How to use touch up paint without it looking rubbish!

Aimez

Active Member
Hi guys,

Got some touch up paint and lacquer today, going to sort out these


touchupbefore.jpg


touchupafter.jpg


but the previous owner tried and it looked not so great
(as you can see this bit has been chipped again!)

touchupold.jpg


Shall I buy some very slightly abrasive wet and dry before doing this, seen some truly amazing things like this cured on detailing world but am a bit scared!:help:
 

Lippo

YNWA
May 8, 2006
395
0
Formby
Never had a good result with touch up paints - they never seem to match and go 'blobby'. Perhaps it's just me.
 

Nath.

The Gentlemans Express
Jan 1, 2006
8,620
16
EASTLEIGH, HAMPSHIRE
i have been told to use a cocktail stick to lightly dab them in to get the best even finish!

Yep, I have had very good results from a coctail stick and T cut.

Make sure the chip is clean and dry

Blob some touch up paint into the chip with a coctail stick, not too much but enough to make it slightly over filled and a bit proud

Leave the touch up paint to properly dry and go hard for about 2 days or use a hair dryer but this can coock the paint and discolour it.

When the touchup paint is dry it will shrink, this is why you over filled the chip.

Then once the touch up paint is dry and hard you can T cut it back flat to the original paint and it should look 100 times better or maybe even invisible.

The clear lacquer IMO is useless and I never use it, the routine above works very well indeed and on my 2 ovni yellow cars most if not all of the chips that I did in this way were very hard to spot or near on invisible.

Have done the same on a couple on my new red Leon in the same way and I'm very pleased with the results.
 

s1l3nc3r

ASBO car.
Jun 30, 2008
1,558
0
essex
Need to do this to mine as my bonnet is in a dire state...

instead of sanding and trying to polish out which imo would only be able to do properly with a machine polish would some t-cut and a go over with a clay bar not give a nice finish...???
 

Aimez

Active Member
wet and dry and cutting compounds I really think is the only way T-cut on it's own I don't think will work. Will try this next weekend I think gotta find somewhere to buy high grade paper first. According to DW link Alex gave me on FB it can be done without a machine polisher with cutting compunds.

Just broke my digital camera after taking these so may have to leave this actually and buy a new one!
Doesn't sounds like many people have done this! I think I will try on the bonnet which is totally ruined anyway if it goes too wrong then it could do with a respray!
 

Mr Roboto

Domo Arigato
Mar 14, 2005
470
0
Sussex
I would mess it up my self :D

Call the chips away man in Eastbourne for a price. Worked wonders on my old Alloy and brothers door panel.
 

richellis

Active Member
Feb 29, 2008
391
0
Cannock
dont worry too much, use 2500, lots of water, and dont go too deep. I went over my old golf with 2500, and machine polished.
 

Nath.

The Gentlemans Express
Jan 1, 2006
8,620
16
EASTLEIGH, HAMPSHIRE
did you sand it back like in the DW thread I posted Nath? Obviously very high grade wet and dry used!

Nope, just Tcut, works a dream.

All You are doing is Tcutting the touch up paint flat to the original paint after you have slightly over filled the chip. the touch up paint is solvent based paint so it Tcuts very easy.
 

Aimez

Active Member
Well I was bored so have just gone out and done the door edges, the fuel cap edge bit and some bits on the inside of the door (bodyshop appear to have dragged my door skin across the floor when it was in for accident repair last year grr!) have not done the bits on the outside of the car. So when I get some paper will do them bits and if they come up okay I will do the outside this is the safest way and yes could always call the experts in if all else fails but they are only minor marks I am just so perfectionsit lately!
 

Aimez

Active Member
WTF is with the fuel cap edge anyway? Do you open it with a claw hammer or something? :(

er no it is not my fault! That is a whole new panal over a year ago (as I said the body shop also seemed to have dragged the door skin across the workshop as well!) and the car was detailed a month ago and the machine polisher has taken it off. I guess it is one on the places that only got a thin caot the white is the primer.