Paint touch up

dfw11411

dfw11411

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Oct 6, 2019
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dfw11411
I'd like to touch up some small spots on my Cherokee, but I'm not sure how. It was painted in 2008 and always hangared so I don't think the paint has faded much. These are mostly stone chips and small scratches; all are less than 1/8" in diameter. I figure dabbing some paint into these blemishes will look less obvious than what I see now. I can see a few places where touch ups have been done in the past by a previous owner. The paint they used almost matches and yet it looks pretty good. I think I can do better as I suspect they used car paint for these very small blemishes.

On a car you can buy a special paint pen to apply paint into the stone chip. Can that same pen be used for my plane? A fine brush would probably work, too.

The paint is Dupont Imron and I have the color numbers. I have not found any of these colors online and wonder if they are custom. Can you recommend a source? I figure I need about 2 oz or less of each color.

Thanks for any help.
 
If the scratches have exposed the aluminum, not that easy. The proper method is to strip the paint, then alodine the raw metal, and then paint. However, I, too, grabbed some white spray paint and covered a few tiny scratches on the wings. Unlikely I'll ever paint the cherokee. Safety items get fixed immediately. Cosmetic stuff....not in my budget.

As for a custom color....check out a local body shop. They can usually mix custom colors or refer you to the shop that does. Did that when I needed to provide paint to the shop when it repaired the rudder. I took the door (smallest removable part) to the shop, they matched it, created the custom recipe, and made a gallon for me. When I get around to repairing the cowl, I'll order a new gallon or so.
 
Get a suitable color match at a local auto paint supplier. The problem is the minimum required to do a color match. Deal with that as you see fit. Clean the area with lacquer thinner or acetone and let dry. Dab catalyzed touch up paint into the chips. EZ Dabbers are awesome for fixing chips!

Imron will last just about forever but the catalyst won't. Buy the smallest can they have and pitch it after a year or so. Learn how to mix it and wait the specified induction time before you use it. Have fun, it isn't hard.
https://www.ezmix.com/dabbers
 
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Local macro detail guy who can use the same system of paint?
 
My plane is painted the ubiquitous "Matterhorn White" for the most part and where chips normally occur. Rustoleum appliance epoxy in gloss white is a dead on match. I spray some in the cap and use a toothpick to touch up the small chips and a small artist's brush (not the cheap nylon crap) for the larger ones.
 
Paintscratch.com

Watch their videos and see which of their products works best for you. I used their pen base coar and top coat on a few chips and scratches and am impressed by the results. I really have to look hard for the touched up areas which are barely perceptible. Anyone else won't be able to find them.
 
I cleaned mine, spot alodined and then dabbed etch primer and hit em catelized paint out of an air brush...
 
Stewartb said:
Get a suitable color match at a local auto paint supplier. The problem is the minimum required to do a color match. Deal with that as you see fit. Clean the area with lacquer thinner or acetone and let dry. Dab catalyzed touch up paint into the chips. EZ Dabbers are awesome for fixing chips!
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"catalyzed touch up paint" whazzat? do I get the catalyst at the paint supplier? I've still got a quart of the paint the shop mixed for me. The original paint on the cherokee was a varnish-base. Obviously, no one makes that anymore.
 
Imron is catalyzed. Once you mix the 2 parts the paint starts to cure. Induction time is time you wait prior to applying it so the cross link chemistry does its thing, usually about 20 minutes. Mix a small pot and it'll cure in the pot in a day. You can slow it down a little by placing the mixed paint in a freezer but its pretty much mix it-use it same day. Epoxies work the same way.

My Cessna was painted in single stage Imron 20 years ago. I still have leftover paint in all
3 colors and use it occasionally. The minimum container of activator is a quart so for that I ask around to borrow a quarter cup or so from a buddy who paints. A little paint goes a long way when touching up. Use a calibrated mixing cup to get proportions right.
 
For small nicks, and chips, there is no need to add catalyst, it will dry, and look good.
 
bluerooster said:
For small nicks, and chips, there is no need to add catalyst, it will dry, and look good.
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I agree. Stop turning something so simple into something complicated. I touch up with leftover Imron or acrylic enamel and do not bother with primers, etc. for small chipped spots. One of the best "brushes" is to tear off a paper match and use the fuzzy end to dab. Try it.
 
My brother would save old nail polish bottles from his wife, clean them up and put paint in those for touch up. Worked extremely well.
 
Doc Holliday said:
My brother would save old nail polish bottles from his wife, clean them up and put paint in those for touch up. Worked extremely well.
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Or just paint your plane using nail polish, save yourself some work!
 
I just took a nose panel with all three of my aircraft colors on it to O’Reillys. The original paint was DuPont Imron, and I had all 3 color codes from the paint job in ‘93. They basically cross-checked the color codes, custom mixed, and tweaked the colors until we were happy. About $50 for all 3 colors, but they spent over an hour working on it. Just touch-up quantities, but that’s all I needed.
 
That's not a bad price since mixing formulas have minimum quantities. Now you set for life and the next one too.
 
Great ideas and advice. Thanks!
 
Snowmass said:
That's not a bad price since mixing formulas have minimum quantities. Now you set for life and the next one too.
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Yes, and most whites the minimum is 1 quart. But I have been known to mix less, and get by. Reason being is that some of the toners required, are in such miniscule quantity that less than the minimum mix, will result in that toner being left out, or less than one drip added.
 
Just keep in mind that as you start to touch up spots you’ll find more spots. It never ends.

Gary
 
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