Small Chip Paint Touchup Process...the post.
05-14-2005, 09:04 AM
#1
Small Chip Paint Touchup Process...the post.
I made a post a couple of days ago talking about my paint touch-up process so I thought I'd make an instructional post about it in case anyone is interested. Just a cautionary note before I proceed. I've only made this really work well on single coat paint. I personally have found clear coat almost impossible to repair on a small scale. Also, please be patient when you are doing work on your paint! This is not a process you can hurry or shortcut.
Finally, I need to "disclaim" this process and just tell you that it has worked for me many times but I don't take any responsibility for your work on your car. Do not attempt this if you're not sure of your abilities. Seek professional help if necessary. This only works for small chips but does a really nice job when done properly.
Ok, here goes:
1. You must have the right products before you start. You will need:
2. To start, you should wash and dry your car so you're not grinding surface particles into your paint wherever you touch the car.
3. Next, you should put your car in a car port or garage to do the work. Set up some good illumination so you can see the area you're going to work on.
4. Clean the chip area using the paint cleaner or alcohol & water and a soft cotton rag.
5. Use the probe to feel around the edges of the chip. You need to make sure there are absolutely no loose edges to the paint chip. Use the probe to break out any loose edges. The cleaner the chip, the better the paint will bond even if the chip is larger than when you started.
6. Sometimes, you will need to do a little sanding in the chip to clean up the edges. I use a bit of 400 grit sandpaper cut out and glued to the end of a new pencil, eraser end. Use small, circular motions to do the cleaning. Remember, the purpose is to create a very clean area where the paint can adhere.
7. Clean the area again with the solution.
8. Assess whether the chip has gone down to bare metal or not. If it has you are going to have to start with primer.
9. I apply paint to the area almost exclusively with a toothpick. You are going to use the capilary action of the toothpick to "draw" the paint into the area you are fixing. You will need to use your judgement on the right amount of paint to leave on the toothpick based on the size of the area. I will tell you that the trick is to neither leave the area dry or to overwelm the area with paint.
10. Using the toothpick, apply enough paint to just cover/fill the chip with a slight outward bubble.
11. Let the paint dry completely and redo step 10 until you've created a rounded "outie" paint bubble over the area you're fixing. This is important! You must completely overfill the area you are fixing and it almost always takes multiple coats because of the drying reduction.
12. Once the chip is completely filled, you are ready to start the excess paint removal process. Be prepared to be a little bit distraught the first time you do this because the area is going to look messed up for a while and you might worry about it. Just trust me, it's not!
13. Lubricate the area you're getting ready to work on with a little undiluted car wash.
14. Using the wet sanding paper or sanding block, begin a small circular motion over the paint bubble. Be sure to use the smallest area of block or paper you can work with to do this. The goal here is to sand the paint bubble down until it is exactly even with the surface of the surrounding paint and go no further. Just repeat this process until you can't feel that bubble any more when you run your finger over the surface. BE PATIENT AND USE MINIMAL PRESSURE! The area on and around the chip is going to look very cloudy at this point. Never fear, you've only just started to make this look right. Next stop, polishing compound!
15. Next you are going to use some polishing compound and your soft rag. I just start working the polishing compound around and over the cloudy area using small circular movements. I do this repeatedly until I can't see improvements in the shine between applications. The area is going to start looking much more like it's old self with this work.
16. Next you're going to start working with the polish. This is important so don't skip this. I think this is really the step that brings the paint back into it's best look. Glaze basically is doing a micro cleaning/removal of the surface. You can use a random orbital polisher here if you're comfortable with that sort of thing. Otherwise, just polish by hand. I usually do at least two polishing to make the area all shine. Use your lighting and eyes to evaluate the need to continue to polish.
17. Next, I always hit the area with clay bar and soap/water to do final micro cleaning & polishing.
20. Wax & shine and you should barely be able to tell that you've fixed a paint chip there!
Good luck with this and let me know about your experiences. I'm sure there is room for improvement!
Finally, I need to "disclaim" this process and just tell you that it has worked for me many times but I don't take any responsibility for your work on your car. Do not attempt this if you're not sure of your abilities. Seek professional help if necessary. This only works for small chips but does a really nice job when done properly.
Ok, here goes:
1. You must have the right products before you start. You will need:
- A good quality car wash.
- Paint cleaner (3M makes a good one) or a 50/50 alcohol & water mix.
