hey guys..

Recently found some spots in the clear coat that have chipped from rocks, as well as the paint underneath.


I touched it up with the MINI paint stick and then after it dried, i went over it with some light sanding (1500 grit) and then the clear coat, which i also smoothed over with the 1500 grit...

What i noticed is that as im sanding the clear coat, it just starts coming off like it doesnt stick. I can literally peel clear coat off. What am i doing wrong? Is it not fully cured yet? i can dig my nail in it and it will chip off easily.

 

How many days did you let the clear coat dry?

What prep did you do? Did you remove any wax first in and around the damaged area?

What grit paper are you sanding it with?

 

yah, i let touchup paint dry for atleast 2 weeks before i start wetsanding. those blobs can take a while to fully cure.

 

... it was more hours then days...

Removed wax, sanded area down around it with 1500 grit sand paper.


I guess i will just let it bake in the sun for a week (going on vacation anyway) then give it another go.

thanks!

 

I've found that the colorcoat touchup paint dries enough in hours to be sanded but not the clear. I actually find there is no benefit to using the clear, but in your case since you're only trying to touch up the clear, then yes, the longer you let it dry the better..a week should be plenty.

Richard

 

mix the base coat and clear together 25% color to 75% clear to make a single stage paint, fill up chip, let dry,repeat then sand and polish, takes a while to cure......

 

Since the clear coat is the same as base coat without pigment, what's the point of mixing the base and clear together??

 

Can't attest to what's in the MINI bottles but

proper "base" is not the same as the clear. Color base has no gloss and no 'strength' if you want to think of it that way. All those properties come from the clear. (I just got done re-spray of a couple of panels last nite using Sherwin Wlliams Ultra-7000 base topped with TRANSTAR Euro Qwick Clear). A 'flashed' spray of color base is dull.

When applying 'dots' to chips it is often not easy to see that the base has no gloss and you can even fool yourself by polishing it, but it lacks the 'strength' factor so you need the clear. Mixing them is a viable shortcut.

The problem you decribe is why I prefer to use LANGKA to smooth the blobs - Dr Colorchip is essentially the same. Less aggressive than even 1500 grit

Base is often described as the same 'paint' with just the color pigment removed for simplicity. In practice today not so however. (What's in the MINI bottles are an unknown .... maybe I'll paint a small square with base fm my set and see what turns out)

BTW the clear I use is fairly typical and the product data sheet says it is dry to sand in 2 to 3 hours at 77 deg f. Dry to 'deliver' in 4. This is of course a 2 part product - a chemical 'activator' is mixed. Air drying - or gassing off - is not the process being employed. It is a chemical reaction causing hardening. when I get serious about a chip I'll mix a very small quanity of this two part product for brush application - or use an airbrush.

http://www.tat-co.com/dataDownload.asp?id=3851

intended just an fyi mostly for for larger repairs which again has little bearing on what's in the bottle which obviously does not use an activator and is probably little other than clear nail polish available from your significant other.

 

The activator/hardener you speak of is what happens with typical professionally applied clear coats. Most body shops err on the side of adding more hardener than less to ensure that the paint will cure properly. While the ratio is critical, this is something that does not apply to the clear that comes in the MINI touch up paint that seems closer to nail polish.

Your information is not relevant to the OPs question however it's good information nonetheless.

I stand by my original statement..I see no benefit to mixing the MINI clear and base touchup paint.

Also in regards to sanding fresh paint, while it maybe true that you can sand it within hours, experience has shown that polishing it to remove the sanding marks has to be done very carefully before the paint has fully cured.

Richard

 

I was not refering to the mini touch up paint in the little bottles,however if they supply a clear with the touch up kit I suspect it has no uv protection and will break down rather quickly. I mix my own paint and use U-POL clear, I need the clear with activator to insure it hardens enough to sand and polish, and will stay on for more than a half a dozen washes..

 

this is why it is always a good idea to read the technical data sheet for the product you are using

you say
Also in regards to sanding fresh paint, while it maybe true that you can sand it within hours, experience has shown that polishing it to remove the sanding marks has to be done very carefully before the paint has fully cured.



but for example the product I prefer to use says

POLISHING RECOMMENDATION

 

The problem is that the OP was asking about the MINI touchup, and your recommendation doesn't apply to his question. Same goes for Capt_bj.

We are trying to help the OP, not confuse the matter. The suggestions you make should be applicable to his situation, not yours. That's my point.

Richard

 

haha, thanks octane guy!

Checked the clear and it seems to be cured nicely.

 

i do. you can do one app and be done with it. i recommend you mix 50/50 with basecoat and gloss.

 

It's been a long intermission but I have plenty of popcorn left.