Re: Touch-up paint quandary

Cameo <[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks for the info. It's been a while since I used factory touch-up 
> paint and at that time one had to shake the small paint container till 
> the metal ball inside was freely moving in the paint fluid.

Spray paint (cans or air tool) are much thinner so, yeah, they need to
be shaken or stirred to get the pigment solids back into an emulsion.
You kit isn't a spray can product wherein a stainless steel ball is used
to get the pigments back into an emulsion.  I usually used the
applicator style touch-up paint once (well, over a couple days to do
multiple coats), and then tossed the rest.  If I need to touch up again
in a year, or more, I get new stuff.  I can do lots of offroading
without any paint dings, but when they spread tar and coat with stone
chips is when the nicks start showing up (and I've even had those sharp
chipped stones wedge into my tires to cause punctures).

> I am also suprised that I'd have to apply water to the tip as I would 
> have thought lacquer thinner would have to be used.

From the drying time proposed, looks like the touch-up paint is water
based.  Oil based would take longer (like 6 times longer) not just to
get tacky but to thoroughly dry before the next coat.  The base coat can
be water based (as are many other car mfr paints), and why you see a
dab-off and cleanup steps using water.  The clear coat is a lacquer, and
why there is no cleanup step.

I haven't used a 2-part touch-up paint product in a long time.  It's
just been a single application product that has a polymeric acrylic
resin (in beads of methlpropyl ketones) and solvent (acetone, xylene, or
naptha), and perhaps some silica to adjust the sheen or matt-ness, so
dry time is quicker, and it's easier with 1 application without
intervening drying times).  No separate clear coat is needed.  For paint
chips, that is sufficient.  For larger areas, you might want a clear
coat if the rest of the paint has one, so the depth of sheen is similar.
However, most touch-up paint gets dabbed into the chipped spot leaving a
ridge behind unless the user builds up using multiple coats (to get
reversed, so the new paint feels like a slight ridge higher than the
rest of the paint), and then buffs out the paint so it is even with the
rest of the paint.  That's not how most touch-up paint is used.  Most
users don't even use a rust converter paint resulting in a botched paint
job that flakes off due to remnant rust underneath.  Considering how far
away are eyes from the surface of your car, and others don't often run
their hands over your car (why are they stroking your car?), the ridges
are often imperceptible.  Well, until you walk around your car to see
the ridges because you know they're there.

Also, you should use a wax remover before applying paint.  You can, for
example, use Ivory soap.  Do NOT use Dawn.  Many car soaps contain wax.