- Matching touch-up paint. I use paintscratch.com.
- If you go down to bare metal, you will need to start with primer.
- A dental probe or something like it
- Sometimes, a small bit of 400 grit sandpaper
- Toothpicks
- Soft cotton rag(s)
- Wet sanding, very fine sand paper or sanding block (Meguires makes a nice block you can buy at your auto parts store)
- Polishing compound
- Car polish (I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze)
- Clay bar
- Your favorite car wax
2. To start, you should wash and dry your car so you're not grinding surface particles into your paint wherever you touch the car.
3. Next, you should put your car in a car port or garage to do the work. Set up some good illumination so you can see the area you're going to work on.
4. Clean the chip area using the paint cleaner or alcohol & water and a soft cotton rag.
5. Use the probe to feel around the edges of the chip. You need to make sure there are absolutely no loose edges to the paint chip. Use the probe to break out any loose edges. The cleaner the chip, the better the paint will bond even if the chip is larger than when you started.
6. Sometimes, you will need to do a little sanding in the chip to clean up the edges. I use a bit of 400 grit sandpaper cut out and glued to the end of a new pencil, eraser end. Use small, circular motions to do the cleaning. Remember, the purpose is to create a very clean area where the paint can adhere.
7. Clean the area again with the solution.
8. Assess whether the chip has gone down to bare metal or not. If it has you are going to have to start with primer.
9. I apply paint to the area almost exclusively with a toothpick. You are going to use the capilary action of the toothpick to "draw" the paint into the area you are fixing. You will need to use your judgement on the right amount of paint to leave on the toothpick based on the size of the area. I will tell you that the trick is to neither leave the area dry or to overwelm the area with paint.
10. Using the toothpick, apply enough paint to just cover/fill the chip with a slight outward bubble.
11. Let the paint dry completely and redo step 10 until you've created a rounded "outie" paint bubble over the area you're fixing. This is important! You must completely overfill the area you are fixing and it almost always takes multiple coats because of the drying reduction.
12. Once the chip is completely filled, you are ready to start the excess paint removal process. Be prepared to be a little bit distraught the first time you do this because the area is going to look messed up for a while and you might worry about it. Just trust me, it's not!
13. Lubricate the area you're getting ready to work on with a little undiluted car wash.
14. Using the wet sanding paper or sanding block, begin a small circular motion over the paint bubble. Be sure to use the smallest area of block or paper you can work with to do this. The goal here is to sand the paint bubble down until it is exactly even with the surface of the surrounding paint and go no further. Just repeat this process until you can't feel that bubble any more when you run your finger over the surface. BE PATIENT AND USE MINIMAL PRESSURE! The area on and around the chip is going to look very cloudy at this point. Never fear, you've only just started to make this look right. Next stop, polishing compound!
15. Next you are going to use some polishing compound and your soft rag. I just start working the polishing compound around and over the cloudy area using small circular movements. I do this repeatedly until I can't see improvements in the shine between applications. The area is going to start looking much more like it's old self with this work.
16. Next you're going to start working with the polish. This is important so don't skip this. I think this is really the step that brings the paint back into it's best look. Glaze basically is doing a micro cleaning/removal of the surface. You can use a random orbital polisher here if you're comfortable with that sort of thing. Otherwise, just polish by hand. I usually do at least two polishing to make the area all shine. Use your lighting and eyes to evaluate the need to continue to polish.
17. Next, I always hit the area with clay bar and soap/water to do final micro cleaning & polishing.
20. Wax & shine and you should barely be able to tell that you've fixed a paint chip there!
Good luck with this and let me know about your experiences. I'm sure there is room for improvement!
05-14-2005, 09:45 AM
#2
Three Wheelin'
Red
Great write up. One small addition I would suggest is that your steps 12-14 (removing the "blob") can be made significantly easier by using Langka rather than wet & dry. Langka is a solvent which does not remove the original clear coat - no real benefit on single stage paint though. Details can be found here.
I would be tempted to use a finer grade of paper (1200 or so) and have found that clear coats can be successfully repaired by filling the scratch area with paint as you have described but instead of filling the area to a "blob", the barest minimum of paint is needed to colour the scratch and then fill to the "blob" stage with the clear coat instead. Then finish as you describe.
Regards
Dave
Great write up. One small addition I would suggest is that your steps 12-14 (removing the "blob") can be made significantly easier by using Langka rather than wet & dry. Langka is a solvent which does not remove the original clear coat - no real benefit on single stage paint though. Details can be found here.
