Touch Up Tips

[Lantastic]

Hello all! I have a quick question regarding making touch up look as good as possible. I have about a pea sized blemish/chip, part down to the primer and part down to the metal. I've tried fixing it with a couple of different methods without much success.

First I tried a technique "borrowed" from a drive clean video, filling the chip and then wet sanding it down to be level with the existing surface. I'd done this before with a much smaller chip and it worked out quite nicely. But the problem with this chip is that it's too big, and sanding dulls the touch up so it no longer matches the existing paint. It's magnetic metallic, and touch up, so I understand it won't be perfect. But perhaps there is a better way. This stuck out like a sore thumb! Is this always the case with touch up? Or am I just SOL with this being metallic paint? FWIW I my touch up is not OEM but when tested on a discrete area it matched well. The sanding makes it much worse. Perhaps it is just this particular brand of touch up.

Second, after sanding out the previous touch up, I tried covering the area with as smooth of brush strokes as possible. I was able to wipe of the excess with an old t shirt and some rubbing alcohol, as to not make the touched up area any bigger than necessary. I felt this worked pretty well. But even the alcohol discolored the edges of the touch up. And of course there are slight brush marks and unevenness I would like to eliminate.

I know it can't be perfect. And it's a daily driver. So I'll have to live with chips. But I'd prefer they be well touched up chips! Any advice would be appreciated.

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[rogers17GT350]

Could you upload a photo? Generally speaking I've always found the build up/sand down method to be best but it requires a lot of time in between applications to be able to sand and not pop the paint.

 

[jasonstang]

Did you buy the Motorcraft touch up paint? It comes with a base coat and a clear at the bottom. I find it best to build up enough thickness and then do a couple of clear and then sand the clear.
Of course you still need to compound and polish to get the factory shine with any kind of touch up paint.

 

[Lantastic]

I did not buy motorcraft touch up. Upon doing a quick search it appeared I'd have to go to the dealer to get it. It's a bit out of the way so I ordered a well reviewed product online. It matches well before sanding. I will have to go for an oil change (and maybe some new exhaust! ) soon anyway so I'll ask for it then. But based on your replies, which I thank you for, one could infer that:

1.) motorcraft touch up does not suffer from discoloration after touch up and/or is generally better (no wild stretch of the imagination there)
2.) waiting longer between application and sanding will prevent discoloration--I typically waited about a day, though it's worth noting it's been warm.

I will get a good photo when I get a chance.

 

[jasonstang]

I did not buy motorcraft touch up. Upon doing a quick search it appeared I'd have to go to the dealer to get it. It's a bit out of the way so I ordered a well reviewed product online. It matches well before sanding. I will have to go for an oil change (and maybe some new exhaust! ) soon anyway so I'll ask for it then. But based on your replies, which I thank you for, one could infer that:

1.) motorcraft touch up does not suffer from discoloration after touch up and/or is generally better (no wild stretch of the imagination there)
2.) waiting longer between application and sanding will prevent discoloration--I typically waited about a day, though it's worth noting it's been warm.

I will get a good photo when I get a chance.

You can order on ebay. Just match your paint code.
This is what I ordered for my magnetic: http://www.ebay.com/itm/321824053084

 

[Lantastic]

A quick update:

I've got a few chips in work. With the latest I'd started, I waited longer to sand it down and it did appear to have less discoloration. It still needs another layer or two before it will be filled and complete so I hope to report back with positive results once I'm finished.

In the meantime I have a picture of some touch up I'd previously worked on, with the discoloration I'd spoken of before. With this I managed to get the middle pretty smooth with careful brush strokes, but the edges still needed some feathering and that's where the discoloration is, indicated in the figure below. It should be noted that I did not wait a long time ("only" several hours to a day) for the paint to dry in the shown touch up. I'd already applied clear in this pic, in hopes that the color would match after it had dried. If I'd sanded the entire touched up area the whole thing would have been discolored. As it stands the unfeathered area is only slightly lighter than the existing paint.

 

[Schu]

Yikes... how are you going to get rid of those scratches?

 

[CliffClavin]

That does not look that bad. How was the blending after polishing?

 

[jasonstang]

Yikes... how are you going to get rid of those scratches?

Finer sand paper, and then rubbing compound, polish compound, then finer polish.

 

[jasonstang]

A quick update:

I've got a few chips in work. With the latest I'd started, I waited longer to sand it down and it did appear to have less discoloration. It still needs another layer or two before it will be filled and complete so I hope to report back with positive results once I'm finished.

In the meantime I have a picture of some touch up I'd previously worked on, with the discoloration I'd spoken of before. With this I managed to get the middle pretty smooth with careful brush strokes, but the edges still needed some feathering and that's where the discoloration is, indicated in the figure below. It should be noted that I did not wait a long time ("only" several hours to a day) for the paint to dry in the shown touch up. I'd already applied clear in this pic, in hopes that the color would match after it had dried. If I'd sanded the entire touched up area the whole thing would have been discolored. As it stands the unfeathered area is only slightly lighter than the existing paint.

Next time you sand, might consider taping up surrounding area so you don't create more mess than whats needed.

 

[VinnAY]

Taping it off just creates a line or border on your work, it's counterproductive and he's right not to tape it off.

From my years of trying (failing) to blend and polish, clear coat, I stopped doing it. I use a modeling brush to put on dab of color in the chip but I stopped trying to build it up, smooth it, blend it.

 

[Lantastic]

That does not look that bad. How was the blending after polishing?

On a small chip I'd already completed it was imperceptible in the best light and barely noticeable in the worst. This one will probably be more noticable. The color match really is pretty good but it will stick out when the light hits the touch up at a different angle than the base. Guess I'll just have to keep my car dirty ;)

I should have included something for scale, the scuffed up area is about the size of a ping pong ball. Now that I take a second look I feel I was a little heavy handed with the sanding. I'd glued a piece of sandpaper to a rubber eraser to help me stay level to the surface and only take off the crown--a makeshift sanding block of sorts. So it was hard to not go a little wider than what appears necessary. But to those who are curious it was with 2000 grit sand paper and the scuffs buff out nicely. You can't see it afterwards.

Hope to get some more work done this weekend. Will report back with results.

 

[Blk2015GT]

Metallic is just a b*tch to paint match. It's all about how the flake it laid down and touchup will never lay down the same as out of a gun. The flake will reflect th light differently depending how its put down.

I had a Vista Blue S197 and every touchup was darker than the car paint in the sun and never perfectly matched.

99% of why I got a non-metallic color, black, this go around.

 

[Lantastic]

Polished up the discolored chip today. Pictures are below. I'd be pretty happy if not for the discoloration. Sticks out like a sore thumb in bad light. But if I were to be positive I'd say at least from many angles it looks a lot better than before. You can see it in the second pic a bit above the headlight near the crease in the hood.

I tried taping up my other one, and will not feather any edges. If it looks better I will consider coming back and redoing this one.

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