Blending in metallic paint on panels.

[Jelly_Sheffield]

So I want to finish the rust repairs I started on the Hilux last summer.

I have OEM colour matched metallic base coat and clear coat in 1k, a pressure pot sprayer, and more air than I could possibly want.

This allowed me to respray the bed-topper very successfully two years ago and that's holding up great with an ok colour match.


The repairs were all sprayed with cold galv and stone chip at the time, and it's held up variably well.

My plan is to sand back, treat any rust spots that developed, spray with cold galv again, add some filler to address my less than stellar sheet metal forming skills, sand a bit more and then prime with high build primer.

At that point I have two options:
- respray the entire quarter panel.
- blend the repaired areas into the undamaged paint.


I am trying to understand the blending process, from what my online research tells me I need to:
• key the area to be resprayed,
• then spray that area as normal,
• deliberately overspray around the repair area whilst "degrading" the paint spray on those areas.

In my mind that will end up looking weird because there's base coat going over clear coat on the non-repair area, and the "degraded" clear coat spray over it won't form a film and will just look cloudy and ****.

My thought process is that I need to:
→Key the whole area being sprayed to at least remove the clear coat everywhere,
→spray the base coat as normal onto the repair and feather that paint into the keyed area which has base coat but no clear coat,
→clear coat over the entire of the base coat and feather that into the unkeyed clear coat.
→use a buffer and cutting compound to blend the clear coat visually to remove any cloudy appearance.

Am I on roughly the right track?



Edit: It's ultimately an 18 year old pickup which gets the hell beaten out of it... Not aiming for perfection just for the end result not to look horribly incompetent.

Also a good place to get some practice in for a job that actually matters.

 

[norsa]

Im not quite sure what process you are thinking of from your description of non cleared and cleared basecoat. So. Met/Mica repair process. Do your local repairs. Key the whole panel(s) to be refinished to 800 grit. Do not cut through into the basecoat. Locally prime the repairs and flat back to 800. Now locally flick in your basecoat with an arcing movement on a lowered fluid delivery set up or mini gun to blend the colour into the panel. Clearcoat the entire panel. It takes a lot of practice to get it right and is probably the most technically difficult process to master but one has to start somewhere. Good luck.
Nick

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Im not quite sure what process you are thinking of from your description of non cleared and cleared basecoat.

I think I have been confused a bit by conflicting information online, interchangeably describing two processes:

- the one you describe,
and
- a process where some kind of additive is used when spraying to let the base coat and clear coat "burn in" to the existing (undamaged) paintwork, before buffing out the transition.

So. Met/Mica repair process. Do your local repairs. Key the whole panel(s) to be refinished to 800 grit. Do not cut through into the basecoat. Locally prime the repairs and flat back to 800. Now locally flick in your basecoat with an arcing movement on a lowered fluid delivery set up or mini gun to blend the colour into the panel. Clearcoat the entire panel.

What you're describing makes complete sense, although I didn't really want to spray the whole panel even with clear as it's a huge area, it's the only foolproof way to get an even finish.

It takes a lot of practice to get it right and is probably the most technically difficult process to master but one has to start somewhere. Good luck.

Yeah, it feels like it must require a lot of user skill with the gun to get the flicking motion right when spraying the base coat, such that it gives a smooth transition...

Being that it's a utilitarian vehicle, not a bad place to begin getting that practice in.

 

[norsa]

Ah, So now you've added a complication that many would shy away from. Including me with 40 years pro experience, but i recently had to do it on a Ferrari rear bumper So. Rewind to the beginning. Do your repairs and flat back for top coat. Now. Instead of flatting back the entire panel, flat back to about 4 times the size of repair, then compound the rest of the panel. Flick in your base coat sufficient to hold out and let it flash. Now same action with the clear but being sure you have completely covered your base coat and flatted area but not too far beyond. This will leave a dry edge at the extremities so you need to immediately spray a medium coat of fade out thinner to blend the dry edges into the existing clear but not too much as you will soften the clear you've just sprayed and it will run down the car. Once cured, you can then LIGHTLY mop out the repair into the panel and polish.
Nick

 

[ajlelectronics]

1k over 1k will blend reasonably well, but go with Nick's plan A. It is also the easiest plan.

 

[norsa]

1k over 1k will blend reasonably well, but go with Nick's plan A. It is also the easiest plan.

There speaks a man reflecting on bitter experience.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Last 1k lacquer coat could usefully be weak, 25:75 to help the gloss and blend. Leave it a couple of weeks before even considering polishing it.

 

[Smallfry]

Used to use ICI Belco fade out thinner. Marvellous stuff. Don't know whats available these days for modern finishes though.

Try and get the dry edge on a curve in the panel. Will minimise the inevitable difference in colour and metallic flake.

 

[keithski122]

You can get upol aerosol fade out thinners, still have half a can from when I blew in the wheel arches on my mazda 323 about 15 years ago.

 

[norsa]

I'm the last one to endorse rattle cans but yes, aerosol fade out is in my arsenal. Very convenient.

 

[keithski122]

The upol one is strong stuff, I tend to use it just for cleaning stuff but boy does it stink.