I would be tempted to use a finer grade of paper (1200 or so) and have found that clear coats can be successfully repaired by filling the scratch area with paint as you have described but instead of filling the area to a "blob", the barest minimum of paint is needed to colour the scratch and then fill to the "blob" stage with the clear coat instead. Then finish as you describe.
Regards
Dave
05-14-2005, 12:27 PM
#3
Originally Posted by Computamedic
Red
Great write up. One small addition I would suggest is that your steps 12-14 (removing the "blob") can be made significantly easier by using Langka rather than wet & dry. Langka is a solvent which does not remove the original clear coat - no real benefit on single stage paint though. Details can be found here.
I would be tempted to use a finer grade of paper (1200 or so) and have found that clear coats can be successfully repaired by filling the scratch area with paint as you have described but instead of filling the area to a "blob", the barest minimum of paint is needed to colour the scratch and then fill to the "blob" stage with the clear coat instead. Then finish as you describe.
Regards
Dave
Great write up. One small addition I would suggest is that your steps 12-14 (removing the "blob") can be made significantly easier by using Langka rather than wet & dry. Langka is a solvent which does not remove the original clear coat - no real benefit on single stage paint though. Details can be found here.
I would be tempted to use a finer grade of paper (1200 or so) and have found that clear coats can be successfully repaired by filling the scratch area with paint as you have described but instead of filling the area to a "blob", the barest minimum of paint is needed to colour the scratch and then fill to the "blob" stage with the clear coat instead. Then finish as you describe.
Regards
Dave
One thing I forgot to mention is that you sometimes may need to thin the paint to get it to flow down the toothpick better than the straight paint.
05-14-2005, 10:57 PM
#4
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Pasadena, MD - Land of Taxes
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An excellent post! They (I'll have to research to find out who "they" are) sell a 1-2-3 kit to help fix stone chips and scratches. (I bought one a while back.) Yours is a little more detailed and, I feel, will give a better result!
Thanks! This reminds us all... With miniumum effort we can maintain that "New Car" look.... Or close to it!
Thanks! This reminds us all... With miniumum effort we can maintain that "New Car" look.... Or close to it!
05-15-2005, 12:50 AM
#5
Pro
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: South Jersey & Stuart, Fl
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Originally Posted by Smokin
An excellent post! They (I'll have to research to find out who "they" are) sell a 1-2-3 kit to help fix stone chips and scratches. (I bought one a while back.) Yours is a little more detailed and, I feel, will give a better result!
Rick, my car got up from FL last week finally, I will be installing your parts within a week or so
. Thanks again!
RedRS, Thanks for the informative post! I have a number of spots that need attention and have been apprehensive about DYI'n it. This is the thread with the concise instruction I needed... Hmmm, now I have to figure which chips or scratches is in the least likely area to see if I make it worse?
.
05-15-2005, 12:36 PM
#6
Racer
Join Date: May 2005
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Your post is timely. I just bought a '93 C2 (Guard Red) two days ago and want to take care of the paint chips.
A few questions... How can I tell if my car has a clear coat? What is a clay bar and where can I find one? Can a 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper work instead? I live in Seattle, WA.
Thanks...
Ron
'93 C2, Guard Red
A few questions... How can I tell if my car has a clear coat? What is a clay bar and where can I find one? Can a 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper work instead? I live in Seattle, WA.
Thanks...
Ron
'93 C2, Guard Red
05-15-2005, 01:40 PM
#7
Three Wheelin'
Ron,
Since your car is Guards Red it doesn't have a clear coat.
A clay bar is a small block of something which resembles plasticine which is rubbed over the paint surface together with a lubricant to remove contaminants and leaves the paint finish glassy smooth. Most professional detailer manufacturers can supply one (Zymol, Meguiars etc.) 1200 grit wet/dry is WAY too harsh by comparison. The clay bar will leave the surface ready for a polish/wax, the 1200 grit will leave the surface badly scratched and needing compounding to get back to a shine.
Since you car has no clear coat you should be very careful of attacking it with 1200 grit paper since you can very easily get down to the undercoat. The clay bar will not remove paint at all - just the garbage on top of it.
Regards
Dave
Since your car is Guards Red it doesn't have a clear coat.
