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Matt, Satin or Gloss?

sweeni

sweeni

Active member
As you may see on another thread my 308 GTS is having a bare metal respray and I have been asked what finish the black screen surround should be - Matt, Satin or Gloss.
We think Satin but would like to be sure if anyone could advise please?

( I refer to the main windscreen frame not the narrow trim around the glass and along the edge of the targa top)
 

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Matt to satin is something of a sliding scale. Black painted bits on cars of that era tend to be satin I believe, certainly aren’t totally matt on a 348. If I want to dull them off a bit I use a matt wax.

Edit: I’d say definitely not gloss, at least if you want it looking original.
 
I don’t know what is the correct shade, however I have a similar black part on my 348 and decided on gloss for a few reasons.

  • If you polish matt or satin black is will look more like gloss so unless you avoid that area it will be hard to keep it satin / matt looking.
  • They can shoot a base of black and clear over the whole area in one go, there is no transition from one paint to the next.
 
PAUL V said:
I don’t know what is the correct shade, however I have a similar black part on my 348 and decided on gloss for a few reasons.

  • If you polish matt or satin black is will look more like gloss so unless you avoid that area it will be hard to keep it satin / matt looking.
  • They can shoot a base of black and clear over the whole area in one go, there is no transition from one paint to the next.
Click to expand...

Hi Paul. Not contradicting at all and your 348 looks great gloss or satin, but have you tried this stuff?

https://www.swissvax.co.uk/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SE1015117

I use it on all my black bits - sills, air intakes, engine cover - and it dulls down the shine pretty well. I get what you mean about satin slowly getting shinier over time but this stuff combats that to an extent. Bit of a faff using different waxes for different areas I’ll conceed but it does do the job :)
 
Nosevi said:
Hi Paul. Not contradicting at all and your 348 looks great gloss or satin, but have you tried this stuff?

https://www.swissvax.co.uk/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SE1015117

I use it on all my black bits - sills, air intakes, engine cover - and it dulls down the shine pretty well. I get what you mean about satin slowly getting shinier over time but this stuff combats that to an extent. Bit of a faff using different waxes for different areas I’ll conceed but it does do the job :)
Click to expand...

No as mine is now gloss back IE "clear over base" no going back and not £60 wax needed :shocked:
 
PAUL V said:
No as mine is now gloss back IE "clear over base" no going back and not £60 wax needed :shocked:
Click to expand...

Rest of my car is scuderia wax, mate. If you don’t want £60 wax you wouldn’t want that either! Bigger tub, mind you :)

I think it’s a case of each to their own. But back in period they were a fairly matt satin (talking 348 but think the 308 was the same). I’m not as ‘picky’ as Nick, roughly the same is good enough for me. There again my car isn’t quite up to concours standard and his is.
 
Sorry to throw this in but I personally think the car looks more balanced with a red windscreen suround as you see on many QVs (were they like that originally?) and other cars after ie 328 GTS, 348 TS/GTS, 355 GTS etc.
 
Well thanks to Mandy and the staff at Maranello I now have the answer to my questions.
All the black bits, ie sills, windscreen frame, body line over the roof at the back of the cabin and mid way recess are all Satin Black. (The sills are stone chip satin paint). Also for clarification, the black mid way recess line should be painted not tape.
Big thank you to Mandy for her help in sorting.
 
The original would have been a satin, but as a restorer I would recommend going for a matt lacquer over a black base. I’ve been restoring black trim on a lot of cars recently, the most recent being a 3rd Gen Chevrolet Camaro and whilst it’s a totally different car it was against red paintwork and same sort of era. It is lacquered, so is extra durable, but “dulls off” unlike gloss lacquer and with a black base it looks more satin than a genuine matt. Bearing in mind that a standard matt finish is officially “30% Gloss”, satin is 50% gloss and “gloss” is 77% gloss!
 
mbwoy84 said:
The original would have been a satin, but as a restorer I would recommend going for a matt lacquer over a black base. I’ve been restoring black trim on a lot of cars recently, the most recent being a 3rd Gen Chevrolet Camaro and whilst it’s a totally different car it was against red paintwork and same sort of era. It is lacquered, so is extra durable, but “dulls off” unlike gloss lacquer and with a black base it looks more satin than a genuine matt. Bearing in mind that a standard matt finish is officially “30% Gloss”, satin is 50% gloss and “gloss” is 77% gloss!
Click to expand...

Interesting info. I will discuss this with the company doing the work and ask there thoughts.
Thanks for the advice.
 
sweeni said:
Well thanks to Mandy and the staff at Maranello I now have the answer to my questions.
All the black bits, ie sills, windscreen frame, body line over the roof at the back of the cabin and mid way recess are all Satin Black. (The sills are stone chip satin paint). Also for clarification, the black mid way recess line should be painted not tape.
Big thank you to Mandy for her help in sorting.
Click to expand...

Not often I'm right but was reasonably sure I was on this one :)
 
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