Correct way to apply touch up paint?
#1
08-02-2008, 01:59 AM
Correct way to apply touch up paint?
#2
08-02-2008, 04:14 PM
10-Steps to a Successful Rock Chip Fix
It's pretty simple but VERY time consuming. Also, you need to be able to stomach wet sanding some paint here because, it's a necessity to really make it come out well...
Here's my procedure in a nutshell (as originally taught by Intel486):
1. Clean the chip. You want it to be free of debris as well as loose flecks of paint. In short, if the paint is chipping within the chip itself, go ahead and remove that small amount so that only competent paint remains.
2. Prep the chip. Using a single-hole punch (like one that can be had at Wal-Mart or your local office supply store), punch out a few holes of 2000 grit sandpaper. Get a standard pencil and glue a sanding dot to each of the pencil erasers. Use several as you will spend the sandpaper fairly quickly... I'd recommend a dozen, at least.
3. Soak the pencil erasers. Using a cup of water with maybe a drop of Dawn liquid in it mixed, soak the pencil erasers that have the sandpaper glued to them. (obviously, you'll need to use a good glue (I always use super glue)). Soak for about an hour -- maybe a tad less.
4. Apply the paint. Using the brush in tube, dab a VERY small dot of paint on to the chip. Using a toothpick, spread the paint around in the chip making sure that the paint adheres to all sides of the chip and begins to seal the area where the chip starts. In short, you don't want to leave it so that something can slide in between the chip and the edge of the paint. This is a challenging step - even though it may seem simple - because nearly all chips are on an edge that is vertical and thus, gravity will want to cause the paint to sag. This is okay but, if at all possible, you'll want to keep as much paint on the chip as possible. Allow to dry for several hours.
5. Repeat #4. Keep repeating the #4 step until the spot is filed with paint. A VERY light sanding may be a good idea between coats to encourage bonding between the coats. Again, repeat until the chip is slightly 'over filled' and has some elevation to it over the paint adjacent to it.
6. Sand. It's time to use the wet sanding method that we prepped earlier. Using the pencil, begin to sand down the 'blob' of paint that is sitting in the chip. You'll want to use circular, straight, and horizontal/vertical sanding strokes but, be careful to not take it too low. Inherently, you're going to scuff some of the surrounding paint -- no big deal but, just don't get in to it too much because if you sacrifice too much of the surrounding paint, you're setting it up for delamination or other clear failure down the road. Just sand the spot and a VERY small area adjacent to the spot. The goal here is to get the paint flat again. Obviously, make certain that the paint is completely dry before sanding -- patience is huge here.
7. Assess your work. Is the area too low in the chip? If so, repeat #4 & #6. If it's good, it's time to polish out the scuffs that you've introduced. Because this is a small area, it's not a real big deal to remove those scuffs...
8. Polish for sanding mark removal. You'll want to use a higher cut polish such as a Poorboy's SSR 2.5 or Meguiar's #83 (or higher if you have it). Use a finger tip wrapped on a nice cotton terry towel and work the spot vigorously. You're goal here is to REMOVE the scuffs that you've had to introduce to get the paint flat. Repeat. Repeat.
9. Polish for micromar removal. Because you're likely using a lot of downward force or a higher cut product (or both), you're probably inducing a bit of scuffing, dulling, or micromarring to the surrounding paint around the spot that you're working on... no biggie! It's time to step down in cut and use a product to remove those problems. Meguiar's #80, #81 or Poorboy's SSR 1 maybe excellent choices to remove those problems. Again, using hand methods, use a foam applicator to properly remove the new problems that you introduced.
10. Protect. After waiting about 3 or 4 weeks, assess the paint again. I would discourage utilizing a wipe down method here (alcohol or prepsol) as they are solvents and can cause the touch-up paint to be removed. Use a high-quality product to protect the area. Remember this spot because you'll likely want to be careful with this spot from this point forward. You'll probably want to avoid this spot with something like a rotary or another high-speed polisher (I doubt a DA will hurt a spot like this).
Enjoy. I hope that helps a tad. Feel free to ask questions.
-RP-
Here's my procedure in a nutshell (as originally taught by Intel486):
1. Clean the chip. You want it to be free of debris as well as loose flecks of paint. In short, if the paint is chipping within the chip itself, go ahead and remove that small amount so that only competent paint remains.
