Smoothing out touch-up paint?

I

imported_Picus

New member
Hey folks. I did a search but couldn't find any specific answers aside from wet-sanding. Before I go that route I wanted to see if anyone has ideas for smoothing down some touched up spots on the hood of my car?



When I bought the car I knew the spots were there and was confident I could smooth them out with my PC/Megs DACP, but that hasn't helped. The car looks great otherwise, but there are 4 spots about the size of this actual emote: :idea on the hood, and one longer one about this big:



{--------------------------------------} on one of the rear quarter panels. The color matches but you can see the touch up job up close since it's raised, and it's pretty obvious in the right light.



I've never wet-sanded so I'd love to hear any suggestions before I try that out.



Thanks!
 
Highly doubtful your going to smooth out any paint w/a PC. Just doesn't have the stuff.



Wetsanding is about your only alternative.



Grab a Meguiars 2000 UniGrit Sanding Block and read up on wetsanding and have at it.



Wetsanding isn't that bad of a thing if you use common sense and know "something" about what your doing.



A few things to observe are



1) keep the surface and paper wet at all times



2) Inspect your progress frequently.



3) Don't "lean" on it like your trying to work the paper into the surface
 
A drop of Dawn or simple green is good also to clean the area while youre sanding it .

Try and make sure you go one direction at a time in straight lines , never in circles .

Hit each direction individually , top to bottom , then bottom to top , left to right , then right to left so each side of the blob gets knocked down and blended evenly .

It will take time , and maybe get a squeegee since you cant tell if youre making progress very well while its still soaking wet .

Just keep it wet while youre working though

When it appears level , butu still has somewhat of a raised hill effect to it , then start using the rubbing compound to knock it down level . Do not use your finger though .

P.s langka is only for fresh touch ups
 
Ya, I figured wetsanding was the only way. Looks like I'll be busy this weekend. I'm pretty good with the PC so I'll give it a shot on an older "test" car then get to work on mine if I'm pleased with the results. Thanks fellas.
 
I damaged the corner of my hood yesterday wetsanding with 1500 grit. All I can say is apply absolutely no pressure to the sandpaper... none. I thought I was applying very liitle pressure and WAM! Hello metal! DAMN IT! Should've used 2000 grit!



JJ
 
J.J. said:
I damaged the corner of my hood yesterday wetsanding with 1500 grit. All I can say is apply absolutely no pressure to the sandpaper... none. I thought I was applying very liitle pressure and WAM! Hello metal! DAMN IT! Should've used 2000 grit!



JJ
Click to expand...



Doh. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm going to order that Blob Eliminator stuff tomorrow and when it arrived (I'm in Canada, so who knows when) I'll report back. If that doesn't do it I guess I'll give wetsanding a go. :scared:
 
Hi Picus:

You may want to call up Langka and ask if their product will work on old touch-up paint. The worse that it will do is either nothing or remove your old touch-up paint. The latter may be a good thing because it will allow you to start fresh and apply your own touch-up. I am a big believer in always starting with the least damaging product.
 
Heya Boongie. I read their FAQ and it said that their product often does work on old touch up paint, but it isn't covered by their guarantee. So ya, worse case is nothing happens and I have to wetsand. If the blob eliminator pulls the touch up paint out I'll just start over with new touch up. I'm almost positive I could do a better job than whoever did it in the first place anyway.
 
I used Langka on a crappy dealer touch up. It was 7 years old, took it off like it was 7 minutes old. Langka works well, there is just a learning curve to it. First few times, you'll not get any off, then you'll get too aggressive and pull it all out the next time. Just go slow and realize that if you screw it up, worst case scenario is that you have to retouch up and start over.
 
Hm, that's not a bad idea on un-cured touch up. If the Blob eliminator stuff takes my touch-up right out and I have to re-touch up maybe I will give that a shot.
 
Lankra works, but theres a learning curve to get it right.



I even tried to make some myself by adding a couple drops of laquer thinner to a mild rubbing compound and it worked like a charm as well.
 
Never tried Langka, would like to, but i have used lacquer thinner, which removes touch-up paint almost instantly. A couple quick swipes would remove the top layer. Let the paint harden (LT will soften paint) and polish.



As far as wet sanding, go with 2000 and start gentle, like you are claying and you shouldn't have problems. It can be returned to 'shine' by hand with the proper products. Try a couple swipes and then polish, for a feel of it.
 
Wetsanding around edges, ridges and corners is a nerve-racking thing because the paint is thinner there - just as using a rotary around these areas should be done carefully, slowly and lightly.



That said, I think you'd be fine with 2000, maybe even get some 3000 to finish it out with before moving to the PC. I've recently taken some paper to a couple of older cars with what I would consider excellent results.



I think the paper route for touchups is not recommended for pearl-finish paints, though since the pearl is in the clearcoat.



Someone over on s2ki.com did a pretty serious touchup job... Might want to check this out. Very good step-by-step.
 
Since clay is abrasive, it will remove any above surface contaminants - even touch up paint.



I'd wet-sand as a last resort...Langka should take care of 95% of touch-up paint issues - works really well.
 
Langka works pretty well on most touch-ups. I had luck removing old touch-ups by actually putting a small drop of Langka directly on the blob and letting it sit for a minute or two. Like anything, it takes some practice to figure out best methods.
 
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