Paint touchup question

I have 2 very small rock chips (one on the front decklid and one on the top) on my Atlas car that I want to repair. I bought the pen from autovisuals ( www.autovisuals.com ) which I hear works well, but there is still the 'blob' effect I'm determined to avoid, so I haven't used it. I don't want to go through a huge multistep process nor do I want to repaint an entire section of the car for this. Does anyone have experience with a product called touchup123? I seem to recall a product called colordoctor or something like that. There's also the product from the Langka system - but that looks involved. Appreciate the advice!! Phil

Phil Here's the trick - apply the paint as you would normally. Wait 10 mins, then take a piece of t-shirt cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol, wrapped around a credit card and rub it across the surface to flattern - it does a great job - I used this technique last month when I did my touch-up. Be warned - do not do this in less than 10 mins, or you'll pull the paint off and after 20 mins it's very difficult to flattern the surface, so you have a window of around 5-7 mins where it's most effective. The first time you do it apply minimal force, then recalibrate yourself with increasing force until you get the paint to start to level. Don't worry if you remove the paint you just applied, just do it over again. (I know that I got this trick from someone here, but I do not remember the source - apologies for not giving credit - but Phil, if you do a search here it will turn up the original source)

Oreganet - which paint system are you referring to? The autovisual one?

I used a pen I obtained from paintscratch.com - standard OEM paint in a pen (less expensive than autovisual though). Now, be warned, your color match with metallic pain is never going to be as good as with a solid color, but by having it flat it will at least blend in a little more. BTW, it's currently 44 degrees outside - wait until after lunch when we get above 50F. Much as they say you can use it above 40F, the warmer the better in terms of getting a good film.

There is one trick I use that I've passed on to others. Go to your local home healthcare store and buy a handful of syringes. Yeah, they might look at you funny, but do it. Use the paint from the paint pen, or other source if you have touch up (it will need lacquer thinner), and put a small amount in the syringe. Use the syringe to drop in the paint. GO VERY SLOWLY until you master the 'thumb on plunger' technique. You do not want blobs. The first bits of paint (assuming the chips have been cleaned with thinner and are now dry) will adhere to the edges of the chip from bottom to top - that is how you want to fill. Let dry for an hour at least. Go back and repeat hourly as you build it up. Some paints dry slow...so judge your drying time. DO NOT RUSH IT. You will eventually build it up over a couple of days to the surface level. But then you do want to take it up a bit higher. So continue until it's a millimeter or so above the main surface. Once it fully cures (day or two), use the pencil-eraser-attached 1000 grit piece of sandpaper (wet is good) and work it down a notch. If it gets gummy, it wasn't fully cured. Once you have it level, go back over it with swirl remover (small amounts, small area), then paint cleaner, then wax. Assuming it's good to go, you are done. If not, repeat sandpaper technique, and go to 600 grit if it's really needed.

Eric, have you had experience or knowledge of the products in question - Touchup123, colordoctor, Langka, etc.? The Langka system seems pretty involved. If using the autovisuals pen, can I assume the 1000 grit sandpaper will not damage the clearcoat? I can get get touch up and syringes if that would work better. The defects are no more than 2mm in diameter, but of course, they bother me. Thanks!

I would certainly trust anything that Eric suggests, he is very knowledgable. With that said, I have used Langka. It is very easy but takes a little paitients. I am sure that the chemicals in the Langka product are similar to those other folks have mentioned. The Langka product even worked on some old blobs from the previous owner. Good luck.

Langka has been around for years, and some love it, some hate it. You can achieve similar results using your touch-up with some thinner, and syringes, but if Langka or the other kits seem like an easy choice, by all means, go for it. Either way, go slowly and don't be anxious.

This is good info - I used the paint pen on my car's rock chips adn now it looks like it has freckles. Damn blobs!

yeah, after reading everyone's comments about the paint pens I had high expectations, and was disappointed. Thankfully the rubbing alcohol trick worked wonders for a flat finish. Patience is the key, regardless of the technique that you use... expect to spend a day doing touchup (I did!), this is not a 15 minute job. I hadn't read Eric's syringe tip before and he is the god of paintwork. I'll admit that without having seen it done, it does look like it has opportunity for messing up if you've not done it before... size of syringe, amount of paint thinner to use... care in applying paint onto the spot to be touched up - size of spot that the technique is best suited to. All would have an effect on the final effect.

Which explains why I've been reluctant to just take the pen to it. I want it done right.

Well, as Eric said - patience is the key. Go into the job with an eye to it taking several hours, even when in reality it probably will not. Do it with lots of very thin layers - apply a new layer every 20 minutes, keep in going until you've filled in the chip and you're flat with the surrounding paintwork. As I said, if you mess it up, then just take the t-shirt cloth and rubbing alcohol and take the blob off again - it will come off and you can do it over again - you won't hurt anything. I was really surprised at how well blob flattening trick worked - even for someone with shaky hands like mine.

If you had started this after High Noon, then you could have had a couple of drinks in you to "calm your nerves." You know what they say... timing is everything!

I'd never make it as a surgeon. My hands have always had a shake to them... nervous energy - I never stop moving.

I think Phil is in the right line of work. If rock chips on his Porsche are driving him crazy, I can imagine the gusto with which he attacks microbes in his patients!

If my patients suspected I was this nuts, they'd leave for another practice. But being OCD at least got me thru medical school. Also got me a 99.96 score with my '65 e-type in the Jaguar Biennial meet back in '93. Now you know why the damn chips in the P-car make me crazy. BTW, the Jag is now owned by my brother, and it's a perfect 100 point car. I couldn't stand it just being a trailer queen - I needed something I could at least drive - even if just on sunny days.

OCDs of the world unite! You and me both... damned annoying and not even remotely funny. How many times DO I have to check that the car is locked and that I closed the garage door?!?!?

Yes, please, unite - then at least we can all know where you are, and avoid if at all possible!!!

Now now now, that wasn't very nice.

Another trick for chips is to take a paper match stick and try and tear at a 45 degree agnle. Just dip the tip in the paint and let the paint run into the chip. Don't try and fill it all at once just do a little bit at a time. If you get it to where the chip is higher then the rest of the paint you can go over it with some 2000 grit sand paper wet and then a good buffer. Should be able to barely notice when done. Chris