blending SS paint

[ccpalmer]

I have a few tiny rust spots I want to treat on my Bus. I am going to grind them down and epoxy prime them. I then want to touch-up the paint.

How do I blend the new paint to the old? Single Stage paint.
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'71 Westy

[buguy]

Its a tricky procedure. But if you really want to give it a shot, here is how you do it. First do the repair. Then sand past the repaired area with some 1000 grit wet. Then go even further past that with some 1500 grit or by hand with some rough rubbing compound. Then you have to first mask a foot or so past the repair area. The take some 1.5"-2" tape and overlap the mask just slightly and you need to roll the edge of that tape and use more tape to hold the "roll" from flipping back down. This will help give you a soft line if you spray into that area. Spray your paint and with each coat go a little further from the repair area. Be sure to "feather" the paint at the end of the stroke to " blend" into the existing paint. Once your satisfied, immediately spray some reducer or blending agent right along the area you stopped painting at and the old paint. It will melt the new to the old. Pull the rolled edge tape right away to make sure you dont need to feather in a little more reducer/blending agent. Now you will need to give that area a little buffing if there are any prepped areas still showing to be dull.

You may just do the repair, and then take it to a shop to be sprayed by a pro. Shouldnt cost much of anything if you have it mostly prepped.

Also go to YouTube and search "clear coat blending", it will be the same procedure but you will be using color instead.

[ccpalmer]

Great advice - thanks! I won't be doing it for a while but wanted to get an idea what was involved. I heard the rolled-up tape trick, I also bought some transition tape.

I didn't know the reducer trick. I was going to put PPG DCC on Spies Hecker paint. Would they be compatible?

BTW I'm a house painter and have sprayed 1000 gallons of paint but just learning automotive painting. So I'm comfortable feathering paint.
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'71 Westy

[buguy]

I would avoid mixing manufactueres. I dont know if they are compatable, so I wouldnt risk it.

And transition tape is great. But you still dont want to spray right up to it. Your mostly using it for mask to keep overspray off other parts of the car. Id try to stay away from it if possible. If you spray up to the tape, it will show a line. Remember to prep far enough past the repair area that if for some reason you end up feathering out further than you expected, you can just move your mask line out a bit. It easy to make a mistake a spray out further than you meant to. You can polish it back up once your done if you dont use the extra prep room.