Wet sanding after touchup paint
08-17-16, 07:13 PM
#1
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Wet sanding after touchup paint
I want to get my car power polished but I would like to do some chip repairs first. Is it possible to wet sand with say 2500 to level out the paint dabs and then let the power polisher clean it up or is the area around the repair going to look dull? If the touch up comes with a clear tube would that help? The applicators for these are pretty crude so not sure how we are supposed to use the clear effectively. I am just trying to figure out a way to avoid either divots or bumps. Is there a better way? I was thinking of using a sanding block because the repair areas are not very big. Thanks for any responses.
08-18-16, 05:26 AM
#2
I just had this conversation with a friend of mine last night... my advice to him was to not wetsand the touch up spots. My reason is due to the fact that 1) it will still look like touch up paint regardless of if you sanded it or not 2) if you take your time on application and build it up, you can apply it without causing a blob of paint on the surface 3) it is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to hand sand an area so small that you will not also level the paint around the chip, and since oem paint is so terribly thin, I never really recommend sanding on it unless you are quite experienced. Basically the risks outweigh the rewards in my opinion.
You could look into the Dr. Colorchip system. People seem to get great results with it, and you level the paint with a special solvent after application, not with an abrasive.
You could look into the Dr. Colorchip system. People seem to get great results with it, and you level the paint with a special solvent after application, not with an abrasive.
08-19-16, 07:59 PM
#3
+1 ^^^
Great advice Zach.
I am no expert at touching up chips, but I must say over teh years I have learned to do a satisfactory job (for myself and hundreds of client cars).
If you use traditional touchup, I typicall just apply a good amount onto the chip, then use a credit card (with smooth sanded edges) or a similar squeege to "smooth" out the blob before the paint dries.
Apply the paint, then as fast as you can, get the credit card, hold it at a low angle as close and flat to the surface as possible and run it over teh applied paint. This will drag away excess and won't remove the paint from within the chip. The paint you smeared away, use a solvent and wipe off the paint immediately.
At my work, we used Dr. Colorchip 90% of the time unless customer supplies normal touchup paint. I love Dr. Colorchip because you can apply it in many coats and let it dry and like Zach said, use their reducer to remove the blob. I always let the paint dry longer than recommended amount of time as it helps with reducing the likelihood of pulling out good paint that you want left inside the chip.
I personally prefer Dr Colorchip on cars that have real bad pitted paint, I feel like you can never build it up as thick as dealership touchup paint. If you have pitted paint, especially on darker colors, you can smear the Dr Colorchip with a rag or something like a wax applicator onto a large section, let it dry and smooth it out with their liquid. It makes an amazing improvement on cars that are really hammered.
Great advice Zach.
I am no expert at touching up chips, but I must say over teh years I have learned to do a satisfactory job (for myself and hundreds of client cars).
If you use traditional touchup, I typicall just apply a good amount onto the chip, then use a credit card (with smooth sanded edges) or a similar squeege to "smooth" out the blob before the paint dries.
Apply the paint, then as fast as you can, get the credit card, hold it at a low angle as close and flat to the surface as possible and run it over teh applied paint. This will drag away excess and won't remove the paint from within the chip. The paint you smeared away, use a solvent and wipe off the paint immediately.
At my work, we used Dr. Colorchip 90% of the time unless customer supplies normal touchup paint. I love Dr. Colorchip because you can apply it in many coats and let it dry and like Zach said, use their reducer to remove the blob. I always let the paint dry longer than recommended amount of time as it helps with reducing the likelihood of pulling out good paint that you want left inside the chip.
I personally prefer Dr Colorchip on cars that have real bad pitted paint, I feel like you can never build it up as thick as dealership touchup paint. If you have pitted paint, especially on darker colors, you can smear the Dr Colorchip with a rag or something like a wax applicator onto a large section, let it dry and smooth it out with their liquid. It makes an amazing improvement on cars that are really hammered.
08-20-16, 02:17 PM
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There is a really good video linked to the Meguires site where a guy is wet sanding chips with impressive results. Your method seems less likely to sideways though. What kind of solvent would you use? I bought a couple of tiny brushes from a craft store that I might use instead of the touch up brush and this solvent would probably be what I need to clean them as well. Is Goof off safe?
