Paint chip repair

[dwg51357]

I’ve been doing some experimenting and have come up with what I think is a great way to touch up chips in paint. It’s an inexpensive alternative to Dr. Color Chip or Langka. Supplies needed: Alcohol Regular touch-up paint (I used a bottle that the local pain shop mixed to match my color) Toothpicks Polish (I used Meguiars Ultimate Polish, but I suspect others would work) Paint brush cleaner (I used Winsor & Newton - $7 from local Michaels) Process: Thoroughly clean chip area with alcohol. Using toothpick, apply tiny “blob” of paint to chip. In my experimenting, I found it worked best to apply enough paint that it is above the surrounding surface. Let dry for an hour. Mix polish to paint brush cleaner at approximately 7-3 ratio. Using a soft, thin cloth, rub mixture over the dried “blob.” This part requires some trial and error to get the right pressure. I used and back-and-forth motion and circular motion, working the mixture until I got the “blob” down to the level of the surrounding paint. Clean area thoroughly and use full-strength polish to finish the job. I was very pleased with the results. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take before and after pics. Worth noting: On Sunday I noticed a chip that I’d touched up the day before. The “blob” was apparent – ack! I figured I’d give the polish-brush cleaner mixture a try anyway, and found that it worked even a day after I’d applied the paint.

[davey g-force]

Re: Paint chip repair

Cool, thanks for the tip.

So what's in this paint brush cleaner? Is it just a paint thinner or solvent of some sort?

And you apply the polish/brush cleaner mix straight after you've applied the paint?

[rickylexus250]

Re: Paint chip repair

This is interesting breakthrough, please explain more, is the polish and cleaner actually cutting the paint back to the level, won't it just wipe all of it off.

[dwg51357]

Re: Paint chip repair

Yes, the polish-cleaner mixture cuts back the paint to the level. The paint blob is practically dry after an hour. (And the blob I missed and discovered a day later seemed totally dry.) When I started rubbing the polish-cleaner mixture, I could see that it was removing tiny layers of the blob; just kept rubbing until it was level with the surrounding paint.

I am not sure what's in the paint brush cleaner - some sort of solvent. Here's the product description: "This brush cleaner and restorer can be used on natural or synthetic brushes. It completely cleans dried acrylics oils and alkyds with no damage to brush head or loss of fibers. Leaves no oily residue. Non-toxic biodegradable water soluble non-flammable and non abrasive. Low odor."

[davey g-force]

Re: Paint chip repair

Sounds great and worth a try. Sounds like you've discovered a DIY version of Dr Colorchip.

[Top Gear]

Re: Paint chip repair

Great tips! I've done the same type of thing, both with exact touch-up paint, and with a basic black "paint pen" with clear, which works very well, btw. I consider these fixes temporary, because they will eventually be fixed by the professional paint "blender" service I periodically use. They will sand areas like that down, fill them, and literally airbrush exact-match paint and clear back for a perfect blend