Blending in paint touch ups

[bobswire]

I'm going to my local Hobby shop for some blue and red paint to match this frame and I'm trying to get around that crater look when applying the paint with a brush or dabbing it on. Is there a method to applying that won't leave a stroke or brush mark?
Any sage advice besides lightly sanding before applying?

http://i42.tinypic.com/zttzqt.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/8zn3ie.jpg

[thwart]

Others here certainly know more than I do, but it's important to use a small brush and build up layers of the paint.

I use a magnifying lens (or reading glasses) when I am doing this sort of work.

Sweet bike!

[teleguy57]

See the post by bigskiTi about halfway down the first page of this thread on WW (http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=53264).

[jmoore]

airbrush and lots of fine sanding

[bobswire]

See the post by bigskiTi about halfway down the first page of this thread on WW (http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=53264).

I copy and pasted it. Seems thorough with a lot of steps to go through but I'm sure well worth it for this frame. Thanks.

[Ahneida Ride]

Call Kelly Bedford ...

He's got the inside scoop.

[dekindy]

Unless you are skilled, don't try it. It will look worse. Talented folks with experience and talent make it look easy, but it's not.

[ultraman6970]

Depends a lot of the paint and how the paint chip is.

For small chips you have to use a tooth pick and let a paint drop to cover the chip, then you sand and polish to level it.

If the chip is big you have to use the same toothpick technique and drop a lot of drops over it, let it seat till dry... sand and polish.

The type of paint is a big detail.

The reason to use drops is because you need to fill the chip, with a brush is harder because with the brush you have to put too many coats, with the tootkpick you drop the perfect tichness of paint, easier to fill up the nick you know.

Hope this helps.

UM

[monkeybanana86]

I feel like every post I see by you contains a new different dope bike :)

[dekindy]

Depends a lot of the paint and how the paint chip is.

For small chips you have to use a tooth pick and let a paint drop to cover the chip, then you sand and polish to level it.

If the chip is big you have to use the same toothpick technique and drop a lot of drops over it, let it seat till dry... sand and polish.

The type of paint is a big detail.

The reason to use drops is because you need to fill the chip, with a brush is harder because with the brush you have to put too many coats, with the tootkpick you drop the perfect tichness of paint, easier to fill up the nick you know.

Hope this helps.

UM

That might work. I wish I had tried this method.

[sulfate125]

Perhaps someone has a suggestion on what type of paint to use.

[Scuzzer]

I use automotive touch up paint. If you stop by a car parts store you can pick up touch up paint, sandpaper (800 and 1000 grit) and buffing compound which is all you really need to do a good job.

[ultraman6970]

Touch up that scratch in the paint is not hard...

The 1st thing to do is to sand it with 400 or 600 wet sand paper so the new paint has something to grab on.

Then you have two options...

1 - use the toothpick technique and get as much drops of paint as you can over that deep scratch, till the paint in the scratch is level or higher than the original paint, let it dry for 8 hours or a day to play safe... wet sand paper to level up and polish.

2 - use a filler and then paint over... personally I would go with #1 specially because with the second one you need a good acrylic filler (not bondo) or primer (ginzu hobby primer comes to mind) to fill up the deep gaps and then be good at painting.

Hope this helps more, but to fix what the op did you have to sand out 1st and then toothpick, sand and polish.

Good luck.

[Mike748]

The trick to sanding after touch up is to remember the touch up paint is much softer than the original paint. Auto touch up is usually laquer and model paint is usually enamel, but both are soft. So let the touch up dry for a couple of days and then wet sand with a block. The block will help level the new paint without marring up the original too much. I really like the 3M wet/dry non woven fabric for this in 400/800/1200 and then rubbing compound.

[rccardr]

I had that same frame, and used testors bright red and metallic blue. Very good matches. Little bit of paint at a time, take it out of the lid not the bottle. And use a toothpick. And a hair dryer on Day #2 to harden it up better.

And patience.

[phcollard]

I second the toothpick technique as I have had good results with it, much better than a fine brush. Testors paint come in many many colors so you can probably find one to match. Just note that metallic paints are almost impossible to touchup unless done with an airbrush. I would also rather avoid sanding even with a fine grid because Merck paint is quite thin and you may end up with quite a mess.

Or you can also leave it this way :) When I got my Merckx I found that it had a lot of paint chips, a lot. I tried to touch them up first, I ended up buying at least 6 kind of metallic blue from Testors, but none of them matched. Results were awful, hopefully I did my testing under the BB shell first. So I decided to leave it as it is and once built it remains an awesome ride!

Oh and avoid the acrylic model paints...