Car Tips #86: Easy Ways to Use Touch Up Paint By Frank-Ling / May 08, 2015 share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share... You try your best to keep your car’s paint from minor dings and dents by carefully parking it away from cars, keeping it garaged, and avoiding crowded parking lots. But in spite of this, there is always a rock or pebble that has your car’s name on it.Sometimes inadvertent scratches show up on your car as well. But instead of bringing these small paint problems into the auto body shop, where minor repairs can easily ramp up in costs of hundreds if not thousands of dollars, you may have a cost effective way in dealing with this by using paint pens or a bottle of touch up paint.Paint PensThese little devices are easy to use and come in virtually any car color to match your car’s paint. As suggested by the name, the product looks like an ordinary marker pen, with the exception of it being filled with the paint hue of your choice.Paint pens are ideal for minor scratches and small paint chips. Using a paint pen is simple. First clean the affected area with soapy water. After this, use a wax and grease remover. Apply several “coats” of paint with the pen, and let each application dry before adding a new one.These pens also come with a clear coat pen. Use this pen and apply a layer of clear coat to the paint. The last step is to use a car scratch polish to shine up your handiwork and you’re done.Car Touch Up PaintOn the inner part of your driver’s side door, there is usually a color code that tells you what paint color your car is. If you purchase a vial of this car touch up paint according to this code, you’ll have a perfect match, as long as your car’s paint is the original paint job.These paints usually come in ½-ounce to 2-ounce containers and are applied via a small artist paint brush or special car paint applicator. The procedure for using this paint is basically identical to using paint pens.Tips for Using Touch Up PaintWhen using a paint pen, these will work best on repair jobs that are smaller than a pencil eraser.If you aren’t familiar with applying touch up paint, it may be a good idea to practice on a smooth surface such as a piece of plastic to get a feel for how the paint spreads and is applied.Have some automotive lacquer thinner close by to remove any paint that drips accidentally on your car. And if you make an error, you can use this liquid to take away your mistake.You may need a breathing respirator if you are doing a large area of paint reconstruction when using automotive spray paint. Read the directions on the product to find out the safe requirements in using the product.When using touch up paint, do this in a well ventilated area, and use lighting that is bright and close to the color of sunlight, which is bluish in nature.Before using touch up paint, make sure that you shake the container or paint pen well to distribute the paint pigment inside evenly.Source: The Family Handyman, PaintScratch.com