rgs944

This works suprisingly well on a black car but it also works well on a red car. Here is previous damage from a moron with a power buffer. I just take a permanant marker and go over it very lightly. It needs to be touched up again every once in a while but it goes on a lot cleaner than touch up paint. These are very close up shots. Before the touchup you could see the damage from 6 ft away. After using the marker it is not noticable from only a few feet away. The touch up paint I have used in the past just seems to go on blotchy and looks bad from 6 ft. Nothing is ever going to look perfect but with the marker you can get so much more precise.

fraggle

Great idea. Thanks!

safulop

To use touch-up paint effectively, you have to blot some of it up with a paper towel, that's how I get a thin coat. Then you can use multiple coats if needed, or put clearcoat over top. Normally, this procedure also involves a little bit of sanding and polishing to level the paint surface. You cannot expect a decent result by just brushing on some paint and walking away, it is a difficult and precise procedure best left to experts, but you can learn to do a respectable job yourself with a bit of sandpaper and car polish and some tiny brushes from the art store. That huge brush that comes with the touch-up bottle is not worth using.

But I agree that for a one-minute repair, it looks like permanent marker beats touch-up paint.

-SF

James Bailey

Correct NEVER use the big brush in the cap of the touchup bottle. Try a toothpick to slowly carefully fill in the chip. Do several coats letting it dry between coats/touches until it builds up just to the level of the paint. As mentioned it then can be lightly sanded with very fine paper like 1,000 or 1,500 then buffed. Which reminds me I need to fix a couple chips on a Mondial T .......it is NOT clearcoated so very easy...

rgs944

The fine point Sharpy is so easy to use but it would be nice to have something a little more permanant. With this it has to be maintained as wax would need to applied periodically. For me it is kind of fun though. When I started doing this I thought it would be great if someone would come out with a product that is as easy to use as this, but does not take the delicate touch to do touch up paint correctly. Basically something in between. With all the new products people come up with maybe we will see it soon.

Trip..

I've been doing that for years with furniture and cabinets.

Fixing buffer burn is about impossible without a respray, so your method is cool. As the sharpie fades, just re-apply. It's ink as opposed to paint, so if you mess it up, just wipe it off with your finger.

To fix stone chips with touchup paint, fill the chip and wait for the paint to mostly harden, then level it off with a razor blade so it's flush with the surrounding paint. Usually takes 3-4 coats.

rgs944

I have been thinking about this for quite a while and this week I have been using a Sharpie dipped in the correct color touch up paint. It works great for both buff burn and rock chips. Much better than a tooth pic. The paint sucks into the sharpie point like it would a foam brush and goes on very flat. You also want the paint very thin for the best results.