2. Prep the chip. Using a single-hole punch (like one that can be had at Wal-Mart or your local office supply store), punch out a few holes of 2000 grit sandpaper. Get a standard pencil and glue a sanding dot to each of the pencil erasers. Use several as you will spend the sandpaper fairly quickly... I'd recommend a dozen, at least.
3. Soak the pencil erasers. Using a cup of water with maybe a drop of Dawn liquid in it mixed, soak the pencil erasers that have the sandpaper glued to them. (obviously, you'll need to use a good glue (I always use super glue)). Soak for about an hour -- maybe a tad less.
4. Apply the paint. Using the brush in tube, dab a VERY small dot of paint on to the chip. Using a toothpick, spread the paint around in the chip making sure that the paint adheres to all sides of the chip and begins to seal the area where the chip starts. In short, you don't want to leave it so that something can slide in between the chip and the edge of the paint. This is a challenging step - even though it may seem simple - because nearly all chips are on an edge that is vertical and thus, gravity will want to cause the paint to sag. This is okay but, if at all possible, you'll want to keep as much paint on the chip as possible. Allow to dry for several hours.
5. Repeat #4. Keep repeating the #4 step until the spot is filed with paint. A VERY light sanding may be a good idea between coats to encourage bonding between the coats. Again, repeat until the chip is slightly 'over filled' and has some elevation to it over the paint adjacent to it.
6. Sand. It's time to use the wet sanding method that we prepped earlier. Using the pencil, begin to sand down the 'blob' of paint that is sitting in the chip. You'll want to use circular, straight, and horizontal/vertical sanding strokes but, be careful to not take it too low. Inherently, you're going to scuff some of the surrounding paint -- no big deal but, just don't get in to it too much because if you sacrifice too much of the surrounding paint, you're setting it up for delamination or other clear failure down the road. Just sand the spot and a VERY small area adjacent to the spot. The goal here is to get the paint flat again. Obviously, make certain that the paint is completely dry before sanding -- patience is huge here.
7. Assess your work. Is the area too low in the chip? If so, repeat #4 & #6. If it's good, it's time to polish out the scuffs that you've introduced. Because this is a small area, it's not a real big deal to remove those scuffs...
8. Polish for sanding mark removal. You'll want to use a higher cut polish such as a Poorboy's SSR 2.5 or Meguiar's #83 (or higher if you have it). Use a finger tip wrapped on a nice cotton terry towel and work the spot vigorously. You're goal here is to REMOVE the scuffs that you've had to introduce to get the paint flat. Repeat. Repeat.
9. Polish for micromar removal. Because you're likely using a lot of downward force or a higher cut product (or both), you're probably inducing a bit of scuffing, dulling, or micromarring to the surrounding paint around the spot that you're working on... no biggie! It's time to step down in cut and use a product to remove those problems. Meguiar's #80, #81 or Poorboy's SSR 1 maybe excellent choices to remove those problems. Again, using hand methods, use a foam applicator to properly remove the new problems that you introduced.
10. Protect. After waiting about 3 or 4 weeks, assess the paint again. I would discourage utilizing a wipe down method here (alcohol or prepsol) as they are solvents and can cause the touch-up paint to be removed. Use a high-quality product to protect the area. Remember this spot because you'll likely want to be careful with this spot from this point forward. You'll probably want to avoid this spot with something like a rotary or another high-speed polisher (I doubt a DA will hurt a spot like this).
Enjoy. I hope that helps a tad. Feel free to ask questions.
-RP-
#3
08-02-2008, 04:29 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: California
Posts: 803
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#4
08-02-2008, 04:48 PM
Wait.
The reason is that you need to allow the solvents within the paint to volatilze out. By sealing the paint (with a wax, sealant or other) prior to it fully curing, you'll entrap some of the solvents (or potentially entrap) and could cause what is known as solvent pop. Again, an unlikely scenario on a 'spot' fix but, to err on the side of caution would be to allow it to properly cure PRIOR to the wax to the tune of 3 or 4 weeks.
-RP-
The reason is that you need to allow the solvents within the paint to volatilze out. By sealing the paint (with a wax, sealant or other) prior to it fully curing, you'll entrap some of the solvents (or potentially entrap) and could cause what is known as solvent pop. Again, an unlikely scenario on a 'spot' fix but, to err on the side of caution would be to allow it to properly cure PRIOR to the wax to the tune of 3 or 4 weeks.
-RP-
#5
08-03-2008, 02:03 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Keller Texas
Posts: 4,812
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#6
08-04-2008, 10:42 AM
