Rock Chip Repair 2013 Red TG:

[dfpk]

Just bought the HD paint repair kit "2-pac Ember Red Sunglo" to touch up a couple of rock chips on the back fender of my bike. I am not a painter, so any tips from others who have used the HD paint repair kits would be appreciated before I mess something up.
Dale

[trikermutha]

Just bought the HD paint repair kit "2-pac Ember Red Sunglo" to touch up a couple of rock chips on the back fender of my bike. I am not a painter, so any tips from others who have used the HD paint repair kits would be appreciated before I mess something up.
Dale

Clean the chip/area with a wax remover like prepsolve or equal.
Small dabs to fill the chip.You may have to wait till dries and add more paint till about the same height as the original paint on the fender.
If you need to when paint is dry,you can use wet sanding like 3000 grit or higher sand paper to level out what you just did it blends it back into the original paint on the fender. Use a rubbing compound after sanding and if done correctly you cant tell where the chip was. Take your time.

I would put on 3M paint protection as you will get more chips if you don't..JMO

Good Luck

[Sloufoot]

Just bought the HD paint repair kit "2-pac Ember Red Sunglo" to touch up a couple of rock chips on the back fender of my bike. I am not a painter, so any tips from others who have used the HD paint repair kits would be appreciated before I mess something up.
Dale

Just as Trikermutha said just a little at a time. I use the wife's insulin syringe to put paint in the chip. I can get in all the corners & control how much paint is dispensed. You have no control with a brush. I seldom have to sand, but mostly just have to buff it out.
Be sure you do a good clean out of the pit ! Also let it dry properly before working the new paint. Multiple applications are always better than thick coats.

- - - Updated - - -

Also if you have a real heavy metallic, or metalflake be really careful sanding !

[Tanker06]

I wish you the best of luck. I bought a '11 in Cool Blue Pearl that had some chips in the rear fenders. I bought the 2-part kit from HD to fill in, and followed the instructions to the best of my ability. It now looks like my TG has the blue measles. I'm going to take it to a pro and see what the cost would be to have just the fenders painted. There is a natural break point between the fenders and the body, and it is down in the valley, so if it's not a "perfect match", it would be less noticeable

[bikerbillone]

I never was good enough with 'fill in the chip' and leveling out the excess at the edge to make it look right. Anything I used always left it slightly scarred and impossible to buff out. I'm sure there must be way to get it done right but in my efforts, I haven't found it.

[Mr.Wizard]

Two part kits are the toughest.

I clean as TM prescribed. If you have white wax residue in the chip it must be removed. I use a toothpick to scrape it out then use a wax remover.

Grab a good shop light. You need plenty of light on the chip.

Base coat is the hardest. It can't be too thick or higher than the painted surface. You have two applications to put in that tiny chip.

Shake the base coat first and pull the brush.
Dip the tip of another toothpick on the brush.
Use the tip of the toothpick to fill in the paint into the chip. (Careful, not too much) You don't want to completely fill in the chip to the surface.

If you screw up then wipe it out and try again. It may take you several attempts to get paint into the chip edges without filling the chip in. You can use your finger to reduce the paint height. Don't worry about getting paint outside the chip... this is going to be fixed later.

Let dry, You can use a hair drier to speed up this process but this won't cure the paint. It will just dry the top surface. Be patient and give it a few hours to dry completely. If not completely cured the second coat will dissolve it and you'll have a mess.

Now that the base coat in you need to use the top coat. Follow the same directions above.
Just put a little into the chip.
Do it again but now push the second coat to the edges of the chip and on to the painted surface ever so slightly.

Before it dries use another toothpick to roll over the final fill. Use the toothpick like a rolling pin and go over the chip ONCE. This will push any extra above the paint surface into the edges of the chip and below the paint surface height. You don't want a paint bubble to sand down. You want to finish the paint as close as the painted surface height as possible. Don't worry about paint outside the chip... use your finger to wipe it off.

Let dry for a few days. That's right, a few days. The second coat will take longer and you want it 100% cured before using any polishing compound. If it's still wet how can you polish it?

Time to finish it off....

Use polishing compound on a wet rag and polish the area using small circle motions. This will clean the paint surface and the freshly painted chip. Buff it off and stop. Look at the chip. Is there white residue in your old chip? OK, clean it out with wax remover and grab your second coat and toothpicks. (Don't use alcohol to clean the freshly painted surface, it will melt the fresh paint)

Follow the second coat instructions again. Let dry for a few days.

Use the polishing compound again with a wet rag and recheck for pits in the chip repair. If you are good then get the next chip.

What to finish with?? Find a good scratch repair liquid. I like the new Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0. I also use a 4" power buffer for the fenders. Buff off the haze and your done.

Why don't I use 3000 grit paper or rubbing compound. Because the thickness of the clear coat on a Harley is razor thin. Too much abrasive will eat through the top coat and you'll have a real mess on your hands. Don't ask me how I know...


If you do have the dreaded paint hump on the chip then do this.

Have wifey give you one of these nail files that also polishes. It's almost looks like a long but four sided cigar. Use the lightest grit available and gently rub the bump. Do your best not to rub the painted surface around the chip. Rub the bump down then use your scratch repair to fine polish it.

[bikerbillone]

Hey, this sounds good, saving it to file. Thanks for sharing that info.

[Mr.Wizard]

I wish I could take credit for it but I saw this on a Youtube a while back. Tried it and it worked.

I flubbed up a few before I found the other secrets and tricks. The idea is to stay patient, use the paint sparingly and the toothpick has to be steady. The toothpick can push while the brush can only stroke paint in. I use the toothpick to scratch the paint in all the clevises. You can also use another dry end of the toothpick to remove paint from the chip.

This isn't the one I watched but it is close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wbyVl5TOw0

[trikermutha]

Actually sanding with the 3000 grit will make it look better than factory in my experience. and a good compound buff. The fender looked better than new..after that a good waxing. In my case 3M paint protection then a good wax..

If you take your time thru all the processes and thoughts on this thread you will be fine..

[greyfang]

I never was good enough with 'fill in the chip' and leveling out the excess at the edge to make it look right. Anything I used always left it slightly scarred and impossible to buff out. I'm sure there must be way to get it done right but in my efforts, I haven't found it.

I am right there with you. Tried the red hot sunglo in two steps. Never came close to a good result. Fenders are in the worst shape due to numerous long distance interstate trips. Waiting a bit longer and will have both professionally done. After that, some kind of protection.