HOw do I get a Sikkens code?
 

Hey,

Can most painters match paint or do you have to give them the Sikkens code? I saw this on one of Dr Deltron's posts and I have no idea what this code is or more importantly how to get it for an older bike that I'm looking to restore.

Thanks.

To my limited knowlege, each paint maunfacturer has their own unique paint code. So, having the paint code from Sikkens for a particular color would be meaningless at a Sherwin-Williams distributor, unless they had a crossover chart.

If you're looking to match a color, most paint houses have a scanner that they can use to determine a match recipe.

Painters can match paint if they have a mixing system. Otherwise they compare color desired to a paint chip and buy the color ready mixed. Paint chip sample books are usually available at the paint store. Sikkens calls them ColorMap books. The code is the page number, the row letter and the colum number. Fender1's Trek was 309D5. This turns out to be a Dodge color from a few years ago. Almost all car paint colors were or are on a car somewhere.
But if your painter isn't using Sikkens colors, you would have to give them the color code number in the system they are using.

You would go to a Sikkens paint dealer and have the frame with you. Go through the ColorMap books until you find the color that matches the bike. Take the code (described above) and give that to the painter.
And I think that 309D5 is a pretty close match to your XO-1, but you will have to make the final determination.

Hope that helps.

Dr. D