The Touch Up Shop The Touch Up Shop

Using The Touch Up Shop products is safe and easy. However, if you’re new to spray painting, there are some things you need to know about safety. Please read the instructions below carefully before you begin your project.

General Safety Tips

Stay away from fire

Spray paint is highly inflammable, so make sure there’s no open flame or sparks near where you’ll be using the product. This includes lit cigarettes, pilot lights, heaters, stoves, electric tools and appliances, and anything else that may cause a spark.

Keep the product away from heat sources

Prolonged exposure to heat from stoves, radiators, hot water, or even direct sunlight can cause the product to burst. So make sure you store our products away from direct sunlight, and any other heat sources.

Stay out of the heat

For a perfect finish, avoid using our products in hot, humid weather. Either go indoors, or wait for better weather.

Spray in a well ventilated area

The vapors from spray paint can be harmful, so try and use the product outdoors on a breezy day. If you must use the product indoors, open doors and windows and keep a fan on while using the product, and while it dries. You can also consider wearing a painting mask, which you’ll find at most hardware stores.

Don’t puncture or burn the cans

Avoid puncturing or incinerating the can once empty. Also avoid discarding it in a trash compactor. However, you can and should recycle the can.

Avoid getting the product in contact with skin

Also make sure to keep the product out of your eyes. We recommend wearing safety glasses and gloves, and washing your hands after use. If you get the product in your eyes, contact a doctor immediately.

 Precautions for Painting Lighting or Electrical Fixtures

• Do NOT paint wiring, light bulbs, or damaged cords with exposed wiring
• Do NOT paint any parts that get excessively hot, unless you’re using a High Heat paint
• Make sure you follow all safety precautions stated by the manufacturer
• Ensure corded lamps are unplugged from their socket
• If there are electric cords in the general area, inspect them for damage or exposed wiring that may come in contact with overspray

Precautions for Painting Objects in Contact with Open Flame

• As stated previously, do NOT paint near an open flame
• Do NOT paint anything that may come in contact with an open flame – especially on the inside
• When using High Heat paint, make sure the expected heat is within the recommended temperature range of the product

If you still have questions, get in touch with us by calling at (702) 798-1189 or sending us an email at info@thetouchupshop.com. Please take safety seriously.

Our products give you the power to fix your car and remove all signs of damage using your own hands, but please bear in mind that your vehicle is not meant for practising or experimenting on! Before you do any of the steps we’ve listed on our guides, please practise off your vehicle. An old metal can would be ideal.
If you want a step-by-step guide for scratch repair or more information on how to use our various products, visit our detailed guide on scratch repair using a spray can.

Fixing fiberglass scratches

If you’re repairing a rigid fiberglass part, you can treat it like metal. However, since fiberglass isn’t actually metal, it’s still a good idea to use the SEM Adhesion Promoter on the surface first, so you get good paint adhesion. This product goes on before the primer, basecoat, and all the other layers!

Powder coatings

Powder coatings are urethane, which is cured and baked at high temperatures. It’s generally considered better than paint, because it has better color retention, it’s more resistant to chipping and scratching, and it looks better. The only real downside is that it’s more expensive.

Like with the spray paint cans, when using this product, you’ll need to clean the area with wax and grease remover, and then wet sand the area. Use 220, and then 600 grit sandpaper. If the area has scratches that need filling, use primer.

Test our paint first, to make sure it won’t lift or wrinkle the existing finish. You can do this by applying some automotive lacquer thinner – wet the surface, and give it a couple rubs with a damp rag. If the finish doesn’t soften or wrinkle, you’re good to go! We also recommend testing a small area first, just to be doubly sure.

Storage instructions

Store our products in a cool, dry place. Don’t leave the spray cans in your car, because the heat can dry the paint up. If possible, store it in your fridge to make it last longer – but avoid freezing the cans!

Blending Paint: Notes and Directions

If you’re using metallic paints, you’ll need to blend it into the surrounding area for a smooth, finished appearance. This is important because there’s almost no way to get an exact match when using metallic paints, and blending it blurs the lines between new and old paint, so the difference doesn’t strike the eye.

Even professionals can’t get metallic paint to look exactly the same, because the color is influenced by the temperature, humidity, the angle of the metallic flakes, the spray pressure, and the distance between the equipment and the surface. It’s nearly impossible to control these factors exactly, which makes blending key.

Instructions for blending

First, repair the area. Fill in any deep scratches, and scuff the paint around the repaired area – you can go as far out as two feet. Now, start from the edge of the repaired area, and gradually reduce the amount of paint you’re using till you’re just applying a light mist a foot around the repaired area. This takes practice, but once you get it right, the repaired area will blend right in.

