT CAN ONLY be applied to our primers or sealers. It has no adhesion qualities like our other 2K systems, but is incredibly durable and flexible. Like the speed version, we can also make this in metallic colors.
Amer-Flint II– Our most durable paint, re-introduced after many years.
Invented by American Lacquers and Solvents in Tampa Florida in the late 70's, this is the most durable product anyone could ever use. The paint is incredible. It is very high solids. It covers basically in one to two coats.. I still recommend 3 out of habit. It lays down exceptionally well, orange peel, within 30 minutes, goes away! Honestly, it was the easiest, user friendly paint I have ever sprayed.
Over the years, I sold this product to every kind of user imaginable. Body Shops, both custom and dealership, fleet refinishers, trucking companies, railroads (every single Norfolk-Southern locomotive was painted with it for 16 years), the marine industry, aircraft painters (some of the B-17's in the movie Memphis Belle, painted by Don Whittington's JET AVIATION in Pompano Fl were painted with Amerflint.). We sold it to aircraft painters. small planes, and jets as large as L-1011's were painted in this incredible paint. Some famous people I sold this to, was Murphy's towing and paint job in West Palm Beach that painted ALL OF BURT REYNOLD'S Florida cars and trucks. Even a special 'Smokey and the Bandit' car he was given was painted in Amerflint.
Car restoration shops used our products, the most notable one I sold to was Rick Carroll. Rick was at the time the largest owner of Duesenberg's in the country. He had his own personal shop, run by Chuck Stevens. Rick was tragically killed in an auto accident in the mid 90's, and his cars where sold at Sotheby's auctions for millions of dollars. The bodies where painted in our nitrocellulose lacquer, but all the frames, and engines where painted with Amerflint!
Amerflint II is skydrol resistant and is the only urethane that can be applied BELOW the waterline. It also can be made in metallics and must be applied over our primers or sealers.
Tamco trademarked the Amerflint II product last year and will start full production in July.
In summary, adding clear to the last coat of Tamco's 2K lines helps with buffing, ads durability and gloss!