Assess the position, size of damage and colour for suitability to SMART repair (THINK SMALL).
This step is key to achieve adhesion of the paint particularly in the blending zone. Any weathering traces need to be fully removed
Depending on location of the damage, several masking techniques and product are available.
Make sure you cover the surrounding area to protect from overspray, but leave the repair area large enough to avoid creating sharp paint lines, which you would need to eliminate later. A great product to help you to achieve smooth transitions at the outer area is 3M's Smooth Transition Tape.
Apply the primer following the paint company recommendations.
The ideal product to be used is 3M Accuspray™v with Mini PPS™, allowing you efficient product use with minimum waste. Overspray must be kept to a minimum to keep the repair area as small as possible.
Sand the primer using 3M™ Hookit™ Purple P400 / P500 75 mm Abrasive Disc.
Apply the paint following paint company recommendations. Process efficient paint application will be done using 3M Paint Application Systems, depending on the size of the repair, either the 3M Midi or Mini PPS™ System are recommended to be used to maximise paint usage and reduce waste.
Tipp: VOC compliance means that the state-of-the-art compliant Spot Blenders are now aerosols that get applied after clear coat before baking. It means that the blending process needs to be adapted to fit with compliant products. Please refer to your paint manufacturers recommendations.
Ideally, the repaired small area should not be polished as the usually required Spot Blender aerosol is applied in a very thin layer, which doesn't resist any polishing. If it is unavoidable, use 3M™ Perfect-it™ Extra Fine Plus Compound with the convoluted colour coded yellow pad. Set the machine to the lowest possible RPM setting and work very carefully.
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