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| LTGraham | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 27/05/2014 | | Posts | : | 34 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 04:39 Post title : Scratch repair | | | I have a small scratch on the tank of my LT. It only appears to be in the clear coat but I don't want to attack it with a cutting compound without getting some ideas from members that may know more than me about all things paint.
Does anyone have a favorite product or technique for polishing out blemishes on Triumph paint?.
Graham.
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| davetac1 | | Thunderbird | | | Reg. Date | : | 06/09/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,379 | | Location | : | Haverhill, Ma., United States |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 05:12 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | | As long as the scratch isn't too deep,polishing compound followed by a good coat of wax, should do the trick.Win lose or draw,it won't hurt it anymore then it is,and worth a try. Dave!!!
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| daz | | Zeus | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 05:23 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | | The way to do it is the same way it's done when finishing. However, you have to have a good idea of just how far you can take it. I already did this to mine. Sand it with water and wet&dry #1000 grit. Might need lighter or courser grit depending on how deep. Then use a finer grit and possibly a 3rd finer grit ending at maybe 1500 or 2000. Once smooth and the scratch is gone polish it out with polish like Meguiers or mothers scratch remover.
Thats the way to do a completely perfect and invisible repair. there is on catch however....if the scratch is as deep or deeper than the clear coat you;re gonna ruin the paint job. I got one scratch that i couldn't remove because i felt i'd sanded too far to risk going further and it wasn't fully out. So it's a risk if you don't know how far you can go. I've just done this so much mostly with guitars and also refinishing them that i have a decent feel for it. The safe way is as Dave mentioned, just polishing compound. But that only works with very slight scratches. So i'd say try that first then if that doesn't do it you can consider sanding. Try some rubbing compound which is a course abrasive followed by a final polish like mother's scratch remover. (i think they changed the name to micro polish or some such thing)
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| MickeyBoy | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 18/09/2010 | | Posts | : | 553 | | Location | : | WiNe CoUnTrY TeMeCuLa, Socialist State of Kalifornia, United States |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 06:02 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | |
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| AussieDave | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 18/08/2013 | | Posts | : | 210 | | Location | : | Sydney, Australia |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 07:34 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | | Graham being a automotive refinisher for over 30 years now I would actually suggest taking it to your local smash repairer and getting the painter to have a look. it will be easy to fix but a painter will know if its to deep to cut out .If it is he can brush touch some clear into the scratch then when dry cut and polish it for you .very simple procedure and I wouldn,t think he,d charge you much and is much safer than doing it yourself if your not sure .the last thing you want to do is go through the clear damage the color and have to paint the whole tank
 Dave
| Triumphs the best stuff the rest
2012 T bird Phantom Black 1600 with 1700 cams custom tune Meerkat cat delete and mufflers, K&N filter, Hagon nitro shock&springs ,long haul seat and lots of bling
2013 T100 all Jet Black Bonneville Norman Hyde pipes ,K&N
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| intimidator32 | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2012 | | Posts | : | 913 | | Location | : | lexington, ky, United States |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 09:28 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: AussieDave) | | |
AussieDave wrote:
Graham being a automotive refinisher for over 30 years now I would actually suggest taking it to your local smash repairer and getting the painter to have a look. it will be easy to fix but a painter will know if its to deep to cut out .If it is he can brush touch some clear into the scratch then when dry cut and polish it for you .very simple procedure and I wouldn,t think he,d charge you much and is much safer than doing it yourself if your not sure .the last thing you want to do is go through the clear damage the color and have to paint the whole tank
Dave |
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Agree Dave, I'm also a painter and the general rule is if the scratch can catch your finger nail then its to deep to colorsand out. But as you suggest touching up with clear and then color sanding can work.
| currently on a slow Harley but will have another Triumph eventually 
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| LTGraham | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 27/05/2014 | | Posts | : | 34 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 09 Sep 2014 - 09:42 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: intimidator32) | | | Thank's guys. Some sensible advice from pro's as I expected.
Cheers, Graham
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| edmontonstorm | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/09/2014 | | Posts | : | 1,054 | | Location | : | Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 17 Sep 2014 - 16:18 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | | i am a large fan of Meguiar's Ultimate Compund/Ultimate Polish/NXT 2000. Use in the order noted. The comppound and polish are very user friendly, not very abrasive at all which allows a newbie to go over the clear a few times until they see they have out what they like, then a nice polish for the fine swirls that were created by the compound and than the NXT which in my opinion is an excellent finishing wax and presto! new paint job.
