Options for small repair

DWinTX

Member
While I was cutting my new paint, I screwed up and let the edge of the buffer scrape against the inner sail panel on my 70 Vette. As you can see below, it put a couple of small nicks that go down to the sealer. The white scuffs are just in the clear, so I think I can sand them out as I put 4 coats on. I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to repair the nicks.

This base coat is Chromabase, which uses the Basemaker. So I started with two gallons of sprayable base. I used almost all of it, but when I mixed my first batch, I spilled about 3-4 ounces of the basemaker on the ground. So I have about that much left of the base, but no Basemaker to mix it with. So I would have to go down and get a quart each of Chromabase/Basemaker just to fix a couple spots the size of half a fingernail. That's probably about $200.

So here's what I'm wondering. I found a couple posts where others have some Chromabase w/o Basemaker and asked if it could be mixed with urethane reducer instead of Basemaker. There seemed to be mixed opinions, but that was for painting much larger areas. The paint job came out pretty good, but there are some flaws as it was my first time painting and I was doing it in my garage, so I'm not really looking for perfection. I have some SPI reducer and clear activator. What do you think of mixing the remaining Chromabase with an equal amount of reducer and a few drops of activator? Could I use that as a touch-up paint, then clear over it? Could I brush it on, then spray the clear?
 

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My experience with Axalta is limited to the Mosaic line, but it too uses a dedicated reducer which is nothing like regular reducer. Crash uses Chromabase quite a bit so maybe he could jump in too. When you mix a color with a Base that uses regular urethane reducer, one of the components is a clear binder. With Chromabase and others that binder is in the dedicated reducer. So IMO it's really asking for trouble to try and substitute reducer for the basemaker. Whether it's a small area or large makes no difference. Again just my opinion but with that color, trying to just touch up those nicks without actually spraying, they are going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Perhaps you could check with the Jobber and see if they will sell you "X" amount of basemaker and color. I'm certain they will mix you less than 1 quart. Ask them what the "minimum" is. That is the smallest amount that you can mix with every toner in the right proportion. I'm also pretty sure that they will sell you a small amount of basemaker as they will have some open in their mixing back. Probably can get a 1/2 pint in a paint can.
I'll just add that obviously you are free to do what you want to, but spend the money do it right, a year from now the extra cost will be forgotten. All that will be left is the satisfaction of your happiness with the car and the paint.
 
I do use Axalta, not Chromabase, but Standox. Got away from the fancy reducers years ago when I was spraying S-W. Either way, that is a heartbreaker, considering the way 'Vettes are built. If you want to do a by the book repair, that's a lot of re-clearing.

That said, if you have the base, I would definitely spring for the special reducer you used to do the job in the first place, if for nothing but to keep the way the metallic laid out with it and preserve the color match.
 
I didn't realize that some jobbers will sell less than a quart, so I'll check with them on that. Thanks.
 
almost looks like an area on the inner sail panel that a Foose type would call a fade line the way the color changes at that point. Maybe its something you do the one side and copy it on the other.

I have a rule of if it does not look uniform, (not just bad) make it look like it was done on purpose.

Yeah, you can get a half pint mixed, its expensive, but considering a new blend might be a little different anyway, maybe its better to be prepared to get more.
 
It actually is uniform, color-wise. It looks the way it does because of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. This color is Ontario Orange, one of the GM Firemist colors from that era. Kind of changes in the light. It actually freaked me out after I sprayed it. I was standing behind it looking at the rear deck and tail light panel together. The panel was in the "shade" and the deck was in the bright light. Looked like two entirely different shades till I turned off the light. Thought I'd screwed up royally.

And yes, it is on the inner sail panel.
 
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