DansYellow66

On sanding the touch up flush using sandpaper wrapped around a popcycle stick - in the last year or so, a forum member (I forget who) recommended wrapping a layer of masking tape around the stick on both sides of the sandpaper. The tape rides the paint surface and holds the thickness of the sandpaper level with the surrounding paint - so you don't accidently sand a divot in the surface while flattening the touch up. Very simplistic but brilliant suggestion.

Thanks for the thread Frankie.

DUB

Just to be fair to the companies that have the cameras for color matching...

It has nothing to do with IF they take care of the camera....that is not the issue. The camera is only taking a photo of the color and comparing it to thousands of colors in the database and it find one as close as possible. Using a camera like this is NO GUARANTEE that the color will be perfect.

And it honestly is not that they are lazy...but unless a person is paying someone to custom tint color....or are lucky where the paint shop WILL tint it the best they can because it can take a while to get the color right. And I am only saying this is because I do color matching and it can go somewhat easy or take a LONG TIME depending if the color is going to be shot and blended out or if it is going to be used for a panel that is beign butt-matched....or touch up paint. Not everyone has a good eye for color and can see what a color needs to be tinted to match a color.

ALSO...keep in mind these cars are painted in a SOLID color and not metallic colors. When touching up a metallic color.... the rules change due to the color will not NORMALLY be able to be applied in a thick state of viscosity to match the color when the paint was atomized and applied on the car....which makes the color lighter when it is sprayed.

Nice thread Frankie. Good job and it should help many who want to venture into touching up some chips and see what it takes.

The thread below shows a color being tinted to match to those who may be interested...You can look at the whole thread ( which is really good) or start at post #39 and go from there. And by the way...the camera was used and the first test panel is the best one it found in the database,...then the tinting began form there.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-inside-3.html

DUB

3JsVette

Great thread with detailed descriptions accompanied by pictures and what to expect for results.
Thanks Frankie and to those that have also contributed.

jsans

Excellent write up! You read my mind. Thanks

DZVette

With Frankie's approval, the PDF version of the thread is attached.
Thanks Frank!
Dave Z

woodsdesign

Do you add clear to the paint or apply it on top after it is dry?

DUB

It can be done either way. I generally put it on top of the paint ...just like how the car is painted...IF it has clear on it...but it is not always necessary...which is WHY you test it before you go out to you car adn put it on it..

Because some colors...when clear is applied on it...a good trained eye can see the depth of the clear ON top of the paint...even on a solid color like red....so IF you are trying to get it so it is really not noticeable...then putting the clear on your paint is what it needed.

DUB

dkleather

mike coletta

Blob eliminator is a "thinner" or "reducer" that is a proprietary chemical for their paint products. My point is, that if you're using some other brand of touch up paint, it might not work. I think that their product is acrylic based, so the blob eliminator will only smear a solvent based paint, and won't remove it.

RatDog

Thanks Frankie and others. I bought that paint applicator a year ago along with various sandpapers up to 5,000 grit but wasn’t sure how to use them. Now I do.

Steve

dahogan

Thread of the year and its only January.

Frankie the Fink

I've used the method above on my Magnetic Gray 2013 Tundra with metallic paint using one of the Autozone touch up color-match brush bottles... on a LONG scratch with primer showing through.. Its nearly undetectable, even though its metallic, because of how dark it is I suspect and how thin the scratch was; a lighter metallic would have shown no doubt... I did sand through the clear in a small spot that was (fortunately) covered up later on when I added fender flares to the truck.. I suspect the clear coat on modern car is super thin and not like our resprayed classics.

Also, I've used the Langra kit with the Blob Eliminator a lot on my '61....it does just "OK" IMO.. A lot depends on how long you let the paint dry before smoothing, your technique and other factors. Often the "T" shirt wrapped around the little plastic card coated with the Blob Eliminator "pulls" the uncured paint out of the repair of leaves it un-level and/or dull. I'd say 1 out of 5 fixes I've used it on come out to my satisfaction. It could just be me though. I switched to using JUST the plastic card flat against the paint NOT swaddled in cloth with just a bit of the Blob Eliminator on the card's surface to swipe across the repair. Works a bit better in my opinion.

As I said above - the good news is that you wipe everything off and start over with no harm done.

RatDog

DUB

I can say that even though touching up a metallic paint CAN be done.. Generally those of us who do this work or have done it KNOW that taking the exact same paint that we just used to paint the car adn try to touch it up with a brush or what ever method discussed here OFTEN times does not go as seamless as we might think.

Seeign how you guys are looking for different method of sanding down th blob or build up due ot it is goingot be ther due ot no one can aopoply the aopitn adn clear on wher it does not need some attention to make it perfect.

I have different ways of doing that mthatmay help for thsioe who may want toinvest in them

I have used the Mequiars professional unigrit sanding block. I have the K1000 and the K2000 and they work like a charm. ESPECIALLY for those painters who may have a run or sag in the clear. They can hone it to perfection where you literally cannot tell the run or sag or blob was there. Because those of us who have done this KNOW that when sanding out a run or a sag DOES take some attention due to you can easily warble the area an make it look worst if you rush it and do not take your time.

ALSO....one more trick for you guys painting. Instead of wrapping the paper around a stick. I cut the sand paper in thin strips and put it on the area...then I set my stick or block on the area I want to hone down and PULL the paper under it. How wide or narrow you cut your sandpaper is all up to you. The amount of pressure is up to you.

I also take these strips of sanding paper and set the sandpaper on the speck and put my fingertip right ON the small speck of trash or whatever and pull the paper. I can control the amount of pressure and hone down that small speck of trash and NOT have to worry about the surrounding areas being effected.

DUB

Frankie the Fink

Metallic paint is a whole other topic - repairs take some luck and its more art than science...

The pressure of the gun that sprayed the paint, the distance from the surface, the way the metallic flakes "roll" when applied...hard to reproduce...you may think a fix looks good until it gets under some bright light....then the chips reflect differently and the repair is obvious.....for anything large for these paints a pro may be the ticket.

The intent of the thread was for the home guy just trying to keep his car from looking awful...

I ordered some of those Mequiar sanding pads - a bit pricey but I'll try 'em...

I'm working on that one small ding on the front of the hood that is shown in the first post illustrating the paint pen above....the freakin' invisible bra didn't save me on that one... Something bounced off the road and came down on the front of the unprotected hood. I may add that fix to this thread if I get motivated...

DUB

Frankie,
Your thread has SUCCUSSFULLY achieved what you intended it to do. GREAT THREAD Frankie!!!!!!!! Your time and effort was went spent.

How person gets their repair to look is up to them and it may go easy or may not go as well as how yours went.

Yes..we agree that touching up metallic paint is much like golfing and coming to a par 3 hole. Even though there are people who get a hole in one on them...the percentage of those that do not is much greater. So...touching up metallic paint an doing it just one time...right out of the bottle.... is like hitting a hole in one on a par 3 hole.

YES...those sanding blocks are kind of expensive...but they last for long time and I am a bit of a 'tool *****' anyway so it is just something I felt I needed to spend money on instead of beer or mixed drinks and dessert at a restaurant.

DUB

yetayrick

Hey Frankie, What exactly type of paint did you use? New owner to a C1 and I need to do touch up as you did. I see you said "single stage" but is it a lacquer or acrylic something? thanks yetayrick

Frankie the Fink

My touch up paint is single stage urethane from the same lot the car was painted with. Used as described above without hardener. Pretty much an ideal situation.

yetayrick

So you went to an automotive paint supplier and had them match it...

Frankie the Fink

That’s an option. In my case I had leftover paint from the car’s complete respray.