Best way to apply touch up paint???
 

I have a bottle of touch up paint and a bottle of some clear "lacquer" from the dealership today.

Both have a small brush like you would find with a bottle of nail polish. Whats the best way to apply it?

Thanks in advance....

Take a book of matches and use the ripped end of one of the matches.

You're going to find that the brushes supplied with the paint are waaaay too big. You'll want to find a couple of 000 artist brushes. You can get them at any hobby shop or Michael's Crafts, someplace like that.

First, be certain that no rust has started to form in the chip. Look carefully. If rust has begun to form, use a fiberglass pen to clean the chip out first. You can find them at Eastwood.

As far as the color coat goes, you just want to get enough in the chip to cover the metal, or primer. You should know, that if you're touching up a metallic color, it is very difficult to get a decent match with a brush because the metallic particles will gather together and cause the color to appear darker than the original. Be certain to allow the base-coat plenty of time to dry, and try not to allow the car to get wet during this period.

Next, fill the chip with the clear until the clear rises slightly above the level of the manufacturer's clear coat. This may take several coats of paint. Allow this to dry for a week or so.

Next, Get some brand new pencils with erasers, a sheet of 1200 and/or 1500 grit sandpaper and plenty of water. Cut tiny round pieces of the sandpaper and glue them to the pencil erasers (the sandpaper circles should be the same size as the pencil eraser. I find it easier to glue a piece sandpaper on first and then trim it to size). Wet the surface of the vehicle in the area of the chip, and particularly the chip itself. What you want to do is twirl the pencil between your thumb and forefinger to lightly sand the clear over the chip down to the exact level of the manufacturer's clear-coat. Take your time and check your work often. Be sure to keep the surface wet at all times (except when you're checking your work. When checking your work, dry the area so that you can clearly see what you're doing). When you are satisfied that you have flattened the chip down completely without cutting into the manufacturer's clear-coat, stop. The surface you've sanded will be very dull and flat.

Next, you will need to polish this area to regain the shine and blend the repair. I use 3M's Finesse-It II. You can successfully polish the repair by hand, but you'll be far more successful going with a buffer. Polish the area until the shine comes back. If you're an amateur with a buffer, be sure to read all you can about buffing and burning through your paint. This can happen extremely fast and be very ugly. If you're not comfortable, let a detailer rub it out for you. Another option is a random orbital buffer which will be much more forgiving.

Once you are done with the polish, run over the area with a good swirl mark remover to take out any buffer marks, wax with your favorite wax and you're done!

Hi,

My fav method is to clean the chip, as mentioned, then take a toothpick and stick it in the touch-up paint. Scrape off the excess and set the tip into the chip. The paint will slowly fill the chip up to the surface, let it slightly overfill as the paint will shrink once the solvent flashes off. On Horizontal surfaces, this technique takes a couple goes. First time only let the chip fill slightly, let harden at least 4 hrs. before adding more paint - same method. Once you master this technique, there will be little or no sanding required. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Pretty much as Grizz said, but with pictures :D

http://www.expresspaint.com/howtoapply/

Damn, pictures. I knew I forgot something.