[hutch535]

newbie to painting...I had a small area of surface rust on the roof of my 86' 535is (about 3"x3"). The area has been prepped (rust removed, filled, primed 3x) and I am now ready to paint. What is the correct process for painting a small area without getting over-spray on the rest of the car? In the past I have tried masking the area off, but this produced tape lines after the tape was removed. I am using a rattle can, this is a temp job until I can afford a new paint job. Thanks for any help!

[Halloweenking]

you can do soft lines by just folding the paper and spraying towards the paper. This will not leave a sharp paint line, but a soft mist type line that can easily be blended with a buffer.

HK

[BOBCRMAN@aol.com]

If you "back tape" the edges and feather the edges you will get a better job, backtaping is masking off the part then peeling back about 1/2 the tape from the edge and taping this to the outer surface, this ,when viewed from the side (as a cutaway) resembles a teardrop on its side , with the rounded edge toward the to be painted surface, this will prevent the abrupt tape line and is easier to blend.

[hutch535]

thanks for such prompt feedback - I will try these techniques. What would you suggest for blending? Using a rubbing compound?
thx again

[Kevin45]

I hate to say, but you paint with a rattle can it will look like it is painted with a rattle can. Just sand the area, mask off any rubber / glass / chrome and spray. Let it dry for about 30 days and hit it with a buffer. It will not look the best but a little better. Your best bet would be just save up a few bucks and take it to a pro and have the top redone correctly.

Kevin

[klassik100]

Im with Kevin, spray cans can never make a good looking touch up, if you plan on having it painted later down the track though, it is wise to at least mask it up and apply some paint over the primer as a lot of primers are not suitable for long term exposure and your rust will be back soon.

Craig