Some questions on touch up

**Nayr747** · 09-21-2005, 05:32 PM

I am just about to fix a whole bunch of rock chips, etc and had a few questions I hoped someone knowledgeble could answer. I will just list the steps I`m using (thanks Autopia for the info :up ) and my questions by the steps.

1) remove wax------rubbing alcohol ok?

2) sand area---------ok to use 2000 grit? wet or dry?

3) paint----------------how long in between coats? Paintscratch.com good paint?

4) clear----------------wait how long after painting? shouldn`t sand before clear?

5) dry------------------how long?

6) sand---------------220, 600, 2000 ok?

7) polish--------------"Scratch Out" or "Zymol Auto Polish" ok?

8) wax/sealant-------P21s ok?

Thanks for any help!

**imported_Picus** · 09-21-2005, 05:46 PM

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=62352

Quick and dirty rundown:

1) Yep.

2) wet or dry, I prefer wet, 2k is ok, 3k is much better

3) 4 hours minimum, not sure on paintscratch.com

4) clear can come right after paint, don`t sand in between

5) 48 hours min, imo - the longer the better

6) 2k minimum, again imo only. 1500 if you have a rotary, 2k min for pc, 3k prefered, 3k only if polishing by hand. More info in that other thread.

7) Zymol is good, more info in that other thread, depends on if you`re doing it by hand/pc/rotary

8) Yep.

**Nayr747** · 09-21-2005, 06:25 PM

Thanks Picus. Well I guess it`s off to the store for some 3000 then. Home Depot maybe? Can I take like a five minute drive during the 4 hours it`s drying or the curing time? I`m taking pictures of the most of the process too and I`ll post them up so you guys can tell me how badly I did it.

Oh, and I masked off the area with scotch tape lol. Would have used masking tape if I had it though. I put it about a couple millimeters or so around the round chip and sanded the whole area until it seemed like all the paint was not gonna chip off. Then I did one coat covering the whole inside of the taped area, including outside the chip area. Is that right? Also, should I remove the tape between coats?

**imported_Picus** · 09-21-2005, 06:47 PM

if you`re only doing one chip I would leave the tape on until you`re done applying the clear. When you say you did the entire inside of the taped area do you mean you painted over already existing paint? If so, when you sand that might flake off, hopefully it won`t take the touch-up with it when it does. Driving while it`s drying is ok, just don`t drive in the rain.

Oh, and I got my 3000 grit from Canadian Tire, which is a hardware store in Canada - Home Depot probably has some, if not I`m sure an auto parts store would.

**Nayr747** · 09-21-2005, 08:33 PM

Yeah, I painted some of the already painted area around the chip. And since it looked dull from the sanding, I thought I should paint over it. But maybe the clear would have fixed it? Ok well I already took the tape off. Should have waited for a response but I thought oh well. I`ve got a lot of other chips to do. I`m just practicing on this one first. Next time I do it, is there a way to keep the paint just in the chipped area? Like cut out a hole in a piece of tape or something? When you do it, do you sand/paint/clear outside the chip area or just inside? And if I paint it, then clear coat it, then sand it, won`t the raised bump area`s clear be gone after it`s saned flush?

**imported_Picus** · 09-22-2005, 05:29 AM

If you sand properly the polish will take out the marring around the chip, that`s the idea because you want the old paint and new paint to blend perfectly. If you apply new paint over old paint it will probably just flake off and you might still see the chip at some angles. To apply paint to only the chip I use a plastic toothpick. What you do is dip the toothpick in the paint (about 2-3mm up the tip) then put the tip right into the center of the chip. Capilary action will *pull* the paint right into the chip, it`s kind of cool actually. Then you let it dry and do that again, some chips take 3, 4, 5 passes. Just make the last 1 or 2 clear. When you sand the bump the clear will remain on top and then when you polish the chip and old paint should blend together perfectly.

When you`re sanding before you paint make sure to use a high grit paper and sand very lightly. Like I said you want the polish to remove the marring on the old paint around the chip, so you can`t marr it too deeply or you`re faced with an even bigger touch up. A really good guide with pictures is actually right here.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/paintclinic.html (about halfway down, under paint repairs). That shows how to use the toothpick and how to pre and post sand. He uses a polish by hand to blend afterwards but I recommend via PC or rotary, and also 3000 grit paper rather than 1.5 or 2k.

**Nayr747** · 09-25-2005, 02:38 AM

Thanks a lot for the help! I had to deal with some stuff the last couple days so I couldn`t go to the store or get any more coats on. Hopefully tomorrow I`ll be able to get it finished and maybe post the pics if it seems worth it.

**marko** · 09-25-2005, 08:09 AM

I`ve been gearing up for this myself and just yesterday finished removing several of the worst touch-ups you`ve ever seen in your life from my hood. looked like the (obviously oblivious) former owner used a fingernail polish brush to apply it. couldn`t stand it any longer and decided to act.

word of advice: picus is right - get some 3k (unigrit was my choice). and some really good compound and polish. seriously though, 3k minimum, especially if you`re going to be hitting the surrounding paint.

**Nayr747** · 10-03-2005, 04:59 PM

Well I looked all over and can`t find 3000 grit sandpaper. Went to Lowe`s, Home Depot, Shucks, G.I. Joe`s and Fred Meyer. Only place I heven`t gone yet is Napa. Some had 2000 but that was the highest. I can`t even find it online. Anyone know who would have it?

**imported_Picus** · 10-03-2005, 10:05 PM

Are you in the US? If so you can buy it right from meguiars here.

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...ectionID=37101

$25 for 25 peices.

If you`re in Canada let me know and I will jsut send you some. I have a ton leftover.

**Nayr747** · 10-04-2005, 04:48 PM

Hey, thanks for the offer. I live in Seattle so I`m pretty far away though.

$25 is a little more than I was hoping to spend. The 2000 grit in the stores is about $4. I really picked a bad time to do this with winter almost here and starting school again. And you can`t use paint more than 6 months old right? I`m gonna go down to a couple craft stores tomorrow and see if they have it.

**imported_Picus** · 10-04-2005, 05:11 PM

Can`t use paint more than 6 months old? Not sure what you mean by that? I`d ship you a couple sheets, but being as you`re in Seattle odds are it wouldn`t arrive until 2009, knowing Canada Post!

Maybe call Meguiars and see if they have a local retailer for their 3,000 unigrit?

**Nayr747** · 10-04-2005, 08:24 PM

Lol, probably. I just read that you shouldn`t use touch up paint that`s more than 6 months old. Don`t know why. Also that you shouldn`t paint at below 60 degrees F.

**imported_Picus** · 10-05-2005, 05:13 AM

Oh ok I gotchya. I didn`t know that. Well, at $12 for a jar of touch up I guess tossing it after 6 months isn`t going to kill anyone.

**marko** · 10-05-2005, 05:45 AM

I did a search on the meguiars site for pro products near a seattle zip and returned a dozen and a half leads in your area. I`d suggest doing the same serch and calling the body shops first. I`m not trying to say you can`t achieve excellent results with other products, rather that unigrit 3k worked easily and well for me. I`m a fan of having the right tool for the task at hand, and taking sandpaper to a car for the first time in my life qualified.

seems like I heard 50F for the temperature threshold, but 60F sounds reasonable. I don`t quite believe the six month half life for touch up paint. I had my last bottle for at least a year before I ever used it, and I`ve gone way beyond that in the past with no difficulties. also, I`d have a little difficulty believing dealerships are replacing all those little bottles every six months.