Mike
| Gloss Black 2013 Storm ABS - K&N (seal removed) - Mustang Seat - Hogslayer pipes - PCV-AT300
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| Swagger | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 15/04/2012 | | Posts | : | 1,100 | | Location | : | United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 17 Sep 2014 - 17:53 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: edmontonstorm) | | | Here in England we have a multitude of mobile specialist repair outfits that will do scratches and minor works including paintless dent removal etc. They really don't charge too much and can work miracles. As has been said above if it's only into the clear they will be able to fill it with lacquer and then cut it back and you'll never see it again. They're even capable of mixing paint to your exact colour and doing a deeper repair. I've used them for cars and trucks but they can do anything. I've also done it myself and found the process relatively straight forward ... but then I do like fiddly stuff like that. There's a product called Langka chip and scratch repair system you can get it from Frosts Restoration ... BTW if you never seen these guys they are brilliant and carry some superb kit for restoration works to the automotive enthusiast.
| The Force is strong in this one
| | Post edited by Swagger on 17 Sep 2014 - 17:54 |
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| EnGage | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 14/07/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,155 | | Location | : | Grand Rapids, MI, United States |
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| | Posted : 18 Sep 2014 - 12:59 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: Swagger) | | | I'm with Swagger - there are a lot of folks that do this type of work. However, if you are brave, you can do it yourself. If the scratch is not through the paint, you can fill the scratch with clear coat, sand it smooth and polish with a random orbital polisher. I have doe this many times and there are a lot of you tube videos on the procedure.
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| daz | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 18 Sep 2014 - 13:47 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: EnGage) | | |
EnGage wrote:
I'm with Swagger - there are a lot of folks that do this type of work. However, if you are brave, you can do it yourself. If the scratch is not through the paint, you can fill the scratch with clear coat, sand it smooth and polish with a random orbital polisher. I have doe this many times and there are a lot of you tube videos on the procedure. |
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I've done that on guitars many times and literally made 100% invisible repairs. Not always tho. Depends on the finish type and fill type. If they are very dissimilar in hardness it can lead to trouble getting a good level fix. I also did it once on the bird when a small divot came out when i dropped a socket on my tank. It would have been invisible but i screwed up and started sanding when the middle of the divot the fill hadn't built up above the surface and it left a tiny divot about the size of a pinhead. Good enough tho. On a scratch i'd be sorta hesitant but it can work. It's just much more risky than a small chip type of repair.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| LTGraham | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 27/05/2014 | | Posts | : | 34 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 18 Sep 2014 - 22:10 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: daz) | | | Filling and re-finishing sounds like a good approach to me. Does the auto paint industry use different kinds of clear coat or would it be safe enough to buy a small spray can of clear and a fine tip brush and have a crack at it myself. I would hate to paint on a clear fill and watch it bubble and blister before my eyes. I know there are acrylic and enamel paints but I don't know anything about the clear stuff. What are your thoughts guys?
Graham
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| Swagger | | Jupiter | | | | Reg. Date | : | 15/04/2012 | | Posts | : | 1,100 | | Location | : | United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 19 Sep 2014 - 07:31 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | |
LTGraham wrote:
Filling and re-finishing sounds like a good approach to me. Does the auto paint industry use different kinds of clear coat or would it be safe enough to buy a small spray can of clear and a fine tip brush and have a crack at it myself. I would hate to paint on a clear fill and watch it bubble and blister before my eyes. I know there are acrylic and enamel paints but I don't know anything about the clear stuff. What are your thoughts guys?
Graham |
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I generally always buy a touch up kit from either the manufacturers or get my mate Mal Wilkinson from BikeColours to knock me some up. You get a compatible pot of colour and a clear so no worries about messing up.
| The Force is strong in this one
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| intimidator32 | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2012 | | Posts | : | 913 | | Location | : | lexington, ky, United States |
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| | Posted : 19 Sep 2014 - 11:10 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: Swagger) | | |
Swagger wrote:
LTGraham wrote:
Filling and re-finishing sounds like a good approach to me. Does the auto paint industry use different kinds of clear coat or would it be safe enough to buy a small spray can of clear and a fine tip brush and have a crack at it myself. I would hate to paint on a clear fill and watch it bubble and blister before my eyes. I know there are acrylic and enamel paints but I don't know anything about the clear stuff. What are your thoughts guys?
Graham |
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I generally always buy a touch up kit from either the manufacturers or get my mate Mal Wilkinson from BikeColours to knock me some up. You get a compatible pot of colour and a clear so no worries about messing up.
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Most all automotive clears have hardeners in them making them a permeant 2k product. Anything out of a spray can is a 1k or thermoplastic product that will get dry but never cure. your local automotive paint store may have small amounts that they would sell you and you need a good quality brush to do the touch-up with. as mentioned above there are plenty of people that do mobile repairs so if you go that way ask if their using a 2k clear.
| currently on a slow Harley but will have another Triumph eventually
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| daz | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 19 Sep 2014 - 14:46 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: LTGraham) | | | Well, my go to clear filler for most anything except nitrocellulose lacquer is super glue. The main concern with fills is how the fill material melts in or not. Super glue melts into some finishes, not others. But overall rather than spend 1/2 my life trying to find out exactly what finish i'm dealing with, where to get the same for a fill, etc etc, i generally just go with SG and it usually does fine. You just have to be very careful and not drip it where it's not supposed to go. Although if you do it can be wiped off then sanded and polished, but theres more work for you.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| LTGraham | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 27/05/2014 | | Posts | : | 34 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 20 Sep 2014 - 03:25 Post title : Re: Scratch repair (Re: daz) | | | Once again, plenty of good ideas. Thanks all:)
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