2 Step touch up Paint?

Discussion in 'Modifications And Maintenance' started by Woot, Aug 16, 2012.

  1. Woot
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    Woot Well-Known Member

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    So it turns out the paint on the rear bumper of my hatch is paper thin and I made the mistake of letting my dogs jump into the back the other day. My Australian Shepperd is apparantly not as graceful as my red dog is. Needless to say I am going to be putting the clear bra guard on rear bumper soon but wanted to touch up the paint first. Went to Subaru and they gave me two step paint which I'll admit I've never used before and apparantly neither had anyone in the parts department. I kinda feel like my grandmother in front of a laptop right now. Has anyone used this stuff before? I'm sure it's a no brainer but I always appreciate a little heads up before I get all covered in touch up paint. Mostly wondering if I need to do this in muliple layers.
     
  2. idget
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    idget Want to pokéman? PM ShortytheFirefighter Staff Member

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    How good do you want it to look?

    Touch-up paint (bottle, pen, 2-step, dr colochip, etc...) will almost always be noticeable unless you wetsand and polish after applying. Even still, results will vary.

    Tips:

    For application, use capillary action (toothpick, glass pipette, etc...).

    Let dry completely (otherwise it'll smear when you wetsand or pull when you polish). This is usually 12-24 hours.

    Wetsand carefully, ending with 3000 grit.

    Polish with a wool pad or something that won't heat up the surface, otherwise the touchup paint will most likely pull out of the scratch. Remember that the touchup paint is softer than the surrounding paint, adjust your polishing process accordingly.
     
  3. STI_guy
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    STI_guy Well-Known Member

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    If you get me the color code I can mix some touch up paint for you I work in a bodyshop
     
  4. Woot
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    Woot Well-Known Member

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    Thanks but I actually already got the 2 stage paint from morries subaru, it's the white pearl. The bottles literally say step 1 and step 2 but there is no further explanation, the guys in the part shop had no idea either (surprise) but thought that one of them needed to be applyed in mulitple layers. I guess i was just asking if anyone had used the subaru 2 step touchup paint before as in my past experiance w/ touch up paint there has alwasy been one idiot proof bottle.
     
  5. idget
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    idget Want to pokéman? PM ShortytheFirefighter Staff Member

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    I haven't used Subaru's 2-step touch-up but I've used others. It's usually as simple as prep surface, apply 1st paint, let dry, apply 2nd paint, let dry.

    As with any touch-up, my above advise still applies. It will look blotchy and uneven without wetsanding followed by compounding.
     
  6. Woot
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    Woot Well-Known Member

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    ok, it's literally a spot about the size of this --->O<--- so i figure even after touch up if you didn't know it was there already it you probably wouldn't notice it. I'll try just going bottle one bottle two on it and hopefully that will work, i'll post a pic when it's done, thanks for the advice though.
     
  7. Dan4914
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    Dan4914 Member

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    Time to resurrect this thread... I am about to do the same thing. I bought the paint/clear coat touch up pen from the dealership and need to touch up two ~5mm diameter paint chips near the right rear door handle. I was kinda putting it off until I noticed just the other day that some surface rust was forming on the bare metal. My current plan is this:

    • Get rid of any more loose chipping near the problem area
    • Tape it off
    • Sand down rusty bare metal (by hand) with 2000 (?) grit sandpaper until rust is gone
    • Apply first step (paint)
    • If I can, use a heat gun until dried. If I have time, I will allow to dry overnight
    • (wet sand the paint layer before applying clear coat?)
    • Apply second step (clear coat), let dry
    • Wet sand with 3000 grit sandpaper
    • Wax
    Any suggestions? My biggest question mark is if I should sand/polish after the first layer (paint only) has dried. Or if I should apply the clear coat without sanding, THEN sand/polish/wax. My main focus is getting rid of the surface rust 100% and stopping the spread of it.

    Any input is appreciated!