Paint Touch Up

[BigRuss]

I'm after some help with the best way to touch up the paint on my car. - It has a paint finish, not gel coat.

I've got a few small scratches, some stonechips and a rub mark on one of the arches.

I was hoping it'd be as simple as get some paint mixed to match the colour at Halfords, then paint it on carefully with a little modelling brush, but that doesn't seem to be the case, so I could do with some help.

What should I be doing? Would it be best to use an airbrush, or should a normal brush be okay? How should I prep the area (do I need to use wet and dry on the area? What grade?)

How can i get it to blend in nicely? Do I need to cut back the area I have done and then t-cut it? What kind of finish should I be able to achieve?

Sorry for so many questions, any help gratefully received... Can post pictures of what I'm trying to do if needed.

Thanks

Russ

[stu999]

It really depends on the type of damage you are attempting to repair, the current paint finish (is it solid, metallic etc?) and the type of paint itself.

Generally, for light chips, scratching where the surrounding paint is otherwise sound etc, a good T-Cut or Farcela rubbing compound treatment first, to prepare the paint surface. Dab the chip with a touch up brush, so eventually the paint is slightly proud of the original. Patience is the key - do not rush - you may need to do this over several days, especially in colder weather.

Once the slightly proud paint is dry, it can then be flatted level with the original (gently with 1200 grit wet and dry, regularly dipped into water washing up liquid mix), and polished up, again using Farcela, and then your favourite car polish. There is no reason why it can't be as good as original - if not better - if compatable paint systems are used.

However, if the paint is starting to lift around the damage, things get far more serious all of a sudden. The damage will have to be made good (loose paint removed), which can make a surprisingly big repair all of a sudden...