light scratches
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Here is how I was trained to fix em..
Get some clearcoat in a touch-up pen, at auto parts place.Lacquer is the easiest and most foolproof for a diy job.
Urethanes are a picky lot, and can go haywire,ie. fisheyes,crawling,etc..
Clean the area around, and the scratch, with Naptha or in a pinch, denatured alcohol will work. DON'T SCRUB!
Use a small piece of clean white cotton T shirt.
The plan is to get ALL the wax/silicone off the area.
Now carefully apply ONE coat of clear into the scratch, and let it dry COMPLETELY!
Then, you take some 600 or finer wet and dry sandpaper, and wrap it around a small piece of wood.
Dip the paper and block in some water and ever so carefully sand off the high areas caused by the new clear.
Keep doing this, coat of clear, let dry,wetsandsequence until the scratch is full and level with the surrounding finish.
The idea is to not sand through the clear, just the blobs left by application of the clear repair.
Once it is level, and you can't "feel" it,buff it up with some Dupont #7 Rubbing Compound.
If you need to talk to me, PM me and I can help you over the phone.
It's slow, but it works every time.
Sometimes you can thin the lacquer and "flow" it into the gouge, but if it takes too long to dry(too thick), it could attack your color coat,if you don't know what's under there for certain.
I'm sure the chemistry has changed since I painted cars/bikes in the 80's, but the techniques are basically the same.
Hope this helps you make it go away! jimsjinx:waving:
Here is how I was trained to fix em..
Get some clearcoat in a touch-up pen, at auto parts place.Lacquer is the easiest and most foolproof for a diy job.
Urethanes are a picky lot, and can go haywire,ie. fisheyes,crawling,etc..
Clean the area around, and the scratch, with Naptha or in a pinch, denatured alcohol will work. DON'T SCRUB!
Use a small piece of clean white cotton T shirt.
The plan is to get ALL the wax/silicone off the area.
Now carefully apply ONE coat of clear into the scratch, and let it dry COMPLETELY!
Then, you take some 600 or finer wet and dry sandpaper, and wrap it around a small piece of wood.
Dip the paper and block in some water and ever so carefully sand off the high areas caused by the new clear.
Keep doing this, coat of clear, let dry,wetsandsequence until the scratch is full and level with the surrounding finish.
The idea is to not sand through the clear, just the blobs left by application of the clear repair.
Once it is level, and you can't "feel" it,buff it up with some Dupont #7 Rubbing Compound.
If you need to talk to me, PM me and I can help you over the phone.
It's slow, but it works every time.
Sometimes you can thin the lacquer and "flow" it into the gouge, but if it takes too long to dry(too thick), it could attack your color coat,if you don't know what's under there for certain.
I'm sure the chemistry has changed since I painted cars/bikes in the 80's, but the techniques are basically the same.
Hope this helps you make it go away! jimsjinx:waving:
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I use a product put out by "kitwax" called "Scratch Out" and have had really good luck with it.
It removed scratches on the door of my wife's 08 black Explorer after my German Shepherd puppy jumped up on it. She was gald to see my wife I guess but it sure pissed my wife off! That stuff took them right out.
The left saddle bag on my Wing has some fine scratches from what looked like it was layed down in the past and although the stuff didn't remove them completely, it sure looks better.
I use a product put out by "kitwax" called "Scratch Out" and have had really good luck with it.
It removed scratches on the door of my wife's 08 black Explorer after my German Shepherd puppy jumped up on it. She was gald to see my wife I guess but it sure pissed my wife off! That stuff took them right out.
The left saddle bag on my Wing has some fine scratches from what looked like it was layed down in the past and although the stuff didn't remove them completely, it sure looks better.
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What if the scratch is into the paint? I know it will be much bigger job, but you already explained the clear coat, can you somewhat explain the paint or is that a professional job? It just has some hit marks from roadgremlins throwing things at meon the lower finder and one good nick in the middle of the finder (trike). :action:
What if the scratch is into the paint? I know it will be much bigger job, but you already explained the clear coat, can you somewhat explain the paint or is that a professional job? It just has some hit marks from roadgremlins throwing things at meon the lower finder and one good nick in the middle of the finder (trike). :action:
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I use a diamond paste for the final, 0.25 micrometers (o.ooo24mm) and micro fiber cloth for a good polish at the end.
I use a diamond paste for the final, 0.25 micrometers (o.ooo24mm) and micro fiber cloth for a good polish at the end.
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Hey SpiderBob! If you can get a color match from Colorite, it is usually close, but 90% of the time, the color is different to a varying degree.You certainly can try a touch up pen,or a small bottle from them to start. I bought one of each. I can adjust the color with tints I have in the shop,(UTC,universal tints). If the match is close enough to live with, just do the sams steps as the clear, and don't worry about trying to clearcoat every rock chip you fixed. The color will buff up so close to the same sheen, you'll never see it. If the scratches are a little bigger, then apply enough coats of color to hide the plastic/metal/primer, and then level with some clear. One thing that must be understood, you can't make it "INVISIBLE" completely, but you can get it darned close. The metallics in the paint are designed to be sprayed so as to lay out the flakes evenly. When we glob it on with a felt tip of a touchup pen, or brush, we swirl aroud those flakes, and they don't lay flat. That is what shows up the worst. Best advise if you do it yourself, is keep the scratch as tiny as possible. Don't try to "spread it out", it'll only get worse. We had to practice on places that didn't show when I was in trade school. It gives you a chance to play with it and not be under so much pressure on your fender. Hey, it aint gonna be perfect, but it'll look alot less noticeable. And, if everything goes right, it just may disappear! Good luck, jimsjinx
Hey SpiderBob! If you can get a color match from Colorite, it is usually close, but 90% of the time, the color is different to a varying degree.You certainly can try a touch up pen,or a small bottle from them to start. I bought one of each. I can adjust the color with tints I have in the shop,(UTC,universal tints). If the match is close enough to live with, just do the sams steps as the clear, and don't worry about trying to clearcoat every rock chip you fixed. The color will buff up so close to the same sheen, you'll never see it. If the scratches are a little bigger, then apply enough coats of color to hide the plastic/metal/primer, and then level with some clear. One thing that must be understood, you can't make it "INVISIBLE" completely, but you can get it darned close. The metallics in the paint are designed to be sprayed so as to lay out the flakes evenly. When we glob it on with a felt tip of a touchup pen, or brush, we swirl aroud those flakes, and they don't lay flat. That is what shows up the worst. Best advise if you do it yourself, is keep the scratch as tiny as possible. Don't try to "spread it out", it'll only get worse. We had to practice on places that didn't show when I was in trade school. It gives you a chance to play with it and not be under so much pressure on your fender. Hey, it aint gonna be perfect, but it'll look alot less noticeable. And, if everything goes right, it just may disappear! Good luck, jimsjinx
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