How to Apply Touch Up Paint
If you are wondering if you can really apply touch up paint to your vehicle, and make it look good, the answer is yes! Just read the instructions first and take your time. Practice!!! Take a little time and practice using the touch up paint before you apply it to your car. This will give you a good feel for the paint and you can check the color match. Use a surface such as a metal can, a glossy sheet of paper, etc. to practice on. Use several light coats rather than one heavy coat when brushing or spraying the paint. Make sure you let the paint dry properly. If you really want an excellent repair, don't skip practicing! Check the Match Always check the paint match BEFORE you apply it to your vehicle. Use the enclosed test card, a glossy business card or a metal can and brush or spray out a little color and compare it to your vehicle. If there are any problems, please let us know so we can assist you by filling out this form. Paint Spraying-Humidity and Temperature Warning! Make sure you do not spray in wet or humid conditions! Do not spray in direct sunlight. To test the humidity, spray some of the clearcoat and see how it dries. If it dries with a whitish haze or streaks, it's too humid to paint! Spray paint should be applied when the temperature is at least 70°F and the humidity is below 50%. Paint Compatibility Warning If you have had your vehicle painted at Maaco, Earl Schieb or any other inexpensive paint shop within the last two years, our paint will lift your paint. If in doubt, you can paint a small inconspicuous part of the car and check for lifting. Key Scratches The paint pens work well on key scratches as you can easily control the amount of paint and apply it to the scratch. Try to follow the scratch as closely as possible with the basecoat. Apply the clearcoat and use rubbing compound to smooth and shine the area. Primer If you have an unpainted surface, either bare metal, plastic, rubber, etc., APPLY PRIMER! Primer is made to stick to unpainted surfaces and paint is designed to stick to primer! Primer can also be used to fill small imperfections in the surface. If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer to the surfaces. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens. Clean the area of all dust with a tack rag and apply primer to the unpainted surfaces. Make sure you let the primer dry thoroughly before applying the color coat. Lightly sand the primed area with #220 grit sandpaper followed by #600 wet and dry. Obtaining a Glossy Finish with Rubbing Compound Our paint requires a final polishing with rubbing compound (which we sell on our site) to make the paint glossy. Do not use polishing compound, it is not aggressive enough to polish the paint. There is a big difference between rubbing and polishing compound. Also, do not use heavy duty rubbing compound as this is too aggressive and will dull your paint. If you are spraying a large area, we recommend having the area machine polished as trying to polish the area by hand would be time consuming and require considerable pressure to obtain the proper gloss. You can use polishing pads with your electric drill, or go to your nearest detail shop and have them polish it for you. Machine polishing takes skill and it's very easy to burn right through the paint. Our rubbing compound can be applied by hand or machine. Bumpers and Non-Metal Surfaces If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer, basecoat and clearcoat. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens.The adhesion promoter is used over the surface just before applying the primer. Fiberglass If you are painting a sturdy, rigid fiberglass part, you can treat it just like metal. However, it never hurts to use the SEM Adhesion Promoter on any non-metal surface for maximum paint adhesion. Powder Coatings Our paint should be fine but make sure it will not lift or wrinkle the existing finish. Apply some automotive lacquer thinner by wetting the surface and giving it a couple of rubs with a damp cloth. If the existing finish does not soften or wrinkle, our paint should be okay to use. It wouldn't hurt to also test a small area before recoating the entire piece. Powder coatings are urethane, cured and baked at high temperatures. Clean the area with wax and grease remover then wetsand the area with first 220, then 600 grit sandpaper. Use primer if the area has scratches you want to fill and then apply the basecoat. Using your own Spray Equipment You must thin the paint before you can spray it from your own equipment. Thin the basecoat and midcoat paint 1:1 with automotive lacquer thinner (not the lacquer thinner sold at Home Depot, etc.). The clearcoat is usually thinned with with 1 to 2 parts thinner to one part clearcoat. Check the label for instructions. The primer we sell is ready to spray and does not need to be thinned. Make sure you read the primer label if you ordered the pint, quart or gallon for instructions on how to use it. You can use a regular automotive spray gun, an airbrush or the Preval sprayer available at most auto parts stores. You can use the recommended basemaker as a thinner (reducer.) Follow the directions on the basemaker label. They are different basemakers for different temperatures in the range of 65°-85°F so there are several to select from. For example, DUP7175S which would be a basemaker which would be suitable for temperatures up to 75°F. You will need to purchase this locally as there are several basemakers with different temperature ranges. Our paint does not need a catalyst or activator as it air dries. Tri-Coats Any color that has the word "Tri-coat" in the color description will need three different steps to achieve the correct color. First the basecoat is applied, followed by the midcoat and finally a clearcoat is applied. Make sure you practice before applying this touch-up paint to your vehicle. Waxing Allow the paint to dry for 30 days before waxing. Storage Store in a cool, dry place. Do not leave the bottle in your vehicle, as heat will dry up the paint. To make the paint last as long as possible, you can store the paint in your refrigerator. (If your spouse will let you!). Don't freeze the paint! Hazards and Safety-VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! Automotive touch-up paint including primer and clearcoats are EXTREMELY hazardous. Keep away from children! Call a physician IMMEDIATELY if swallowed. Keep out of direct sunlight and heat over 120F. DO NOT STORE IN CAR and avoid freezing. Contains HAZARDOUS Waste. EPA requires proper disposal. Use with adequate ventilation. If you experience any dizziness, discontinue product use immediately and call physician. This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause birth defects, cancer and other health problems. The main thing here is to use the product with adequate ventilation. Use an approved automotive paint respirator and WEAR safety goggles when handling automotive paint to protect your eyes!! This includes the primer, paint and clearcoat MSDS For MSDS information, please visit MSDSonline. You will need to register on the site, but they provide a free trial period so you can take a look at the MSDS sheets for the paint. Use their search tool as follows: Product Identifier: chromabase Manufacturer or Supplier: Universal Basecoat You can also look at the clearcoat and/or primer by entering Product Identifier: clearcoat and/or primer Manufacturer: PPG. Waxing Allow the paint to dry for 30 days before waxing. |