Feathering in paintwork

[PeterH]

I'm touching up one or two scratches etc. Cellulose paint left over from original respray so colour match is good.

I'm using a small 'touch up' spray gun. Anyone know the knack of feathering in the new paint area. If I mask it up I get a hard proud edge up against the masking tape. If I just try to blend in I get visible over spray. 

[NonMember]

After removing the masking tape, sand off the proud edge with 1000 grit. I always mask off a bit more for the primer, remove that first bit of tape, sand the ridge off, then do the top coat, so that the sanding off of the top coat can't reveal any primer. Then let the paint cure before T-cutting the whole area.

The amount of feathering needed will depend quite a lot on the quality of your masking tape. Ultra-thin stuff attracts less ridge build-up, as long as you don't apply too much paint. I've heard it claimed that lifting the edge of the masking tape slightly "softens" the ridge, but I've never found it to help much.

[68vitesse]

I don't press down the masking tape on the edge next to the area to be sprayed, find it gives a softer edge.

Regards

Paul

[thescrapman]

I was told one thing to try is to fold the edge of the tape back on itself, away from the area being sprayed, like a tube of tape 

this gives a soft edge.

[poppyman]

17 hours ago, PeterH said:

I'm touching up one or two scratches etc. Cellulose paint left over from original respray so colour match is good.

I'm using a small 'touch up' spray gun. Anyone know the knack of feathering in the new paint area. If I mask it up I get a hard proud edge up against the masking tape. If I just try to blend in I get visible over spray. 

Don't Use masking tape at all Peter unless against a rubber. Rub the whole area down beyond the scratch with 600 w/dry then spray. Let the paint go hard for a couple of days the use Farecla G3 with a polisher and you will find it will blend in perfectly. Try on the inside of the boot lid and you will see.

Tony. 

[Bfg]

for scratches and very localised blemishes I wouldn't use masking tape at all.  Instead I'd cut a narrow slot in piece of (cereal packet) cardboard and spray through that to limit the area being sprayed. moving that card around slightly as you spray softens the edge.   Thereafter there's no tape to peel off and when the paint is dry and hard its feathered edges can be hand flattened with 1000 then 1200 grit on a rubber block before being polished. 

Pete.

[PeterH]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Because the paint is the same so the colour is the same, I thought that feathering out would be the best. I'll let it go hard then try cutting back. It's only the 'powdery' overspray that spoils it. I was going to try very thin paint, just coloured thinners, and see if that helped. I am using 'fast' top coat thinners.

 

[Clive]

Look up "fade out thinners"

[poppyman]

The powdery overspray will cut back easily with G3 Peter.

Tony. 

[Clive]

31 minutes ago, Bfg said:

for scratches and very localised blemishes I wouldn't use masking tape at all.  Instead I'd cut a narrow slot in piece of (cereal packet) cardboard and spray through that to limit the area being sprayed. moving that card around slightly as you spray softens the edge.   Thereafter there's no tape to peel off and when the paint is dry and hard its feathered edges can be hand flattened with 1000 then 1200 grit on a rubber block before being polished. 

Pete.

I have just had arrive a touch-up kit from chippex, to do a few marks on our modern.

I was intrigued by what you get, and supected it would be celly paint as the blurb suggests 30sec-2min drying. And indeed, it smells like celly paint. 

Once applied by brush (or smearing an area with a gloved hand!) and the paint dries, yu are instructed to use the special cloth, and foam block, with some "blending" solution. This is to remove the paint from the surrounding area, and leave just the chip/scratch filled with paint. The blending solution smells VER much like universal/2k thinners to me, but I need to sniff them against each other! It would make sense, as it will slowly dissolve very fresh celly paint. (final step is a go with some polish, probably G3 or maybe a finer version)

I will report back on this....

[Bfg]

^ Likewise, when touching in a narrow / sharp scratch on my motorcycle's frame or tinware - I usually use aerosol paint, sprayed into the can's lid, and then a fine sable brush (used in water colour painting) to apply it.  I then wipe my finger gently over it to wipe the excess from around the 'crevice'.  The idea being to fill the scratch's canyon with paint which both glues its edges from lifting and fills it with colour.   I've never used a glove though because I can't feel the surface well enough. Don't use a cloth or tissue because that drags the paint out and also leaves fluff.  I guess I could use a plastic spatula instead of my finger tip, but the latter is always close to hand !

Pete.  

PS.,  Thanks, that was a useful reminder for me to buy some brushes off ebay.., now rather than when I need one.

[Pdv]

Hi Peter

Google, Trevs blog.

It is a wonderful resource of bodywork repair and paint.

One episode in particular shows how to get a soft edge, which is what you want to do.

No associations but a very talented guy.

Steve

[PeterH]

12 hours ago, Pdv said:

Google, Trevs blog.

It is a wonderful resource of bodywork repair and paint

Thanks Steve. Very good. I must watch some of his other videos. I don't think my paint standard is anywhere near his.

[Pdv]

Hi Pete,

Same here Pete but he shows how to do it.

One blog in particular shows how to use the masking tape to get a feather edge, I did it and it worked.

I can't get any where near some of the things he does but simple things like using a wet cloth when welding to reduce distortion is so simple but I will do it now every time.

Good luck and hope it goes well.

Steve

[Badwolf]

I remember reading an article somewhere about special feathering in masking tape. I think that this might be the stuff...

https://morelli.co.uk/3m-plastic-feather-edge-tape

or

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-6800-7mmx9m-x5-rolls-Clear-Smooth-Paint-Feather-Edge-Transition-Masking-Tape-/174503982682?ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-53481-19255-0%2F1%3Ficep_ff3%3D2%26pub%3D5574933636%26toolid%3D10001%26campid%3D5337956166%26customid%3D%26mpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww%252Eebay%252Eco%252Euk%252Fitm%252F3M-6800-7mmx9m-x5-rolls-Clear-Smooth-Paint-Feather-Edge-Transition-Masking-Tape-%252F174503982682%26srcrot%3D710-53481-19255-0%26rvr_id%3D2797633432781%26rvr_ts%3D6f00e6411770aaecfe37d780fff9892d&ul_noapp=true

Hell of a price though