+1 ^^^
Great advice Zach.
I am no expert at touching up chips, but I must say over teh years I have learned to do a satisfactory job (for myself and hundreds of client cars).
If you use traditional touchup, I typicall just apply a good amount onto the chip, then use a credit card (with smooth sanded edges) or a similar squeege to "smooth" out the blob before the paint dries.
Apply the paint, then as fast as you can, get the credit card, hold it at a low angle as close and flat to the surface as possible and run it over teh applied paint. This will drag away excess and won't remove the paint from within the chip. The paint you smeared away, use a solvent and wipe off the paint immediately.
At my work, we used Dr. Colorchip 90% of the time unless customer supplies normal touchup paint. I love Dr. Colorchip because you can apply it in many coats and let it dry and like Zach said, use their reducer to remove the blob. I always let the paint dry longer than recommended amount of time as it helps with reducing the likelihood of pulling out good paint that you want left inside the chip.
I personally prefer Dr Colorchip on cars that have real bad pitted paint, I feel like you can never build it up as thick as dealership touchup paint. If you have pitted paint, especially on darker colors, you can smear the Dr Colorchip with a rag or something like a wax applicator onto a large section, let it dry and smooth it out with their liquid. It makes an amazing improvement on cars that are really hammered.
Great advice Zach.
I am no expert at touching up chips, but I must say over teh years I have learned to do a satisfactory job (for myself and hundreds of client cars).
If you use traditional touchup, I typicall just apply a good amount onto the chip, then use a credit card (with smooth sanded edges) or a similar squeege to "smooth" out the blob before the paint dries.
Apply the paint, then as fast as you can, get the credit card, hold it at a low angle as close and flat to the surface as possible and run it over teh applied paint. This will drag away excess and won't remove the paint from within the chip. The paint you smeared away, use a solvent and wipe off the paint immediately.
At my work, we used Dr. Colorchip 90% of the time unless customer supplies normal touchup paint. I love Dr. Colorchip because you can apply it in many coats and let it dry and like Zach said, use their reducer to remove the blob. I always let the paint dry longer than recommended amount of time as it helps with reducing the likelihood of pulling out good paint that you want left inside the chip.
I personally prefer Dr Colorchip on cars that have real bad pitted paint, I feel like you can never build it up as thick as dealership touchup paint. If you have pitted paint, especially on darker colors, you can smear the Dr Colorchip with a rag or something like a wax applicator onto a large section, let it dry and smooth it out with their liquid. It makes an amazing improvement on cars that are really hammered.
11-04-16, 06:23 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Sorry to revive an old thread.
I had a nasty rock chip of where the top of the windshield meets the roof on my UW IS350.
It began to rust, so I brought it into the dealer for my 10K oil change and asked them to touch it up.
The results... I mean it looks good from afar, but when you get close, you can feel that its not leveled or flushed with the surrounding paint. Is this normal for touch ups?
I had a nasty rock chip of where the top of the windshield meets the roof on my UW IS350.
It began to rust, so I brought it into the dealer for my 10K oil change and asked them to touch it up.
The results... I mean it looks good from afar, but when you get close, you can feel that its not leveled or flushed with the surrounding paint. Is this normal for touch ups?
Last edited by nathantse; 11-04-16 at 06:28 PM.
11-05-16, 02:49 PM
#7
Sorry to revive an old thread.
I had a nasty rock chip of where the top of the windshield meets the roof on my UW IS350.
It began to rust, so I brought it into the dealer for my 10K oil change and asked them to touch it up.
The results... I mean it looks good from afar, but when you get close, you can feel that its not leveled or flushed with the surrounding paint. Is this normal for touch ups?
I had a nasty rock chip of where the top of the windshield meets the roof on my UW IS350.
It began to rust, so I brought it into the dealer for my 10K oil change and asked them to touch it up.
The results... I mean it looks good from afar, but when you get close, you can feel that its not leveled or flushed with the surrounding paint. Is this normal for touch ups?
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11-05-16, 04:35 PM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
Ahh okay, sounds good. Since that is all they did, I'm going to just ask for a touch-up pen and do it myself next time.
Other than that, they did a really good job in fixing the curb rashes on my wheels. Can't even tell where the rash once was.
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