Question about scratch repair

[Freebird]

Ok folks, Eileen and I got home yesterday. Now I will start thinking about repairing the new scratch on top of my saddle bag. A few questions for any of you who have done this.

 

The scratch is not real deep but deep enough that I can feel it. I may be able to sand it out but am not sure. Should I even try or should I used some type of filler? If so, what would be the best thing to fill it with?

 

I will probably just order some matching paint from Colorrite. I think that one of their aerosol cans would be enough but from the customer reviews that I read there, the aerosol clear coat that they sell does not work well. The reports are that it does not spray well from the cans and there is a lot of problem with bubbles, uneven spray, etc. Have any of you ever tried it? Would I be better off just ordering the pint size non-aerosol and primer and having it shot at a bodyshop?

[BOO]

If I was repairing a scratch like what you have and of course I have not seen it I would do one of two things.

1. Go to a shop and have them prep and paint it. Let them mix the paint, I wouldn't even buy the premix paint.

2. Buy a good used top off Ebay or some where else in my color.

I don't think you will ever get the results you want from a spray can or from trying to paint it yourself.

I think that's the best way to get it out of your mind, otherwise every time you get on the bike you will look at the top of that bag.

Jerry

[Freebird]

 

I think that's the best way to get it out of your mind, otherwise every time you get on the bike you will look at the top of that bag.

 

Jerry

 

hmmm.......you know me pretty well.

[Squidley]

I have to agree with Jerry, buy one off ebay or take yours off and have a professional bodyshop do it. You could have them colormatch the paint and it will be smooth as glass and you'll be out maybe $200 without adding yet another thing to the to-do list

[Yammer Dan]

You could scratch the other side to match.

[Eck]

You could scratch the other side to match.

 

 

Dang Dan,,, hit the guy when he is down why dont ya....

 

I must say, I did laugh like heck when I read this though....:rotf:

[V7Goose]

Don, it is hard to suggest whether to sand it down or fill it without actually seeing it. If you can see the black plastic in the bottom of the scratch, then I would fill it. Go to the auto parts store and get some glazing compound. This is much thinner than normal body putty and does not need to be mixed. It is designed for final surface prep before painting to fill minor scratches, air holes and other imperfections after sanding down body putty. If it seems a little too deep for glazing compound, I'd probably just mix up a little JB Weld and use that - it will be runnier and easier to use for a scratch than body putty.

 

If you don't see the black in the bottom, then it is not all the way through the paint, so just carefully wet-sand. Probably start with 400, then go to 600 and 800 in final prep for the paint. On gently curved surfaces I like to use a very stiff foam (almost like Styrofoam) as a sanding block. This conforms to the curve while ensuring perfectly 'flat' and even pressure to get a completely smooth surface. If 400 doesn't seem to be cutting fast enough, go ahead and drop down to 120 at first, but be careful to not cut too much off - remember, you still need to smooth and polish with several other finer grits before you get ready to paint. If you don't cut all the way through to the plastic, you won't need primer. When wet sanding, use a steady stream or mist of water - it doesn't have to be a lot, just constant to keep the cut material washed away. Trying to keep the sandpaper wet by an occasional spray or dipping it won't work. Once the area around the scratch is completely smooth, wet sand the whole lid lightly with 800 grit to cut the glaze and prepare it for the new paint.

 

My experience with ColorRite was excellent, even painting just a part of the lid on my Liquid Silver bike. I mention the color because heavy metal flake is one of the hardest things to match besides yellow, and Liquid Silver is VERY heavy flake. This color is one of the very few that ColorRite warns right up front that it may not match (I think they use the term "factory variance" or something like that). Their clear coat sprayed PERFECTLY. I think their paint is over-priced compared to any other automotive repair paints, but it seems to be the only reasonable option for us if we need to match color, and it DID work great. I forgot to order the primer from them, but I used Duplicolor primer and it worked excellently with the ColorRite paint. Rustoleum plastic primer did NOT work.

 

I had a big spot on the front outside corner of my bag lid ground off, and I just patched it and painted the front 3 or 4 inches of the lid. Yes, I can see a transition in the silver where I faded the paint line, but even knowing it is there, I never notice it unless I decide to actually look for it. In retrospect, I think I should have just painted the entire lid. The match on my Liquid Silver is so close that I am absolutely certain that it would not be possible to notice the lid as any different from the lower bag. I say this because I cannot see any difference in the front part of the lid to the bag beneath it, and I painted that all the way down to the lip. I believe that one can each of color and clear will be more than enough for one full lid. In fact, I am sure I have enough left to do the whole lid.

 

The paint looked excellent right after spraying - the cans did a wonderful job. I only got spiting once when I decided to give just one little more shot at the end of a coat without wiping off the little ball of paint that had collected on the orifice. Frankly, this was my own fault, as I shouldn't have tried to give it that last little shot instead of a full even coat. I followed the directions and let it cure for about 4 days (took a long ride with my brother down to Corpus Christi), then used a polishing compound on a wool bonnet to feather the paint line and really bring out the shine of the clear coat. Frankly, my surface prep on the actual patch itself could have been better, as I had a couple of almost microscopic air holes that I gave up on and thought the paint would fill (it won't! - make sure your surface is perfect), so some day I will re-do the whole lid.

