Touch-up paint....

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Do any of ya'll use touch-up paint on your cars? I have some deep scratches (showing the white primer underneath) and chips that are beyond the help of Zaino, and I was just wondering if any of you guys have any tips on how to cover them. I was thinking about getting some touch-up paint, but it just looks to me like when you use it, you are left with a small bulge in the paint in place of the scratch. It just seems like it would be hard to make it smooth? Anyway, anyone have any advice?

[briantech98]

yeah i've used it on mine... it does seem to leave bulges, or at the very least does not seem smooth by any stretch of the imagination. maybe i'm just not doing it right but i can't imagine any other way to "apply a small amount of paint with a paintbrush to the scratch".

plus it seems like it washes all off the next time i wash the car!

[Coop '02Z]

well.

Hey Todd what's up? Hope everything is going good for you up north.

Alot of people use a tooth pick to get a very small amount on there, the problem with the brush as you noticed is it's too large. You can also trim the brush down with scissors so it's alot thinner. With chips the idea is to apply very small drops in the chip until it's level, not so much at once that it's a raised blob. Not sure about scratches that's a little tougher.

[TraceZ]

I've had luck in the past doing to following....

clean the chip area well with thinner

apply touch up paint

allow it to dry 1 day

wetsand the raised area very gently and precisely until smooth. I used 2000?? grit on a 3M block.

buff, and polish.

Scratches are harder than chips. I've never had to do a scratch. I have used 3M "finesse it" finishing compound to get out some pretty deep ones, though.

[dochidalgo]

Todd...

you need a disposable paint pen, you fill it with the touch-up paint and the ball in the tip makes the job.
part # 34071
www.eastwoodcompany.com

hope this helps
Doc

[00 Ragtop Z]

Your best bet is to get a small amount of teh matching paint from an auto paint dealer, mix the thinner with it yourself, and use a small touch up brush (they sell them there too) to apply a very thinned paint a little at a time til you build it up to teh level of the surrounding paint. The stuff they sell at wal-mart and places like that is really to fill chips not touch up minor scratches.

If you are very careful, and take seveal applicaitons of thinned paint rather than try to fill teh scratch or chip all at once, you can get a near perfect chip/scratch repair.

When the chip or scratch is filled to just barely over the paint level, use a very fine grit (1000 or higher) dry sandpaper and just very, very lightly sand the new paint where the chip or scratch was. Try not to sand the surrounding finish or you may sand off the clearcoat, even if you sand very lightly.

If you REALLY take your time and follow these instructions, you can get a repair that 99% of people will never know was made. I have done this type of repair on my 92 RS (a 6" long scratch down to primer form a carelessly removed t-top), my son's 95 sonoma (it was keyed along one side for about 2-3 feet) and chips on teh hood of my Ragtop, and only a really observant person (or skilled paint man) could ever tell a repair was made. The key is t-a-k-e y-o-u-r t-i-m-e!!!

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Thanks for the help, guys! I will definitely give some of those ideas a try. I just ordered some new Zaino the other day, but I want to try to fill some of those defects before I start with the polishing.
Hey Coop! Things are good here. I am actually planning on moving back down there sometime next year. We'll have to try to get together sometime if/when I do. I hope things are going well with you too. Take care...