BIKE PAINT TOUCHUP

[flightdoc]

I need advice from you painting/body experts....Last year some idiot parked next to me and allowed his leather side bag to scratch my bag. It left several scratches. They are deep enough that you can feel them when you run your hand over them. Can be difficult to see in the wrong light.
I purchased the color matched paint and clear coat in spray cans. I would appreciate advice on the proper technique in doing this touch up.

thanks

vin

[ells]

Yeah, I could use this info too. Got a couple conspicuous minor chips I'd like to fix or hide.

[macmac]

These scratches can't be deeper than the clear coat can they? I would have trouble seeing how a light skuff would be deeper than that.

If I am correct you won't need the silver, which I assume is what got scratched.

If it were me i would run 2" wide tape around the area(s), then mask off with paper, and lay tape on the first tape, not bothering much for a perfect edge to edge match.

Sand wet with 400 grit 3-M brand or better quality paper if there is such a thing, and be light about pressure.

Wipe that with rubbing alcohol, and let it dry making sure that area is clean, and dust free. The blue paper towels do pretty well. If you use a tack cloth be sure it is clean and that it doesn't leave big goobers everywhere!

Warm the can in a pan of hot water (Not boiling). Buy a grip for the can if one will fit, so you have better controll.

When you begin to shoot, start before you get to the area, so start over what is covered in paper, and shoot right on past that paper on the other side. It might take 3 passes or more, to cover the first half and then make a lower pass covering the 1/2 the top pass, and so on, 1/2 coat per pass.

Since this is a saddle bag you can work on a table, padded well an set the area to about a 20 degree angle, so you don't have to tip the can horizontal, but the coating won't land on a vertical surface either.

Clear Coat (cc) tends to self level given the chance. Don't make a high build at the tape either, as that will be hard to blend, to match.

Read the info, which should say some thing like don't shoot all the coat at once, but put on a wet coat, but not so wet it runs and sags. Wait, and don;'t do what I do and stick a finger in the middle. If you must stick a finger on it, touch the taped area where there is over spray.

Shoot a medium coat when the clear is about first dry. (There is a word for that and I haven't had all the coffee that makes my aledeged head tick yet.)

I wouldn't add any more that that.

Then the rest dep[ends on you and how much luck you had. The next step would be buffing.

That might be done with a 'good' buffer in under 10 minutes. It might be a body man will do that for nearly nothing, or you can spend time by hand and use 3-M hand buffing compunds on a hand buff to blend the hard edges.

If you buy a buffer go slow and light. Look often. You can burn right into clear pretty easy.

[gshep]

Doc,
I hesitate to give an opinion because my results in touch up have not always been to my satisfaction. I have tried two methods. First, the simple one. Spray the paint into a can lid and then apply with a toothpick, trying to just fill the scratch. Let it dry and apply again. This works if you don't care too much for the final finish. It will eventually fill the scratch and match the color.
Second method but much more labor intensive. Mask the area around the scratch. Now get out the 600 grit "wet" sandpaper and sand out the scratch making sure you feather the edges. Please sand as small an area as possible. I stop here to say, I hate spray cans of paint. For repair they all spray too big . If you have access to an airbrush it is much better as you can control the amount of paint and the spray pattern. Just spray the paint out of the can through a straw into the airbrush bottle. You will probably get it all over you so get away from the bike.

Spraying the paint. with either the airbrush or can spray light coats. You can also make a mask for the spray can, cutting out an aproximate area of the scratch out of cardboard and then holding it a couple of inches off the surface. this allows you to control the spray pattern a bit and still feathers the paint. Remember light coats and drying between.
Either way, spraying the paint and letting it dry is just the ante. Now for the work. Get you some 1500 -2000 grit finishing paper and begin to sand out the paint and over spray. go slow always keeping the paper and surface wet. when you have a uniform dull finish, it is time for the clear coat. repeat the process , light coats, controlled spray and then sanding out. after the clearcoat is sanded out with the 2000 grit paper, go to the polishing compound and compound the area followed by wax. Try to keep the overall area as small as possible. I usually get bigger through each step. If I start with a scratch as big as my little finger nail, it winds up to be a repair as big as my hand, so keep it small.
Now for the most important part. Pratice on something else until you develop your methods and skill. Please don't do this the first time on your Nomad, I promise, you will regret it. Try it on the fender of your wifes car or lawn mower or something but not your Nomad

I'll tell you a quick story of heartache. I was installing fender welt on my 29 Roadster pickup when I dropped the sissors. Of course they fell point down putting a small chip in my fender about the half the size of a pencil eraser. I almost got sick at my stomach. I put everything up for the evening and removed the fender. I used the technique I described and 4 manhours later reinstalled the fender.

See why most people paint the scratch with a toothpick
Also see why I hesitated to answer your question

One last thing, The technique works well for solid colors, with metalics, you are on your own.

Good luck
Shep

[Todd]

I wouldn't wet sand clear with anything more course than 1500 for touchup unless you are prepared to bring it all the way back up from the color coats.....after 1500, use a polishing compound. my 2cents

[blowndodge]

thats what I've done for cars that have been scratched but not down to the paint. I've used a small jar of touch up clear coat with my finger and rubbed the scratch with some on my finger then used a small clean towel over it or a sheet of paper to wipe softly the clear coat that was not in the scratch to make buffing easier. Use 2000 grit wet and polishing compound and wax.

[tomk]

I used Shep's method on a black car hood that was keyed all the way to the primer. It works really well.

[flightdoc]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm pretty sure the scratches are only as deep as the cc but they run the entire width of the door. There are probably 5-6 scratches like that are all running horizontally. Some of them are very difficult to see unless you look at an angle with the light hitting the surface just right.

[dantama]

Shep, got a picture of that 29 roadster?

[macmac]

In some ways I agree with 1,500 and 2,000 grit papers, but the old cc is dry, and you won't get a chemical bond, so even the 400 grit hasn't much to grab in the way of suff marks, and the only bond is going to be a mechanical bond at this point in time.

The term I was seeking befoe enough coffee is 'flash'. This is a term for cc and bc, when it is dry to the touch, but not chemically gassed out, and a time where a new coat with solvents will still cut into the last fresh coat(s).

In this way you get a build of all the coating you added. The reason a really wet coat isn't the best first coat is because it traps solvents, and they will come out. So the sooner they come out the faster the work goes, with less chance of a mess.

I should say I am not and never was any sort of pro.. Not painiting anyway. But I have done some fair work just the same. One day I will recover more pics I lost in a deal with ya hoo, and you can see a bike i call Liberty.

[blowndodge]

When your done Vin, slap the sh*t out of the guy that did that to your saddlebag..

[flightdoc]

BD, your suggestion is the one suggestion that I know I could do without messing up!! Thanks guys. I just might take it to a body shop and see if I could just get the door redone by a pro. If I mess it up I will be thinking about the mess all the time. I won't enjoy riding my bike. Know what I mean?

vin

[beezer]

sure do vin

[hollywood]

Man that sounds like a lot of work for a scratch - so I hesitate to ask this question.......
I have a 2 rock chips on my front fender - all the way to the metal and the exposed metal is showing rust. What should I do????

[ells]

Yeah, what hollywood said, I'm down to the metal on two pin head size chips, not sure where they came from but now I can't look at the bike without seeing them, although nobody else probably ever would, except a prospective buyer (its not for sale). I'm thinking the little touch up kits like you get for cars but have never been too happy with the results of them.