Touch-Up Paint Restoration Thread (write-up w/ pics)
#1
01-04-2014, 10:19 PM
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,765
Rep Power: 95 
Touch-Up Paint Restoration Thread (write-up w/ pics)
Hey Guys,
I wanted to provide those wanting to perform this with a comprehensive write-up up to Touch-up paint your Aston. As this can be an intimidating process I tried to simplify it down and be as specific as possible. Pardon if it is a bit long winded, but I thought it would be helpful for beginners or those who have not done it before. Enjoy...
Finally! got the car I have been looking for, but the only downside is it was from Arizona. Not sure how many of you have ever lived there but for those of you who have you know just how much the desert environment can sandblast the front end of a car, even one driven as little as mine had been. The front end had been peppered with tiny rock chips & pits over the years by the previous owner, who as meticulous as he was, never got clear bra. For that reason, I was planning on getting a full custom front clearbra done on the front of my car. Before the clearbra went on though I wanted to get rid of all the little (and big) white specs from all the chips & pits to help minimize their appearance once the clearbra goes on (essentially acting like a clear coat). Once that clearbra is on you cannot do anything about those imperfections so better to do them before while you still can.
To my surprise the local Aston Martin dealership does not actually carry touch up bottles (Many manufacturers do, such as Mercedes etc, but Aston unfortunately does not). Luckily, the Aston dealer referred me to their official paint shop: Katy Coach Works.
When I arrived at the shop, to my surprise I found out it was a certified Paint Shop for both Aston Martin's and Mercedes benz (how ironic/appropriate given their newest partnership). All I had to do was give them my color & VIN # and they provided me with a 55ml bottle (roughly 2 ounces) of Meteorite Silver paint with build in brush in the cap all for only $60! Wanting to do it the right way I went to the local Art & Crafts store to get all the necessary supplies to do this the right way.
Supplies:
- Paint Bottle (supplied by katycoachworks.com) = $60
- Fine tip synthetic paint brush = $3.50
- Brush Cleaner & Restorer = $15
- Small Plastic container (for brush cleaner solution) = $1
- "Invisible Glass Cleaner" (Or windex) = $6
- LED flash light = $5-10 at most stores (Costco sells them in triplets for dirt cheap)
- Isoppropyl Alcohol + Q-tips (optional) = $1
Paint:
Supplied by Katy Coach Works was a fantastic match, not 100%, but about 95% match. Anything beyond 3-4 inches away and you cannot even see it (so much so it was hard for me to remember where I had put paint as I was filling in the chips/pits)
Brushes:
Although the paint bottle comes with a build in brush tip in the cap, its WAY too big, you cannot use it to fill in the pits as it is simply too large and will just put globs of paint on the surface. For that reason I bought 3 different size brushed from the art store. In retrospect, the two larger sizes were completely unnecessary (I included them in the pictures for reference so you could get an idea of just how fine a tip brush you need). I only used the finest point of the three: size zero. The art store clerk recommended I use synthetic bristle brushes as they are stronger, more durable, last longer, can be used with wider variety of paints, and best of all they are the cheapest.
Brush Cleaner :
At first I thought this would not be necessary but the art store clerk insisted I get it because it make cleaning up brushes. I am glad he did because not even isopropyl alcohol would break down or remove the touchup paint once it dried. The automotive grade touchup paint is MUCH stronger than I had anticipated so I am glad I got this for cleanup purposes. Once the Automotive paint dries, it is extremely durable/hard/tough. NOTE: DO NOT USE THIS CLEANER ON THE CARS PAINT!!! ONLY FOR BRUSH CLEANUP (it's essentially similar to acetone, but non toxic and biodegradable).
Prep Work:
In order to effective get a good bond between touchup paint and the clearcoat/basecoat you much ensure that all waxes/sealants/polishes and contaminants are completely removed from the paints surface. I provided two techniques for you to do this depending on what you desire. If you want to just spot touchup a few specific chips and want to keep the wax on your car you can simply dip the Q-tips into the isopropyl and rotate the tip of the Q-tip on the chip/pit desired and allow to dry.
