Rock Damage

[PMercier]

I lost a battle with a gravel truck who lost his load. Now I am trying to figure out the best way to touch up the damage to prevent rust. I purchased a touch up paint pen/brush and am looking for advice regarding the application. Are there any tricks of the trade that I should know? Do I need to prep the surface? As you can see there are rough edges, do I need to smooth them out? I have a dremmel if that can be put to use I can get the appropriate tip.

[RustyH]

That sucks. I can't speak for the acutal repair, but if the damage is only on the front bumper area, rust shouldn't be a problem since it's plastic. What I do know about fixing paint chips is layer, layer, layer. Don't try to fill in the chip in one application. get as fine a brush as you can and apply only a little bit of paint at a time and after it dries, add another layer. If someone else has suggestions for prepping, please contribute. I've got a half inch long scratch on my fender, just back of the lights and because it's a custom paint job, I'm holding off repairing until I can get the paint matched.

[Grok Lobster]

When I bought my touch up paint, the parts guy told me to clean the area with alcohol (isopropyl).

[wagonator]

I´ve tried many different ways to touch up. touch up pens and brushes never leave the surface perfect. specially metallic colors I have never been able to match the color, even when buying the same code of color; probably because different amounts of thinner, etc.. what i've found to be far better than brushes is applying spray paint. to avoid overspray use a piece of cardboard with an eliptic hole and spray through that hole, 3 or 4 inches from the spray to the hole and other 3 inch from the hole to the surface. that way you avoid overspraying but you also "fade" the new paint into the old one. try it inside your trunk or other non visible surface first.

[rakapur]

Originally Posted by PMercier

I lost a battle with a gravel truck who lost his load. Now I am trying to figure out the best way to touch up the damage to prevent rust. I purchased a touch up paint pen/brush and am looking for advice regarding the application. Are there any tricks of the trade that I should know? Do I need to prep the surface? As you can see there are rough edges, do I need to smooth them out? I have a dremmel if that can be put to use I can get the appropriate tip.

i was in auto body in high school for 2 years and i got tricks for almost anythin (including stealing a car )

the best way to use touch up paint is get one of those match books the paper kind that they give at hotels and bars, take off a match and use the bottom part (the part you dont light) dip it in the paint and use the edge of the stick to put the paint on the car

[S. Jersey RTX]

When i picked up my car from the dealer I watched the dealers detailer touch up some small scratches. He used several light layers and dried using a hair drier to speed up the coats. I think several light coats (as light as you can) is the key... Hope this helps,Good Luck...

[ToyTruck]

My neighborhood detailer always applies many light coats until the scratched portion as actually higher/thicker than the good paint. When dry, run a hose over the area, while wet sanding GENTLY with 2000 grit wet/dry paper until it is smooth to the touch. Dry area. Then rub the entire dulled area (from the wet sanding) with POLISHING (not rubbing) compound, repeatedly buffing and re-applying until shiny. Works great as long as you lightly sand the area-that's the secret.

[scottIN]

Couple of tips:

On metallics, shake the container for at least 5 minutes. Seriously. 5 minutes. And then never go more than a minute without closing it and shaking it again. It's really hard to get the flake distributed evenly.

My preferred method of application is a bamboo BBQ skewer. Easy to hold, disposable, and holds just the right amount of paint.

Fill slowly & build up layers.

If you overfill, Langka does work, but there is a learning curve to it.

And most importantly...Dremel=Overkill.

[ToyTruck]

And most importantly...Dremel=Overkill.

^^^^ Yes, by hand only

[jj's ridge]

An old pro told me about the match stick trick years ago. As others have said, layer,layer......