Touch up paint tips HOW TO
 

Any one have any hints on the best way to touch up a few stone dings on my car....XKR Salsa color. I have the Jag touch up paint and I'd like to know if there is a better technique than just dabbing the paint on the chip? This always leaves a little glob of paint...looks better than the chip, but still noticeable. Any ideas?

Has there been a thread on this subject already that I missed?

Attachment 179218


Hey there, please see tips below I've picked up a while ago, may be a gude for you.
But, hopefully, Dave wil drop by soon to impart his words of wisdom and really give you the tricks of the trade:icon_wink:

"The thick paint from the touch-up pencil is probably like that because it
is old. Adding a bit of acetone (a few drops) to the bottle should thin
it out nicely. But keep the acetone from coming in direct contact with
your car's finish; it is a very effective solvent! (I use varsol to clean
rusted paint chips without resorting to an abrasive.) Make sure you let
the paint run all the way down the brush stalk and repeatedly wipe the
bristles before applying. A toothpick is a good substitue for the touch-up
brush when working very small spots. Place a small drop of touch-up paint
in the centre of a clean chip. The paint will flow to the edges by itself;
don't brush. Too little paint is OK; too much is a bummer. Large or deep
chips may require two or more passes. Allow the touch-up paint to dry to
the touch before another pass is attempted. Other points to remember:
shake the touch-up stick WELL; avoid applying the paint in direct
sunlight, when its very hot or very cold, and when its windy or otherwise
dusty."

Awesome tips Jim.......great points as well!

Here is the advise that I have to offer that works for me very often when touching up customers nicks and chips.....

Have the available touch up color ready, either from a paint supply shop, dealership touch up stick or from the autoparts store. Never use the paint if it appears to be stringy when removed from the bottle, this means its no good.

For application purposes I usually carry 3 different types of applicators for applying the paint.

1) Natural hair pinstriping brush
2) Paper match stick cut at a 45 degree angle with a point
3) Toothpick

I will post a photo later of the three items above....

Do not load or glob up the applicator.....very important.

Make sure that the nick or chip is extremely clean to start.

Step 1 - Apply touch up to the chip or nick, but attempt to fill without covering any of the unbroken paint, keep it in the chip only. Allow paint to cure for a 12-24hr period.

If this is a 2 stage paint, the color coat will give you the base, and the clear coat will give you the gloss, shine and protection.

Step 2- After the initial fill and cure period, come back and repeat Step 1 and add some more paint to the chip to build up the height. Important to keep it neat, DO NOT GLOB! Allow 12-24hr cure period....

Step 3 - The chip should still be a tad bit shallow, this is where the clear coat will bring the height up level to the rest of the paint. Apply your clear coat just like you did on step 1, keep it clean and within the chip, try not to overlay more paint on the unbroken paint. It takes patience and a steady hand, but it will pay off....allow to cure 12-24hr period. If it is a single stage paint then you would apply your last coat of color to bring the repair level. Sometimes this can be done in only 2 steps.....

Step 4 - At this point the chip or nick is filled and ready to be knocked down or leveled. Here is where you would take some 2000g or 2500g sandpaper and wetsand the area lightly to smooth out the touch up.

Step 5 - Polishing begins to clean up the dull or sanded chip are and restore the original gloss or shine to match the rest of the panel.

Step 6 - Wax or seal the panel and your good to go!

Attachment 178958


Now THOSE are tips from a professional:)
Nice one Dave and one for a FAQ I'd say.....members are always asking this question.

Thanks for jumping in Dave:)

Also, there is a great product (LANGKA) that works great for getting rid of the "glob" you normally get after touching up chips.

Doug

Chipped clear coat cracked away
 

Chipped clear coat cracked away in a 1" by 1/2" area on a corner how do I repair?
I am thinking of
Sand Paper it lightly? Grit paper?
Spray can of clear coat?

ive been using butt end of a match instead of toothpick, seems to work decent, though i always forget where the areas im touching up are when it comes to applying second coat :( maybe i should put sticky notes with arrows drawn near the areas?

Thank you for your comments, I have the same issues and was about to try the same fix. I bought a chip repair kit from Dr. colorchip and will let you know how it works out. Scott M

You might want to try this technique - works on longer scratches too.

Get a sharp plastic squeegee. Dab the paint along the scratch. Pressing hard, squeegee the paint into the blemish with one stroke. Wipe off excess around the repair with a shop towel moistened with thinner.

Worked for me!

cheers

I am in the process now of touching up all the chips on the hood. The Langka product is wonderful. It contains a cleaner to take off all wax and dust. I tried using the little brush that came with my paint from Jag, but found it did not fill in the pits very well. I succumbed to using the tiny paint blobber that comes in the kit, and volia! It is perfect. Duhhhh. Following instructions, what a concept. Will do the de-blobbing today and then the clear-coat. By all means, check out the video on their website and read the directions, and you can't go wrong. http://www.langka.com/I am very pleased so far with the paint match and the ease of use of Langka. Will let you know about the final result.

Suggestions please for a prepaint or cleaner product to use before paint chip repair.
TIA
Brian

Langka
 

I used the Langka product and had wonderful results. It takes a bit of experimentation to get your 'touch' correct, so try it first on an inconspicuos place. Of all the dings I had on the hood they are almost undectible. I used the touch-up paint that matches my car with the tiny brush the kit contains and it worked very well. Makes the hood look almost new, like the sides which are in pristine condition.

Thank you....I have read about this product in various threads.
It is very expensive in my opinion...and that of 'Reverend Sam'
I was going to try doing it, as suggested, using a (don't laugh) a toothpick, hopefully not getting any blobs by using a brush...all I am looking for is what is the best method to clean the area prior to doing this in case there is any polish in the chips.
Cheers
Brian

El - I had the same problem seeing where the touch-up were and I DID use sticky notes to know be able to find them! Doo - have you tried going to your local car painting shop and see if they will sell you a tiny bit of their prep product? After spending $30+ on touch-up paint, to me it was worth the extra cost of Langka to make the job as nice as possible, but I had lots of chips on the hood. The 'brushes' in their package are actually teensy foam applications, similar to a Q tip but much smaller. They also use a credit card wrapped with a very fine microfiber cloth to take down the blob. From my experience it is almost impossible not to get a raised blob because of the surface tension properties of the paint in contact with metal. Depends on how deep and big the chip is, I guess. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

91% rubbing alcohol..works great

While On the subject here, I use this for chip repair..awesome product, perfect match..
Dr. ColorChip repair kit

I found a pretty good video on Youtube that shows the process on a red BMW. Here's the link:

Hi,

You can try this product. There are nice comments about it. The application looks very easy.

https://colorndrive.com/en/touch-up-...,66972/details

I think the site is hacked. Right click> open new window does not appear to be a problem.