I personally recommend if you are going to do the whole front end of your car (which you should) to just use Invisible Glass to spray down the whole front and wipe everything down with a microfiber towel (no lint). This should eliminate all the wax gently off the cars surface and allow a good bond for the paint to adhere to.
Also, Before you get started I recommend putting down a large cardboard box or sterile mat of some kind to put your supplies on as you work because you do not want any dust/dirt particles from the floor getting onto your supplies as you work (especially your paint brush). Furthermore, it is more comfortable anyways.
Painting Instruction/Technique:
Once you have prepped the surface, shake the bottle of paint vigorously for 10 seconds (and do so periodically ever few minutes throughout the entire process). Unscrew the cap and lift up the built in brush applicator. Since the fine tip art brush is so fine you don't need to tip it in the bottle itself, just brush it inside the larger cap brush applicator until there is enough paint on it to transfer to the car. Keep in mind, the paint dries very quickly in the air (about ~20 seconds) so you have to constantly reapply more paint and keep the tips of the brushes wet. Put the cap back onto the bottle every time you replenish the brush tip with paint. (side note: Keep the paint bottle indoors away from extreme temps)
Shine your LED flash light downward at a 45 degree angle to expose all of the paints flaws. LED flashlights are especially good at exposing all of these minor imperfections (and their batteries last MUCH longer so they are perfect for this type of job which will take roughly 1+ hours moving at a patient pace). With your other hand, slowly & precisely poke the fine tip of the brush into the chip/pit 2-3 quick dabs at a time just enough to fill the indentation with enough paint and move on to the next. Remember, LESS IS MORE. It's always easier to add a little more which is why you do not want too much paint on the tip of the brush. Your goal is to push the brushes tip into the chip in question to get the bristles of the brush inside for full coverage. It does not take that much to do so. If you put too much you will have to quickly wipe the excess with isopropyl and start over so take your time and move patiently. Do not be in a rush to do this (set aside at least 1-2 hours to do the whole car). Much like the flashlight, also hold the paint brush in a downward 45 degree angle to allow all the paint to drip down to the brushes tip (more efficient technique I learned because if you hold downward sometimes the excess paint can drip down or run down brush handle if you put too much).
Work each panel from Left to Right for two reasons; first, it's easier to track where you have painted, and second you do not want your hand/wrist to be smudging on wet paint as you fill in new pits nearby ones you just painted. (I supposed if you are left handed it may be easier to go from right to left accordingly). Every once in a while, dip the paint brush into the small container of brush cleaner to get all the paint off of the brush (it will glob up a bit as the paint dries super quickly on the brush). Once you rinse it in the solution, wipe with a paper towel, allow to dry, then continue painting.
It may be easy to get a bit overzealous and do every single possible indentation, you don't want to do this. Only focus on the ones that are visible from 2+ feet that is exposing a color other than your pain (such as white primer on a grey/black car etc). Any other minor imperfections in the paint can always be polished out with a good detail. Metallic Paint blends in very well but I am sure the process will work on non metallic cars; although I'm not sure if you really need to do it on a white car, but I suppose it could be justified.
Summary:
Ultimately, I ended up using only 5ml of the 55ml bottle to do the entire car pretty much (front bumper, hood, leading edge of front fenders, and rear quarter panels above the factory clearbra piece (actually one of the worst panels for my car for some reason). Obviously that's way more than any one person would need especially considering since many may not have to do as much as I did on mine, so if any of your local Aston buddies happen to have the same color you could easily use one bottle to do 3-5 cars as long as your colors are matching.
All in all, I am very happy with the results and the imperfections are completely hidden now that the clearbra is on the car (write-up coming soon). It made the front of the car look completely brand new again without the need to repaint any panels and cost next to nothing to complete. I highly recommend this route to anyone who doesn't mind to spend a little TLC time with their car to give her that extra little touch-up (pun intended).
Hope that helps,
007
I wanted to provide those wanting to perform this with a comprehensive write-up up to Touch-up paint your Aston. As this can be an intimidating process I tried to simplify it down and be as specific as possible. Pardon if it is a bit long winded, but I thought it would be helpful for beginners or those who have not done it before. Enjoy...
