builthatch
04-29-2009, 11:24 AM
on my 97 honda (which i had for almost 10 years), if i needed to repair a chip it was pretty easy. i'd fill the chip with custom mixed base (from a local body shop) stored in model paint jars. using a fine model brush (0/18 i believe), this was easy. i'd then top it with duplicolor clear using those yellow plastic dabbers avail at PBE stores. then i could wet sand it without worrying about burning through the clear because the older hondas had quite a bit of clear available, esp on the hood and roof. final step was polishing; back then i did it by hand, believe it or not, using staged compound and then a mass market polish.
well, early in 08, i got a chip on my new mazdaspeed and decided to try this like i always have. big mistake! there is like next to no clear on this car....it's very minimal. i burned through the surrounding clear with very little effort with 2k grit.
so, my only option was to repaint, which i did, and to do it right, it cost me a pretty penny.
well, recently i got another chip on my hood. i decided to try something else and it is working so far.....
i cleaned the spot well with the gangster version of prep-sol, called prep-all, and carefully filled the spot with base with my little brush...a couple layers. then, i dabbed it like i used to with the duplicolor touch up clear and my yellow plastic dabber. i then let it dry. this time though, i wiped with 50/50 IPA and used my rotary with some optimum compound and an orange pad. that really leveled the repair. it only needed a little bit of heat, some varying angles and nothing more than speed 1 on my makita. I noticed some negative space still, so i'm filling it again by dabbing more clear and going to go at it again tonight with a white pad and optimum polish, as i think the previous combo was unnecessary.
should be interesting. if i pull this off, i will be very pleased because i've been so worried about these new cars with such thin (metered) clear amounts applied. i probably will start to offer this as a service once i test it out a few more times. the only bummer is the time required between drying stages. i think i might be able to speed it up with some heat....possibly light heat from not a heat gun but maybe a hair dryer. i dunno, it will take some experimentation.
well, early in 08, i got a chip on my new mazdaspeed and decided to try this like i always have. big mistake! there is like next to no clear on this car....it's very minimal. i burned through the surrounding clear with very little effort with 2k grit.
so, my only option was to repaint, which i did, and to do it right, it cost me a pretty penny.
well, recently i got another chip on my hood. i decided to try something else and it is working so far.....
i cleaned the spot well with the gangster version of prep-sol, called prep-all, and carefully filled the spot with base with my little brush...a couple layers. then, i dabbed it like i used to with the duplicolor touch up clear and my yellow plastic dabber. i then let it dry. this time though, i wiped with 50/50 IPA and used my rotary with some optimum compound and an orange pad. that really leveled the repair. it only needed a little bit of heat, some varying angles and nothing more than speed 1 on my makita. I noticed some negative space still, so i'm filling it again by dabbing more clear and going to go at it again tonight with a white pad and optimum polish, as i think the previous combo was unnecessary.
should be interesting. if i pull this off, i will be very pleased because i've been so worried about these new cars with such thin (metered) clear amounts applied. i probably will start to offer this as a service once i test it out a few more times. the only bummer is the time required between drying stages. i think i might be able to speed it up with some heat....possibly light heat from not a heat gun but maybe a hair dryer. i dunno, it will take some experimentation.