Best way to use touch up paint

[slowgoing]

So what's the best way to touch up a few paint chips? I have the matching paint.

I think I will also need some clear coat. What should I use for that, where's the best place to pick it up, and what's the best way to apply it?

[witcombusa]

No better way to use paint than this.....

[Spin71]

I always use nail polish.

[singlecross]

No better way to use paint than this.....

I fixed this for you... "she" was a MAN, baby... and "she" was creeping me out.

I use a hair dryer to preheat the metal and it also helps thin the paint to spread it evenly. Hair dryer to help it set after painting. Yes to clear nail polish as a simple clearcoat.

singlecross

[Viper]

Nice pic above.

Paint. Rock chips on your car's hood. Bike is same thing. Clean bike. Mix paint well, shake it for a while. If it's warm, good, but not hot. Toothpicks. Wooden. Place a 1/2 penny drop of paint onto a matchbook or piece of cardboard. Dip the narrow tip of the toothpick into paint. Gently touch the rock chip. Let a very, very small amount of paint cover the rock chip. This is best done in several layers. Do not fill the rock chip entirely the first time. Again, do not be greedy. Fill in every rock chip same style. Let them dry/cure for hours if not longer. Repeat process. By the third process, bike should be done.

[AngryScientist]

Nice pic above.

Paint. Rock chips on your car's hood. Bike is same thing. Clean bike. Mix paint well, shake it for a while. If it's warm, good, but not hot. Toothpicks. Wooden. Place a 1/2 penny drop of paint onto a matchbook or piece of cardboard. Dip the narrow tip of the toothpick into paint. Gently touch the rock chip. Let a very, very small amount of paint cover the rock chip. This is best done in several layers. Do not fill the rock chip entirely the first time. Again, do not be greedy. Fill in every rock chip same style. Let them dry/cure for hours if not longer. Repeat process. By the third process, bike should be done.


very good advice. capillary action, thats what's at work here.

forget nail polish by the way. any auto parts store will sell clearcoat touch up paint in a small dispenser (similar to a nail polish bottle, with a little built in brush), much better for painted surfaces than nail junk.

[Viper]

very good advice. capillary action, thats what's at work here.

forget nail polish by the way. any auto parts store will sell clearcoat touch up paint in a small dispenser (similar to a nail polish bottle, with a little built in brush), much better for painted surfaces than nail junk.

I've been doing this method to my Millennium Falcon:

http://www.tops-cars.fr/fichiers/images/annonces/54995/originaux/10462.jpg

Sterling Gray.
BMW makes soft paint.
I get lotsa rock chips through hyperspace along I95 etc.
People get greedy and fill rock chips all the way on the first pass.
No good.

[AngryScientist]

I've been doing this method to my Millennium Falcon:

http://www.tops-cars.fr/fichiers/images/annonces/54995/originaux/10462.jpg

Sterling Gray.
BMW makes soft paint.
I get lotsa rock chips through hyperspace along I95 etc.
People get greedy and fill rock chips all the way on the first pass.
No good.

i dont know what year BMW switched, but they fairly recently switched from epoxy based paint to water based paint for strict VOC emissions regulations in Eurpoe. the new paint does indeed chip very easily. nice car Viper. .

[Liv2RideHard]

very good advice. capillary action, thats what's at work here.

forget nail polish by the way. any auto parts store will sell clearcoat touch up paint in a small dispenser (similar to a nail polish bottle, with a little built in brush), much better for painted surfaces than nail junk.

Agreed. Very good advice. Also I go to hobby shops for touch up paint. They usually have a multitude of little jars for painting models. Many, many colors and different options. They also typically stock small applicators, brushes etc for detail work which is what we are talking about here. Check out your local hobby shop.

[old_fat_and_slow]

.

[Steve in SLO]

I do as Viper and ofas do but have one caveat: If you use a matchbook or cardboard as your palette, you stand the risk of the paint proportions changing since the liquid portion can soak into the paper. Best to use a non-porous surface. I use a plastic cup or yogurt lid.

[jh_on_the_cape]

I fixed this for you...

thank you so much! can you make the blonde on the left turn towards me?

[eddief]

it is always tough to hear "my bike's paint" and "sandpaper" in the same sentence. But a little practice with really fine wet/dry paper used wet can make a huge difference in the smoothness of a touchup project. and surprisingly when used in progressively finer grits and then polishing compound and then wax, you can do a decent job.

[Jaq]

Painting a chipped surface with tiny applications of liquid media isn't really about capillary action, though both rely on the natural phenomenon of surface tension.

In the case of painting a chip (essentially "filling" the divot), the surface tension of the liquid causes the paint droplets to bond together rather than flow over the boundary of the edge of the chip. It's time consuming, but worth it.

I stick with nail-polish only because I ride a steel bike; more and more paints are water-based these days, and will encourage rust. Obviously, this isn't an issue for carbon, titanium, or aluminum frames.

Meanwhile, capillary action is wonderful for dealing with shifter and brake cable ends. This also ties into the hobby store comment above.

Everyone's familiar with Crazy Glue. It's part of a larger family of adhesives known as Cyanoacrylates (CA). Anyone who's built models, especially R/C models, has probably used the other forms of "crazy glue" that are made (most commonly) by a company called "Zap". The glues are available in varying viscosities, from very thin (sometimes called "hot" because it can give off quite a bit of heat as it cures) to very thick. There's also a curing catalyst available, sometimes called "Zip Kicker", which comes as a small bottle of aerosol. One spritz, and the glue cures instantly (and can often give off a surprising and - if you get some on you - painful amount of heat).

Here's where I'm going with this: most of us cap the ends of our cables with small ferrules and give 'em a squish. What I like to do is apply a few drops of hot Zap along the end of the cable and let the capillary action pull the glue into the spaces between the strands, essentially infusing a centimeter or so with glue. Then I spritz it with zip kicker.

The glue cures rock-hard with minimal expansion. Then I dress down the end with a fine file, even a bit of 220 grit paper. The result is a solid cable end that won't unravel and looks (to me) pretty cool. It'll also pass smoothly and repeatedly through cable housings without the need for a new ferrule each time.

This is the Zap is use. It's commonly called "Pink label". (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0R007J9903)

This is the catalyst. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0R007J5064&Tpk=zip%20kicker)

A word about zap & capillary action: they love each other. The pink stuff is so thin that it'll flow from whatever you're working on right onto your fingers if you're not careful. You'll tear skin away pulling glued fingers apart. Nail polish remover works as a good cleaner. Get a drop on your clothes and you'll have a permanent (and slightly darker) hard spot.

Also, use it only in a well-ventilated work space. The fumes are noxious, and it's not uncommon for people with a history of asthma to react to this.

This stuff (especially with the kicker) is infinitely better for repairing broken porcelain. Also, if (during the winters) you find that the ends of your fingers occasionally crack around your fingernails, this stuff is awesome for simply gluing the crack together. It'll heal up nicely and you'll avoid all the pain.

[eippo1]

Zap and Zip Kicker are incredible. I used to use that stuff extensively for architectural models.

Once managed to glue myself to a part of a wall assembly. Just ended up cutting around it and letting the glued part stay on me until it came off a couple days later - strong stuff.

[slowgoing]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Great stuff here.