A clay bar is a small block of something which resembles plasticine which is rubbed over the paint surface together with a lubricant to remove contaminants and leaves the paint finish glassy smooth. Most professional detailer manufacturers can supply one (Zymol, Meguiars etc.) 1200 grit wet/dry is WAY too harsh by comparison. The clay bar will leave the surface ready for a polish/wax, the 1200 grit will leave the surface badly scratched and needing compounding to get back to a shine.
Since you car has no clear coat you should be very careful of attacking it with 1200 grit paper since you can very easily get down to the undercoat. The clay bar will not remove paint at all - just the garbage on top of it.
Regards
Dave
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05-15-2005, 05:11 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Indycam
Agree with you totally on using a fine paint brush, much more accurate and easier to control the amount of paint you are applying. 400 Grit is way too coarse for flatting any paint or clearcoat, 1200 maximum, 2000 best (takes a bit longer but won't leave deep scatches)
Agree with you totally on using a fine paint brush, much more accurate and easier to control the amount of paint you are applying. 400 Grit is way too coarse for flatting any paint or clearcoat, 1200 maximum, 2000 best (takes a bit longer but won't leave deep scatches)
05-15-2005, 05:27 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
ronone 10
From my experience this technique is not good for Guards Red, the heavier pigments in GR tend to sink to the bottom of the chip. When you polish the top off you can end up with an orange color rather than true GR. IMHO you are better off using a fine brush, thin the paint down, and use as mentioned earlier, capillary action to fill the chip (this may need repeating to fill the chip up flush, don't try doing this quickly, allow each layer to dry well, this is best done over a few days) you should then end up with a chip full of the correctly coloured paint with a good gloss finish
From my experience this technique is not good for Guards Red, the heavier pigments in GR tend to sink to the bottom of the chip. When you polish the top off you can end up with an orange color rather than true GR. IMHO you are better off using a fine brush, thin the paint down, and use as mentioned earlier, capillary action to fill the chip (this may need repeating to fill the chip up flush, don't try doing this quickly, allow each layer to dry well, this is best done over a few days) you should then end up with a chip full of the correctly coloured paint with a good gloss finish
05-15-2005, 06:54 PM
#11
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Red, funnily enough I was going to request you offer some details around your process when I read your post a few days ago...and here it is! Great stuff! Cheers,
05-15-2005, 07:05 PM
#12
Originally Posted by Atgani
Indycam
Agree with you totally on using a fine paint brush, much more accurate and easier to control the amount of paint you are applying. 400 Grit is way too coarse for flatting any paint or clearcoat, 1200 maximum, 2000 best (takes a bit longer but won't leave deep scatches)
Agree with you totally on using a fine paint brush, much more accurate and easier to control the amount of paint you are applying. 400 Grit is way too coarse for flatting any paint or clearcoat, 1200 maximum, 2000 best (takes a bit longer but won't leave deep scatches)
05-15-2005, 07:07 PM
#13
Originally Posted by Atgani
ronone 10
From my experience this technique is not good for Guards Red, the heavier pigments in GR tend to sink to the bottom of the chip. When you polish the top off you can end up with an orange color rather than true GR. IMHO you are better off using a fine brush, thin the paint down, and use as mentioned earlier, capillary action to fill the chip (this may need repeating to fill the chip up flush, don't try doing this quickly, allow each layer to dry well, this is best done over a few days) you should then end up with a chip full of the correctly coloured paint with a good gloss finish
From my experience this technique is not good for Guards Red, the heavier pigments in GR tend to sink to the bottom of the chip. When you polish the top off you can end up with an orange color rather than true GR. IMHO you are better off using a fine brush, thin the paint down, and use as mentioned earlier, capillary action to fill the chip (this may need repeating to fill the chip up flush, don't try doing this quickly, allow each layer to dry well, this is best done over a few days) you should then end up with a chip full of the correctly coloured paint with a good gloss finish
05-15-2005, 07:34 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
Hi RedRS
This process works fine with small chips, but if you try it on larger chips you may well run into the problems I mentioned with colour matching. IMHO 400 grit paper is too coarse even for removing the damaged edges of chips, 1200 is if nothing else, safer....................... Learnt from bitter expreience
This process works fine with small chips, but if you try it on larger chips you may well run into the problems I mentioned with colour matching. IMHO 400 grit paper is too coarse even for removing the damaged edges of chips, 1200 is if nothing else, safer....................... Learnt from bitter expreience
