Thread: Touchin' up paint

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I drive my hotrod. Being as I live up here in the frozen a$$ed North, I have to pack 12 months worth of driving into about 6 months. I go to a lot of summer rod runs and "show and shines", and one thing I've noticed---It doesn't matter how clean, shiny, and polished your car is---if there is a stone chip the size of a gnats butt, anywhere on the car, thats what everybody gathers around and comments on!!!!! So, here I am out in the driveway (eyes are getting too old for 'garage light'---we need real sunshine here). I take some "Prekleeno" on a rag and do my wax removal act on all the stone chipped areas. I've got half a quart of paint left over from 3 years ago when I built the RPU---it has settled to about the consistency of chewing gum in the bottom of the can, and about the consistency of Naptha gas in the top of the can. I get the biggest screwdriver out of my workbench and stir this sorry mess untill it starts to at least look like paint again. I have an inch of 'Hardner" in the bottom of a pint mason jar that I bummed off a local bodyshop. Now lets see---the paint instructions call for 3 parts paint to one part hardner---so---9 drops of paint into the lid off another mason jar---and 3 drops of hardner into that----and stir with an old 4" ardox spike that I found in the bottom of the 'Junk drawer". Now I take my super ultra fine touch up brush (stole it out of my grand daughters colouring book set)--and proceed to "dab" the stone chips. You can't really paint, as you would with a real paintbrush---you have to use the 'dab" approach--and not dab too much, or as soon as you turn your back, it will proceed to 'drool" down the side of the car---Now I wait for half an hour or so, and then do the "dab" thing again.---And I will probably repeat this process about 3 times. This method does not probably rate very high on the "best custom paint application" charts, but hey, its free--and the stone chips will be mostly hidden for another season.----sound familiar????

I mix about 25 % clear with the base, and forget about the hardener. I then us a toothpick to fill the chip, without going outside the chip. The rule-of-thumb is to keep the repair as small as possible.

It may not be perfect, but looks a damnsite better than a primer colored chip.