What They Don`t Want You to Know: Langka = Lacquer Thinner

**shaf** · 06-04-2002, 10:27 PM

I`ve got almost 2 dozen paint chips of various sizes on the sides and hood of my car, ranging from pinhead sized to almost 1/4". For the past couple weeks (while agonizing over sealant choices) I`ve been slowly filling them in with touch up paint. This wasn`t easy because the only thing I could get anywhere was a pen type of applicator, which can only be described as a horribly imprecise dabbing instrument. After I finally got the hang of using it, I was left with lots of ugly, large paint blobs that I would have to knock down.

About 2 hours ago I was slaving over this mess with my pile of pencils with sandpaper glued to the erasers when I had realized something. Lacquer thinner will remove lacquer paint even if it`s old and dried.

I`d discovered this yesterday as I was prepping my faded door moldings for spray bombing by sanding and degreasing with lacquer thinner on rags. The wierd thing was I discovered paint was coming off of one side. Lots of it. Then I could see that someone had previously repainted the molding already and the thinner was taking it ALL off, revealing the faded original factory paint underneath and unharmed.

I put down my pencils and tested my little theory. After a relatively short learning curve I was very happy with the results and all the time I saved. Granted this was a silver car, so I knew the colours wouldn`t match perfectly. But the smoothness and eveness of the touch up was impressive. Better yet, I didn`t have to use any abrasive!

There are a few simple keys to make this work.

-First, and very very important is to get a good material for putting the thinner on. You need somthing with virtually zero nap and is very smooth and even. I instantly reached for my green box of Kimwipes, which are a lint-free tissue paper commonly used by laboratories and electronic shops. These are ultra-thin, smooth, and have pretty much zero fibers or anything sticking out from the surface. Fibers sticking out will dig into the touchup paint, which you don`t want to do.

-Second, you need a good hard backing for the tissue. I eventually used an angled butter knife because I wanted somthing small and controllable. I recommend metal because lacquer thinner is strong stuff and will melt quite a few plastics.

-Third, you need to learn how much thinner to use. It takes very little thinner for it to work. If you can see the thinner and it definitely looks wet, it`s way too much and you`ll have to wait for some to evaporate, which it does quickly. I used a small screwdriver to dab small amounts onto the tissue wrapped around the knife. If you use too much, you might knock the blob down too fast and take out too much, so start off easy.

Take the backed tissue lightly dampened with thinner and gently rub the paint blob. Check your progress frequently to see how much you`re taking off and just stop whenever it looks and feels smooth and even.

With the exception of my custom-made enamel spray paint I used for the side moldings, this trick works because 99% of all store bought touchup paints are lacquers. Langka also says it will even out years-old paint blobs, just like what the lacquer thinner did on my moldings. I imagine Langka is just a safer or less volatile version of lacquer thinner.

I`m glad I discovered this because I was getting fed up with sanding and was seriously about to spend over $30 on Mother`s version of Langka. Compare that to $3.53 for a 500mL can of thinner! :xyxthumbs

Thanks to all those who`ve actually used Langka for the technique hints and info, which I`ve found invaluable. And sorry for the long post!

**imported_doug** · 06-04-2002, 11:29 PM

Fascinating. I didn`t realize touch-up paints were lacquer. But for sure, if llacquer thinner will attack cured lacquer and NOt the enamel/poly/epoxy/whateverthehellitis on our modern cars, this indeed makes the prospect of filling spots without a lot of polishing/buffing possible - and I have a newfound interest! So thank you for posting this.

I have a number of very fine pits on my hood. Problem is, they collect wax residue. any suggestions on how to remove that prior to applying paint?

Thanks

**Andre'** · 06-05-2002, 12:27 AM

Lacquer thinner will attack all automotive paint some faster than outhers so be careful.

Carguy are you going to paint the hole hood or just the pits?

If the pits are not to deep they can be removed by compounding them out with a rotary than a pollish. If they are deep the only way to remove them would be to wet sand the hood then compound it, but that may remove to much clear coat.

**BradE** · 06-05-2002, 10:35 AM

Andre` is right, don`t use Lacquer Thinner. Many of the Lacquer Thinners contain xylene which will crack and "check" the film build. Even one application of this can cause clearcoat failure down the road.

**Rick Sullivan** · 06-05-2002, 12:26 PM

The best way i have found to cover up rock chips and small nicks is with sharpie permanant markers. They sell them in a lot of colors at office depot. No the color is not exact but it is a lot closer to the cars color than the white scratch. furthermore there is no glob of paint. I know it sounds odd but unless you are really talented with paint, the permanant marker can be a good solution.

