[FLSTNI]

Hey Group,

Backed the read fender into a rock wall (dont ask) and put a nice ding in the paint. Through the clear and color (Vivid Black). What to do? Should I use touch up paint? Fill in first? Deal with it as is? Any help is appreciated.

Mark

 

[20538]

ding in fender or chip in paint. if it's a chip how big. pencil head size or bigger, as in dime size.

 

[FLSTNI]

Brownjams,

No ding in metal. Chip is real small small, size of a match head or two. Chip is small, but deep, without bending metal though. Chipped area appears white or light in color (primer or body compound??).

 

[20538]

I had read here before that the best way to fix a chip is to get a tooth pic and put a little in the spot at a time let dry and continue until the chipped spot is filled to the level of the rest of the paint. I need to do a couple of chips in mine but haven't tried this yet. maybe someone that has will chime in and confirm or add to this.

 

[FLSTNI]

Using touch up paint???

 

[20538]

yes get it from the HD dealer so it's the right color and paint. lets have someone else chime in to make certain I'm giving you good advise, ok.

 

[FLSTNI]

OK Thanks! Yes, I wont do anything until I hear some more. Gotta have Something to do over the winter anyway! Thanks for the input.

 

[20538]

no problem, I'll be doing mine soon. I'll heat the area up, don't want a cold spot to try and paint. michigan and it's cold here.

 

[Geezer-Glide]

Black is black. I bumped my front fender. I used Testors model paint and a small, fine brush. Just add a dolop at a time, it won't be invisable but better than the white spot. BTW, you just broke your cherry, next ding won't hurt as bad! +SMSH+

 

[20538]

I don't know about black being black, but for the amount of money a harley costs sounds like a couple of bucks, $11, to get it right is no big deal.

 

[Fxsts103ci]

Black is Black? not on your life... having been a body man full time after HS till I was 26 and then part time since, about 28 years in the field just try and use any black and chance's are it will not match. Some black paints have a grey cast to them and u cant tell till u put one next to the other .. Dupont in the mid 80s came out with what they called a Euro black in addition to their #99 black line. Go to any paint supply house and there will be plenty of options of black and all will be slightly different.. the one that I have good results with on my bike is PPG 9850...

Getting back to the question , the problem with touching up a chip is that the paint has a clear coat and its hard to get the same shade without it .. but a small chip shouldnt be that noticable ..

Clean the area with tar & wax remover , take a match stick (cardboard type) and dip the torn edge into the paint touch up the chip let dry and keep doing this till its slightly higher than the paint . Then take a piece of 1500 grit sand paper and level it out, helps to use a paint stick as a sanding block I prefer the aluminum type. smooth the pain till its dull all around the edge of the chip, this means its level . use some micro finish compound and hand rub the spot be carefull not to over due any of the steps as the clear isnt all that thick.

 

[FLSTNI]

FXSTS,

Thanks for the reply. All sounds like good sense to me. Regarding the touch up paint, cant I just use Harley Vivid Black touch up paint for this? I assume also that I need to do this in a heated space. Im in NY and its cold already. Should I heat up the garage? How long should I wait between "coats"?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[ratt]

yup i was taught the use a match for a brush by an old timer ,,,, fixed my chip in my black paint glide right up. rat

 

[Fxsts103ci]

FXSTS,

Thanks for the reply. All sounds like good sense to me. Regarding the touch up paint, cant I just use Harley Vivid Black touch up paint for this? I assume also that I need to do this in a heated space. Im in NY and its cold already. Should I heat up the garage? How long should I wait between "coats"?

Thanks,
Mark

Yes the Harley paint is good... u would need to heat the garage for this as paint dont like to stick when its cold below 60 , a good idea would be a quartz heater a few feet away from the repair . leave it on the for a 20 or so min after the repair . They work great for curing paint. Just dont overheat the metal specially with black paint ...

Depending on the ambiant temp I would wait a min of 8 hours between coats..

What part of NY ? I am in the Mid Hudson valley and its suppose to be in the 60's by Sunday..

 

[adlerx]

I keep a black fine point sharpie on my RG. Not a perfect match, but not really noticible on all those tiny dots on the front fender and fairing. Not so good for bigger spots or scratches though...

 

[alaskan302]

Ahh I rember the first time I backed into a brick wall....... I was real pissed, then I backed into a tree, a building, my jackass buddies liked using my rear fender as a stop for burnouts etc.... I eventually got tired of banging out the metal and "touching up" the paint. I went out an bought a set of these.

Now no more probs

 

[Dawg]

Check out this site: http://www.langka.com/
This stuff really works.

 

[rickr01]

my method

Tape around the chip with masking tape leaving a hairs worth of edge around the chip exposed. Spend the money , about $12.00 for a quality artist very fine tip brush. Have laquer thinner on hand to clean brush. Buy a touch up bottle of Harley Vivid black and and touch up bottle of clear. Take the time to touch in very light coats of touch up into the chip. fill it slowly level by level even if it takes all day or into the next. make sure you leave enough room for at least three light coats of clear. Build it up until the touch up is just slightly above the original finish surface. Let the paint dry over night. take and very lightly go over the raised paint area with a couple of passes of wet or dry 220. (Wet) finish bringing the paint level with 1200 wet or dry again wet. use your judgement on the amount of 220 verses 1200 to get the surface level and scratch free smooth. the tape around the area will protect the surrounding paint from sand paper scratches. Go slow tiny bits at a time. Once you have the chip filled and level with surrounding paint remove tape and hit the area, chip and surrounding with some light polishing compound, then some 3-M hand glaze, and finally wax.

 

[xxxflhrci]

This is said to work good.....

http://www.langka.com/index.cfm?page=testimonials.cfm