Finally! got the car I have been looking for, but the only downside is it was from Arizona. Not sure how many of you have ever lived there but for those of you who have you know just how much the desert environment can sandblast the front end of a car, even one driven as little as mine had been. The front end had been peppered with tiny rock chips & pits over the years by the previous owner, who as meticulous as he was, never got clear bra. For that reason, I was planning on getting a full custom front clearbra done on the front of my car. Before the clearbra went on though I wanted to get rid of all the little (and big) white specs from all the chips & pits to help minimize their appearance once the clearbra goes on (essentially acting like a clear coat). Once that clearbra is on you cannot do anything about those imperfections so better to do them before while you still can.
To my surprise the local Aston Martin dealership does not actually carry touch up bottles (Many manufacturers do, such as Mercedes etc, but Aston unfortunately does not). Luckily, the Aston dealer referred me to their official paint shop: Katy Coach Works.
When I arrived at the shop, to my surprise I found out it was a certified Paint Shop for both Aston Martin's and Mercedes benz (how ironic/appropriate given their newest partnership). All I had to do was give them my color & VIN # and they provided me with a 55ml bottle (roughly 2 ounces) of Meteorite Silver paint with build in brush in the cap all for only $60! Wanting to do it the right way I went to the local Art & Crafts store to get all the necessary supplies to do this the right way.
Supplies:
- Paint Bottle (supplied by katycoachworks.com) = $60
- Fine tip synthetic paint brush = $3.50
- Brush Cleaner & Restorer = $15
- Small Plastic container (for brush cleaner solution) = $1
- "Invisible Glass Cleaner" (Or windex) = $6
- LED flash light = $5-10 at most stores (Costco sells them in triplets for dirt cheap)
- Isoppropyl Alcohol + Q-tips (optional) = $1
Paint:
Supplied by Katy Coach Works was a fantastic match, not 100%, but about 95% match. Anything beyond 3-4 inches away and you cannot even see it (so much so it was hard for me to remember where I had put paint as I was filling in the chips/pits)
Brushes:
Although the paint bottle comes with a build in brush tip in the cap, its WAY too big, you cannot use it to fill in the pits as it is simply too large and will just put globs of paint on the surface. For that reason I bought 3 different size brushed from the art store. In retrospect, the two larger sizes were completely unnecessary (I included them in the pictures for reference so you could get an idea of just how fine a tip brush you need). I only used the finest point of the three: size zero. The art store clerk recommended I use synthetic bristle brushes as they are stronger, more durable, last longer, can be used with wider variety of paints, and best of all they are the cheapest.
Brush Cleaner :
At first I thought this would not be necessary but the art store clerk insisted I get it because it make cleaning up brushes. I am glad he did because not even isopropyl alcohol would break down or remove the touchup paint once it dried. The automotive grade touchup paint is MUCH stronger than I had anticipated so I am glad I got this for cleanup purposes. Once the Automotive paint dries, it is extremely durable/hard/tough. NOTE: DO NOT USE THIS CLEANER ON THE CARS PAINT!!! ONLY FOR BRUSH CLEANUP (it's essentially similar to acetone, but non toxic and biodegradable).
Prep Work:
In order to effective get a good bond between touchup paint and the clearcoat/basecoat you much ensure that all waxes/sealants/polishes and contaminants are completely removed from the paints surface. I provided two techniques for you to do this depending on what you desire. If you want to just spot touchup a few specific chips and want to keep the wax on your car you can simply dip the Q-tips into the isopropyl and rotate the tip of the Q-tip on the chip/pit desired and allow to dry.
I personally recommend if you are going to do the whole front end of your car (which you should) to just use Invisible Glass to spray down the whole front and wipe everything down with a microfiber towel (no lint). This should eliminate all the wax gently off the cars surface and allow a good bond for the paint to adhere to.
Also, Before you get started I recommend putting down a large cardboard box or sterile mat of some kind to put your supplies on as you work because you do not want any dust/dirt particles from the floor getting onto your supplies as you work (especially your paint brush). Furthermore, it is more comfortable anyways.
