paint chip touch up

[356robo]

What are the best materials and procedure to prepare a paint chip for paint?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

[Cooper911SC]

Hi Rob,

If the chips are minor stone type chips or "sand blasting" simply washing the car should be enough prior to touch-up. If the chip is larger it can be beneficial to take a paper towel and product such as SEM Solve or just regular lacquer thinner and wipe out the chip.

Follow up with the touch-up tool of your choice. I use a special flow pen that drops a very tiny amount of paint. A very fine tipped Sable hair paint brush is another favorite.

A toothpick can also work well.

If the car is a dark color and has major sandblasting, buying a "squeegee" or "smear and wipe" type kit from a company like Dr. Colorchip or Lanka can work wonders. These high solids paints are smeared onto the car and allowed to flash off, then the excess paint can be removed. It will make a pretty big difference.

Good luck with your touch-up, Cooper

[snbush67]

The best?....

Send you car back to the factory and ask them for a total restoration, kiss your bank account goodbye and live in your car.

Seriously, you want some matched paint that is thick and has not been reduced, dab it in the chip and allow it to dry completely, continue this step until the surface of the paint is even, it may take several applications in order to build it up and allow it to dry a day or two.

Once you have all the paint in there and it is built up you can take a small piece of 2000 grit sand paper and carefully blend it in and level it, finish up with some rubbing compound and then buff it out really good, wait a few days and buff it with some wax. You will probably be able to see the difference a bit but from 5-10 feet it shouldn't be visible.

[sc_rufctr]

This is worth a look... Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems

Years ago I used to sell used cars. The dealership I worked at contracted a company to touch up stone chips.
They used a process very similar to this. I was always impressed to see the results.
Some chips completely disappeared. I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars respraying a whole panel to deal with a few stone chips.
This makes a lot more sense to me.

[HarryD]

There is always this method:

Car Care Specialties, Inc. - Your Source For Quality Car Care Products, How-To Articles and Product Evaluations.

[haycait911]

I can't find a pic, but there's a 'pen' like a mechanical pencil that has a bundle of stiff fiberglass strands about a 1/4 inch round that you extend like a mech pencil. does a very nice job of cleaning and prepping the surface.

ps. BINGO!

http://www.dkhardware.com/product-22853-p3437-paint-prep-pen.html

http://www.newmantools.com/preppen.htm

[356robo]

So lacquer thinner will NOT damage paint but will remove wax residue?

Rob

[89911]

Originally Posted by snbush67

The best?....

Send you car back to the factory and ask them for a total restoration, kiss your bank account goodbye and live in your car.

Seriously, you want some matched paint that is thick and has not been reduced, dab it in the chip and allow it to dry completely, continue this step until the surface of the paint is even, it may take several applications in order to build it up and allow it to dry a day or two.

Once you have all the paint in there and it is built up you can take a small piece of 2000 grit sand paper and carefully blend it in and level it, finish up with some rubbing compound and then buff it out really good, wait a few days and buff it with some wax. You will probably be able to see the difference a bit but from 5-10 feet it shouldn't be visible.

Excellent advice, I have done this to my cars for years:

A couple added tips
1. Initially use just the correct paint to match the car. Just enough to get the color right.
2. Next, use small increments of clear coat. You can usually find this in the auto store next to the paint. Use very thin coats and do so over several days.
3. Once the chip has been over filled, make sure it has cured. Press your nail into the clear coat and look for and impression. If there is, keep waiting. Depending on the clear coat, this could take a few weeks. That is why most commercial clears have a chemical hardener added to it before it is shot. If you sand too early, the chip will continue to shrink and not be flush.
4. Once it is hard, use 1500-2000 wet sand with plenty of water. Dry often to see how you have progressed in getting the surface even. Concentrate on just sanding the added clearcoat with light strokes. Some use a small piece on the flat surface of a popsicle stick.
5. After is is nearly flush, use rubbing compound (3m) with some water and light strokes in all directions. Keep drying and checking if all the scratches are removed
6. After a month or two in the sun, if the chip is not even and had shrunk somewhat, go over it with the 1500 and then and some clear coat and start at number 3 above.

[Cooper911SC]

Hi again Rob,

Thinner will not hurt the paint if you just use it briefly to wipe out the chip. In fact, unless the paint is fresh, it takes a very saturated rag and some aggesssive rubbing to damage the surface of cured paint.

The advice about repeatedly filling larger chips and letting each layer dry is good. This is the only real way to get things filled up. When it comes to the sanding it is imperative to use a very hard flat sanding block to back up the paper. I use small blocks of balsa wood maybe an inch or 2 square. Make sure to hold it flat to only knock down the high spot. If you sand with your fingers, you will inevitably sand through your existing paint surrounding the chip you just filled. My preference is either 3M 1500 grit or KOVAKS K25 (2500 grit).

The Smear and Wipe method works well for sandblasting but not well for larger chips...not enough paint gets left behind to fill things up. Repeatedly using this method over large chips can be frustrating, as with each new layer, some of the previous layer is softened and wiped back out of the chip. Kind of like trying to darken a Sharpie line by writing back over it.

Just be patient with your progress. It will look much better as you work on it!

(Just for the record I spent 4 years doing touch-up on "Pre-owned" MBZ vehicles at a couple of dealerships in CA).

Cooper