Paint Question

[hotrdd]

Going to touch up some parts that have some scratches on them and have a few questions. The surfaces are prepped and I have the self-etching primer applied.

1) I am just painting a few small areas. Should I just mask that area off and spray? How do I blend it to the paint around it that may have slight sun fading?

2) The spray can was professionally mixed at an automotive shop and the bottle says to wait 5-10 minutes between coats. So once I have applied the paint do I just wait a few minutes and then apply the clear coat?

 

[Airwolfie]

Going to touch up some parts that have some scratches on them and have a few questions. The surfaces are prepped and I have the self-etching primer applied.

1) I am just painting a few small areas. Should I just mask that area off and spray?
Yes I would, it's the best way to avoid the paint going everywhere. Just mask off the area you need done, and then tape some newspaper just behind that to give a bigger cover without wasting too much tape.

How do I blend it to the paint around it that may have slight sun fading?
Not sure on that one, I usually just do single colours with cans.

2) The spray can was professionally mixed at an automotive shop and the bottle says to wait 5-10 minutes between coats. So once I have applied the paint do I just wait a few minutes and then apply the clear coat?
I would do at least three coats to be honest, and yes, wait until it's tacky(about 15 mins depending on temperature of your spray booth/garage/back garden!). do thin coats about 6-8 inches away from what you are painting, moving left to right or right to left, going PAST the object.
Never try to cover it all on the first go, this will ensure you don't get droplets or runs. Doing more than one coat will allow you also to give the paint a light sanding with some 400 wet n dry paper to smooth out the paint before you clear coat it. Obviously leave it for at least 24hrs before you sand it!(you can skip the sanding if you not too bothered with the finish!)
Once you have got it nice and smooth, give it a good wash with some soap and rinse it off thoroughly. THEN you can do your clear coat, again do a few nice thin coats. It's harder to see the clear coat so just make sure it gets covered nicely. A few coats should do it, then use some t-cut and polish to get a nice glossy finish!


Hope this helped

 

[hotrdd]

Thanks for the help. My first question wasn't clear but if I am painting new white paint on top of older white paint how do I blend the new area into the old area without being able to see the change or without leaving a paint line? I assume that I just mask off a lot bigger area and don't paint right p against the tape???

 

[Airwolfie]

Yes that's about right. Make sure you sand the area you want painted and primer it first. Give it a few coats so you have some "meat" to sand back a bit. Unless the colours match perfectly, you will be able to see a bit where you painted over it.

To be honest, I would sand the whole tank, not necessarily all the way down to metal, but enough to remove the gloss/clear coat and to give the new coat a "bite" and then paint the whole tank, no marks visible then!!

 

[jbird7262]

@ hodrdd, got more questions fire away!! 30+ years of paint and bodywork. Free tech. tips. Ck. TwoWheelMafia, thats just icing. ;-)