Painting Instruction/Technique:
Once you have prepped the surface, shake the bottle of paint vigorously for 10 seconds (and do so periodically ever few minutes throughout the entire process). Unscrew the cap and lift up the built in brush applicator. Since the fine tip art brush is so fine you don't need to tip it in the bottle itself, just brush it inside the larger cap brush applicator until there is enough paint on it to transfer to the car. Keep in mind, the paint dries very quickly in the air (about ~20 seconds) so you have to constantly reapply more paint and keep the tips of the brushes wet. Put the cap back onto the bottle every time you replenish the brush tip with paint. (side note: Keep the paint bottle indoors away from extreme temps)
Shine your LED flash light downward at a 45 degree angle to expose all of the paints flaws. LED flashlights are especially good at exposing all of these minor imperfections (and their batteries last MUCH longer so they are perfect for this type of job which will take roughly 1+ hours moving at a patient pace). With your other hand, slowly & precisely poke the fine tip of the brush into the chip/pit 2-3 quick dabs at a time just enough to fill the indentation with enough paint and move on to the next. Remember, LESS IS MORE. It's always easier to add a little more which is why you do not want too much paint on the tip of the brush. Your goal is to push the brushes tip into the chip in question to get the bristles of the brush inside for full coverage. It does not take that much to do so. If you put too much you will have to quickly wipe the excess with isopropyl and start over so take your time and move patiently. Do not be in a rush to do this (set aside at least 1-2 hours to do the whole car). Much like the flashlight, also hold the paint brush in a downward 45 degree angle to allow all the paint to drip down to the brushes tip (more efficient technique I learned because if you hold downward sometimes the excess paint can drip down or run down brush handle if you put too much).
Work each panel from Left to Right for two reasons; first, it's easier to track where you have painted, and second you do not want your hand/wrist to be smudging on wet paint as you fill in new pits nearby ones you just painted. (I supposed if you are left handed it may be easier to go from right to left accordingly). Every once in a while, dip the paint brush into the small container of brush cleaner to get all the paint off of the brush (it will glob up a bit as the paint dries super quickly on the brush). Once you rinse it in the solution, wipe with a paper towel, allow to dry, then continue painting.
It may be easy to get a bit overzealous and do every single possible indentation, you don't want to do this. Only focus on the ones that are visible from 2+ feet that is exposing a color other than your pain (such as white primer on a grey/black car etc). Any other minor imperfections in the paint can always be polished out with a good detail. Metallic Paint blends in very well but I am sure the process will work on non metallic cars; although I'm not sure if you really need to do it on a white car, but I suppose it could be justified.
Summary:
Ultimately, I ended up using only 5ml of the 55ml bottle to do the entire car pretty much (front bumper, hood, leading edge of front fenders, and rear quarter panels above the factory clearbra piece (actually one of the worst panels for my car for some reason). Obviously that's way more than any one person would need especially considering since many may not have to do as much as I did on mine, so if any of your local Aston buddies happen to have the same color you could easily use one bottle to do 3-5 cars as long as your colors are matching.
All in all, I am very happy with the results and the imperfections are completely hidden now that the clearbra is on the car (write-up coming soon). It made the front of the car look completely brand new again without the need to repaint any panels and cost next to nothing to complete. I highly recommend this route to anyone who doesn't mind to spend a little TLC time with their car to give her that extra little touch-up (pun intended).
Hope that helps,
007
#2
01-05-2014, 09:02 AM
Great writeup, and I see Katy Coach Works is in Houston so that makes it good for me too! I will keep them in mind should (gasp) I need repairs.
#4
01-06-2014, 08:51 AM
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,765
Rep Power: 95
Glad You found it useful. Yes Jeff, it's near memorial city mall on I-10 two exits before the beltway.
#5
01-15-2014, 04:39 AM
Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Posts: 58
Rep Power: 13
Thank you for the detailed writeup! Hope to do a little better touchup on my dark blue DB9 from here on. Have been a bit disappointed with my efforts so far, but...that gorgeous paint just was never intended to maintain that beautiful original finish when put on the road.
#6
01-16-2014, 09:24 AM
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,765
Rep Power: 95
Perhaps you need to have it professionally buffed and waxed. That will help liven up the pair a lot. Polishing after you do touch up is another option as well.
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