 

Make sure you follow their directions on the paint, including doing a full test spray including clear coat before you do the real job. If you don't have a spare ABS part to practice on, you might try the inside of the lid! The number of layers of clear coat will adjust the final color (it provides a slight softening and yellowing as it gets thicker) and will probably be important to matching a color like yours. The polishing compound I used was Kit Scratch Out auto finish scratch and haze remover. This stuff is so fine it won't really remove any scratch that is deep enough to feel, but it polishes great. If you haven't done any polishing before, give me a call and I can give you some pointers to assure a good result. It is easy and doesn't really need expensive equipment for a relatively small area like a saddlebag. I am not a body work and paint expert, but I think I got excellent results. Let me know if I can help more,

Goose

[RJD]

you may only need to fill the clear coat. You may be able to do that by sand with very fine paper, spray with clear coat, sand again and spray again. Repeat till the scratch is smooth buff and wax.

 

Bob

[cecdoo]

Just another thought, you can try to match it as stated or how about having both lids pin-striped or decals to just cover it up? GaryN was showing me an idea he had using the eyelashes from the fairing on the top of the bags? Maybe some polished or chromed plates? Craig

[Freebird]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I have to go out of town again tomorrow morning. Time to get back to work. I'm headed to Cincinnati for the week. I think I'll pull it off today and stop by the local body shop on the way out of town and get a quote from him. If it's too high, I will probably order the Colorrite paint and try it myself.

 

Kent, thanks for your excellent write-up. Which Colorrite clear did you use? They offer a regular clear and a three part catalyst clear.

[stardbog]

what about this one:

 

https://www.buyfixit.com/ver19/index.asp

 

It's worth to try, if doesn't work, Body Shop is always a option

[V7Goose]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I have to go out of town again tomorrow morning. Time to get back to work. I'm headed to Cincinnati for the week. I think I'll pull it off today and stop by the local body shop on the way out of town and get a quote from him. If it's too high, I will probably order the Colorrite paint and try it myself.

 

Kent, thanks for your excellent write-up. Which Colorrite clear did you use? They offer a regular clear and a three part catalyst clear.

 

I used the rattle can for both base coat and clear coat. If you use a spray can base coat, you MUST use their spray can clear coat or the base will not cure correctly (according to them). With normal automotive paints you wet sand with something like 1200 between coats and before the clear, with their rattle can paints you don't touch it at all between the last base coat and clear. That is another reason why your surface prep needs to be impeccable. You can wet sand between base coats, but since the paint coats are so thin, you can't do much.

Goose

[waterbug]

I paint cars for a living, I use dupont paint and have been doing this for over 20yrs. I have tried some of the spray cans and they look ok for a while but they dont have the UV protection in them and they are not a catalized product meaning that they will not hold up as well as a paint and clear that has to be activated with a hardner. I have had to fix some paint jobs that someone used stuff like the spray cans and then you have to strip the part down because it can lift and wrinkle making a mess. It might cost alittle more to take it to a bodyshop to be fixed but it will pay for itself in the long run. Also if you tell them you want the left over paint when they are done you will have some touch up for it. Automotive paint is not cheap so with that part you are paying for matierials more than labor. Good luck in what ever you do.

[Freebird]

Well I will get an estimate from a professional first.

 

Colorrite does offer too clears in rattle cans for their basecoats though. One is regular and the other is a catalyzed product where you mix it and then put it in the spray container that they provide with it. That is what I was wondering from Kent, which one he used.

[V7Goose]

Well I will get an estimate from a professional first.

 

Colorrite does offer too clears in rattle cans for their basecoats though. One is regular and the other is a catalyzed product where you mix it and then put it in the spray container that they provide with it. That is what I was wondering from Kent, which one he used.

Just the standard rattle can - no mixing.

[BuddyRich]

Swing by your local automotive paint store. They can come out and match the paint with a hand held device. Then mix up a quart. I did that for the spoiler. Still got most of the quart of Liquid Silver. It was a perfect match. Think it ran me 40 for the quart. Since its small piece you can swing by any Harbor Freight and pick up an HVLP touch up gun. You'll need some clear for the top coat also but the automotive paint store should have everything you need. Take the lid with you to Cinn. Should find some pretty good prices there.

[midnightventure]

My original trunk lid got scratched. I started sanding on it with some 400 grit wet dry sandpaper and got it out. My black trunk lid was gray when I got done. I sprayed it with some clearcoat and it turned back to a nice glossy black. My replacement lid had just about the same damage and when I got through the scratch I was also through the paint. I think the repacement had been painted to match and the original was black all the way through although I'm not sure about that. You might be able to sand through the scratch and reclearcoat. If you can't you would have to fill and repaint.

[SilvrT]

I've posted several times about refinishing my scoot with spray cans .... you can achieve pretty decent results. Check out this product for clear coating...

 

http://www.u-pol.com/countries/en/navigate.htm

 

When I did mine, I had an auto paint supplier fill a spray bomb with automotive paint.... did a great job and I used that clear. You will have to power polish it after it cures to get the best results; however, it's pretty decent without the polishing.

[Guest Dandy1]

You can do what I did. For about $25 bucks you can go by your local pinstriper and have them come up with some kind of cool design and cover the scratch. I have a place on my front fender that a rock took the paint off down to the metal. I found a picture of an eagle's head with the us flag and my favorite pinstriper painted over the scratch. The chip was about the size of a pencil eraser and the eagle's head is about 2"X3" and now the chip in the paint is the eagle's eye. I also have a small dent one one side of the tank from dropping the handlebars and with a stars burst type design over it you can't hardy see it. She did the same design on both sides of the tank. She charged me $25 which was alot cheaper than the body shop and it looks better! Just an idea.

Ride safe!