BASE is one of the major components of paint. Base is a solid substance in a fine state that forms the body of paint. It forms the bulk of paint. It conveys the character of the paint. Base makes the film of the paint, opaque, harder, and elastic and prevents formation of shrinkage cracks. I had discussed in the previous chapter the basic principles of Bases so that the readers can understand them before proceeding further. It is very essential to keep in mind that Bases are invariably white without any tinting done as it is being readied for post tinting as per customer requirements rather than making it as a ready colour/shade which will only add to the inventory. The base number included on paint will refer to the different base paints that can be used to start the process of mixing the desired colour to obtain the final shade. It is the foundation that other colours are added to. Base numbers refer to the paint used to tint, or change the colour of, the paint. Typically, the higher the base number, the darker the colour of tinting paints. A base is a paint medium specifically manufactured for mixing colours. Typically, base 1 is for pastels, 2 for slightly darker, on to base 4 which is used for intense darker colours. Aside from different formulations for each base, base 4 allows more room in the can for the addition of tinting colours than base 1. The reason one can find so little information on the bases is simple - they are not meant to be sold "as-is", as they are used to formulate a chosen colour. Further, if you mix a colour in base 1 and use the same formula in any other base, one will not get the same colour. This principle has to be always borne in mind.
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