This is blending in a nutshell – it blurs the lines between old and new paint, so you can’t tell that an area has been repaired.

Once the paint has dried thoroughly, apply clearcoat. Go a foot past the mist coat with the clear, and going over the entire panel isn’t a bad idea either! Don’t mist it – apply a full coat. Let it dry, and then you’re done!

Note that some colors are extra difficult to match – gold being a notable example. Professional repairers sometimes end up painting a vehicle’s entire side, just to get an even color. So if you can’t get it right, try not to get frustrated. You can always get professional help as a last resort!

Instructions for using the blender

The clearcoat blender is useful for blending freshly applied clearcoat, and merging it into the existing finish. Clearcoat usually leaves behind a visible edge, which is why we recommend painting to the end of the panel, but with a blender you don’t have to do that.

To use the blender, wait till after you’ve applied the clearcoat. Then while it’s still wet, spray the blender around the edge of the repaired area. What you want to do is to spray the edge of the clearcoat right into the existing finish, on all sides.

The blender will dissolve and unite and paint edges. Once it’s dry, you can polish the surface with rubbing compound to get a good gloss.

Prep and Paint Instructions

Here at TheTouchUShop.com, we’ve designed our products to allow the average person the ability to repair their automobiles paint and body work.  When used as directed our products give a professional result and finish in the shortest amount of time and lowest cost. It’s as easy as following the below instructions, but if you need any additional assistance along the way our paint technicians are available to help anytime just shoot us an email info@thetouchupshop.com or give us a call at (702) 798-1189

GETTING STARTED

Clean the area with dish soap and water, dry completely and use prep-all solvent if wax, grease or oil based substances are present.

If Bondo Work is Needed ( Dents, Scratches into the Metal )

1)  Sand the affected area with 80 Grit SandPaper to prepare for Bondo and Primer.

2)  Using a Spreader, apply Bondo over the damaged area as directed.

3)  Sand The area smooth with 150 Grit Sandpaper

4)  Use a high build Primer to fill any surface imperfections and scratches.

a)  Apply 3 Coats, wait 10 minutes between each coat.

b)  Sand smooth with 400 Grit sandpaper

5)  Base Coat - Apply as many coats as needed to thoroughly cover the area, leaving 10 minutes between each coat. Make sure it looks uniform and even.

6)  If applying a Tricoat you will receive two paints, one a Base coat and one a Mid Coat.  Apply coats of each starting with the base coat one at a time until the desired pearl effect is reached.

7)  After the last layer has dried for at least 15 minutes, Apply 3 coats of Clearcoat waiting 15 minutes between each coat. Apply the clear coat to the entire panel section for a more consistent finish.

8) Leave the clear coat 8 hours to completely dry.  

If Primer is Needed ( Painting on Bondo )

1)  The area with 150 Grit Sandpaper

2)  Use a high build Primer to fill any surface imperfections and scratches.

a)  Apply 3 Coats, wait 10 minutes between each coat.

b)  Sand smooth with 400 Grit sandpaper

3)  Base Coat - Apply as many coats as needed to thoroughly cover the area, leaving 10 minutes between each coat. Make sure it looks uniform and even.

4)  If applying a Tricoat you will receive two paints, one a Base coat and one a Mid Coat.  Apply coats of each starting with the base coat one at a time until the desired pearl effect is reached.

5)  After the last layer has dried for at least 15 minutes, Apply 3 coats of Clearcoat waiting 15 minutes between each coat. Apply the clear coat to the entire panel section for a more consistent finish.

6)  Leave the clear coat alone for 8 hours to completely dry in a dust free environment.

If Primer is Needed ( Painting on New Plastic)

1. Scuff Entire surface with Scotch-Brite Gray Hand Pad To Promote better Adhesion.
   
   
2. Apply a Few light coats of Adhesion Promoter.
   
   
3. Apply 3-4 Coats of you OEM Color matched Paint from The touch up Shop.
   
   
4. Apply 2-3 Coats of 2K Clearcoat.

No Primer is Needed ( Painting over Paint )

1)  Sand area smooth with 400 Grit sandpaper

2)  Base Coat - Apply as many coats as needed to thoroughly cover the area, leaving 10 minutes between each coat. Make sure it looks uniform and even.

3)  If applying a Tricoat you will receive two paints, one a Base coat and one a Mid Coat.  Apply coats of each starting with the base coat one at a time until the desired pearl effect is reached.

4)  After the last layer has dried for at least 15 minutes, Apply 3 coats of Clearcoat waiting 15 minutes between each coat. Apply the clear coat to the entire panel section for a more consistent finish.
5)  Leave the clear coat alone for 8 hours to completely dry in a dust free environment.