The biggest problem with trying to blends using an airbrush is that the metallic won't lay down properly because the paint and the coats are so thin. You'll also get rings around the repair, especially on silvers. 3-coat pearls will look different with the pearl standing up too much.

If you want to do small blow-in repairs then a little gun would be a better choice. For very small jobs I use a Star S-2 which, at 0.8mm, is just big enough to lay down metallics, or an ANI R150 which, at 1.0mm, is suitable for slightly bigger jobs.

NFT5 wrote:The biggest problem with trying to blends using an airbrush is that the metallic won't lay down properly because the paint and the coats are so thin. You'll also get rings around the repair, especially on silvers. 3-coat pearls will look different with the pearl standing up too much.

If you want to do small blow-in repairs then a little gun would be a better choice. For very small jobs I use a Star S-2 which, at 0.8mm, is just big enough to lay down metallics, or an ANI R150 which, at 1.0mm, is suitable for slightly bigger jobs.

Spot on. Tried to spray Gunmetal Pearl and it stood up. Even reduced the heck out of it. Luckily it all wipes right off with acetone and doesn't seem to do too much to the original factory paint.

The problems with touch ups and blending clear is that eventually the clear seems to fail at the blends.

I had a car that the dealer scratched the bumper when doing an oil change. They "fixed" the bumper before I got there and said it was good as new. Looked great that day but within a year the clear was peeling at the blends.

This is why those of us who restore cars try to always clear the entire panel. Even if it seems like overkill, it is the best insurance against having the car come back.

'68 Coronet R/T wrote:The problems with touch ups and blending clear is that eventually the clear seems to fail at the blends.

True.

For retail customers I generally won't do clearcoat blends for exactly the reasons you've outlined.

I do have a couple of dealer customers and will do them in certain circumstances given that there is no warranty or association. If a retail customer specifically asks for a blend then I'll explain the issues and again make sure they understand that there is no warranty.

Generally I price blends fairly high so that there isn't a big difference between doing a blend and clearing the whole panel - an incentive to doing it the right way.

A lot of painters just use 2K thinners on the blend. This can look ok initially but generally fails in the way you describe. I use Axalta AK350 Blending Thinner which softens the underlying clear and allows the blended clear on top to actually melt in. It's much more effective that just 2K thinner.

I've spend too many hours the past year screwing around with "touch ups" and experimenting. This time, tailoring every blemish with sand and filler and primers and base and topcoat and wipe off and reshoots and masking has just wasted an incredible amount of time. Taping off and shooting the whole things would have been much faster and easier.

NFT5 wrote:

'68 Coronet R/T wrote:The problems with touch ups and blending clear is that eventually the clear seems to fail at the blends.

True.

For retail customers I generally won't do clearcoat blends for exactly the reasons you've outlined.

I do have a couple of dealer customers and will do them in certain circumstances given that there is no warranty or association. If a retail customer specifically asks for a blend then I'll explain the issues and again make sure they understand that there is no warranty.

Generally I price blends fairly high so that there isn't a big difference between doing a blend and clearing the whole panel - an incentive to doing it the right way.

A lot of painters just use 2K thinners on the blend. This can look ok initially but generally fails in the way you describe. I use Axalta AK350 Blending Thinner which softens the underlying clear and allows the blended clear on top to actually melt in. It's much more effective that just 2K thinner.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the 1k 2k thing?

Originally comes from German as in 1k- 1 Komponent ( no hardeners just an air reactive/drying coating, for example lacquer) or 2k- 2 Komponents (type of clear resin that requires a hardener to chemically "cross link", for example auto urethane s.)

Great. I was wondering to myself how in the heck the paint stayed liquid in the can with catalyst in it. Zero clue til now the touch up aerosols I got were any better or worse. Maybe I’ll but 2x clear then. It’s been a couple years since I used the HVLP kit. A bit unorthodox but it works well.