How to tint....by hand
Have you ever walked into a paint store and wondered how they make their paint colors? If the answer is yes, or even maybe, then I can explain how they do it because that's what I do! I’m a color tinter, or what I like to refer to myself as a color technician. So, for a color technician there are different ways on how to tint paint. You can have a machine called an automatic paint dispenser that will actually drop the paint in the can for you. Or you can do it by hand like I do it here at Maverick Paints.
The first thing I do is to mix all 15 pigments that I have on the shaker rack. The difference between white-based and neutral-based paint is that the former is for lighter colors and the latter is for darker colors. The bases basically minimize the amount of pigment that goes into each base according to the color scheme.
I typically use a spectrometer to scan a color, whether it’s on a fan deck or from a piece of wood or other substrate. A spectrometer is a machine that can scan and break light from a single component into any component of color. This machine gives us the capability to scan any color on a physical object and be able to match it to the closest scientific formula possible. On top of that, the spectrometer is a very user-friendly machine after you get a hold of it, and on top of that, it can produce a color match very quickly.
Our tinting process requires a few things, especially when you are tinting by hand. The first thing it requires is a steady hand and attention to detail. The reason I say this is because if you aren't paying attention to detail and accidentally put in the wrong amount of pigment or, for that matter, the wrong pigment, you won’t get the same result and projects can be ruined.
The last step is to put the can into the shaker so it can get thoroughly mixed so no pigment will be left in the bottom of the can. This will also keep colors consistent across projects. We use BYK cards to get a true depiction of what the final color will look like. It gives us the opportunity to see how close the color match is to the original color swatch or substrate. We like to think of ourselves as a very custom, boutique paint shop. Tinting by hand is just a part of what we do and who we serve here at Maverick Paints.