**Redcar GUY** · 06-05-2002, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by Rick Sullivan

The best way i have found to cover up rock chips and small nicks is with sharpie permanant markers. They sell them in a lot of colors at office depot. No the color is not exact but it is a lot closer to the cars color than the white scratch. furthermore there is no glob of paint. I know it sounds odd but unless you are really talented with paint, the permanant marker can be a good solution.

:nixweiss

**imported_StyleTEG** · 06-05-2002, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by Rick Sullivan

The best way i have found to cover up rock chips and small nicks is with sharpie permanant markers. They sell them in a lot of colors at office depot. No the color is not exact but it is a lot closer to the cars color than the white scratch. furthermore there is no glob of paint. I know it sounds odd but unless you are really talented with paint, the permanant marker can be a good solution.

Clever idea. I am sure it looks better to have color tinted scratch than a huge blob of paint in the area.

I am surprised it doesn`t wash off after awhile?

**kbshadow** · 06-05-2002, 01:11 PM

I have had very good luck with Langka, on my silver PT Cruiser and my White Dodge Dakota, took a little practice and with a little clear coat fixed several small chips so well there hard to find.

I used to hate that blob, worse then the chip, the Lanke takes it right down to the factory paint with out harming the paint.

**shaf** · 06-05-2002, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by ShowroomLincoln

Andre` is right, don`t use Lacquer Thinner. Many of the Lacquer Thinners contain xylene which will crack and "check" the film build. Even one application of this can cause clearcoat failure down the road.

Oh dear.....

I guess I`ll find out won`t I?

**VetteHead** · 06-06-2002, 07:43 AM

Originally posted by carguy

I have a number of very fine pits on my hood. Problem is, they collect wax residue. any suggestions on how to remove that prior to applying paint?

Use alcohol or Prepsol to remove wax from paint chips prior to painting. Prepsol is available from auto paint shops... body shops wipe cars down with it to remove wax prior to painting.

**WeinerXXX** · 06-06-2002, 02:58 PM

Lacquer thinner and rubbing alcohol will mix, so if your concerned that the thinner is too strong, mix it about 1/2 and 1/2 with rubbing alcohol. Used to do this years ago for modeling..

**imported_doug** · 06-06-2002, 10:38 PM

Andre - I think these pits are too deep - only solution would be repaint or fill. But if it weren`t for the white residue, they really wouldn`t show. So that`s what I`m after.

Vettehead - I tried alcohol once - didn`t do anything. I used denatured, though. I was supposed to use Isopropyl, right? But I remember prepsol - that`s a great idea. I have a little paint brush (from a hobbystore model painting kit) that I cut the bristles down to about 1/8" - should be the perfect tool.

Thanks!

**clint** · 08-23-2002, 07:25 PM

Due to a now broken habit of mine of tailgating people at high speed in the left lane of interstate traffic thinking that will pressure them to move over, my front painted bumper on my biturbo a6 had over fifty stone chips of all sizes.

I was gearing up to remove the bumper to have it stripped and painted when I found this thread.

So with nothing to loose- I cleaned the bumper really well and got all the loose bits of paint off my beaten bumper cover.

I applied touch up black to all the holes and let it sit a day. Next I tried the laquer thinner using some t shirt cloth stretched over a postage stamp sized piece of `perf board` phenolic material used to prototype circuits. Sold at radio shack. Phenolic is not eaten by the laquer thinner.

Oh my god. THat was so easy. I`m less than halfway through, but the color coat inside of all the pits is done, I have to bring it back to level with the clear. If it`s destroys my paint, don`t care- it was about to be headed to the paint booth anyway- but man o man- this trick has saved me days of time-

I may do some coats of clear with the laquer thinner method then go back to trusty old 2500 grit for the final level- but still- great trick!

I`ll see how things are a few years on before I do this to my hood for example..

**CharlesW** · 08-23-2002, 08:44 PM

Early on in this thread, a price of $30 for Mother`s Paint Chip Repair was mentioned. I paid less than $13 at a local parts store this week. Sounds like it might be worth shopping around a little.

Charles

**forrest@mothers** · 08-24-2002, 04:24 PM

The Langka/Mothers products are far more than lacquer thinner. Use lacquer thinner at your own risk since damage may occur.

The $30 price mentioned for our Paint Chip product was in Canadian $, which are different than American $. Seems like average (US) retail is about $15-16 if I remember.