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Steven Craig is the owner and head painter of SKC CUSTOMZ in Lake Havasu City, AZ. In the past Steven has won the House of Kolor Prestigeous Painter Award and was a 1st Place winner of Dupont's Hot Hues Awards. He most recently was awarded the Matrix System's FX Grand Prize Award. Steve paints a wide range
of jobs from guitars to large off shore boats. Visit his web site at

Airbrush : Iwata HP-BH, Custom Micron B
Spray Guns: Iwata LPH400 and Iwata LPH300
Paint Media: PPG, Xotic Colours, Dupont and Matrix Systems
Surface Media: Everything I can get paint to stick to.
Masking : R-Tape and 3M Masking Tapes
Projector: Artograph
Lighting : Natural and Florescent. Spray-Line and Spray King Paint Booths

If you want to operate a successful Custom Paint business you must not only know how to repair your own work, but be able to take on repair jobs that another custom painter may have done. This fender was originally painted by someone else. These types of repairs usually can demand a high dollar amount to fix.

To make good profits on repair work you have to be knowledgeable on body work, color matching, be able to turn the job around in a short amount of time and have the ability to deliver the job without any signs of the repair. This fender was damaged when it hit the tire, which heated the paint to the point that it melted and bubbled up.

To assure that you can precisely duplicate the original paint design, start by making a tracing of the design. This will later be used to make a transfer to replicate the original layout.

This type of repair requires a great amount of blending primers and colors. Hopefully the original painter put several layers of clear coat on so you won't sand through and hit base color. To begin the repair process start by sanding the entire surface with 400 grit sand paper. You want to make sure all of the gloss is removed to guarantee good adhesion when refinishing.

When using a machine to sand the surface avoid all the edges. The edges are the most common place a machine sander will first penetrate the surface and within seconds sand through to bare metal. Use a red scuff pad to remove the gloss from the edges

As with most repair work, there will be damage below the surface that you can't see just by looking at. As in this case, the heat had delaminated the paint from the fender further up than was visible. Take an air hose and apply high air pressure at the leading edges of the damage. Any areas that the paint has delaminted from the surface will lift off.

Use a premium filler. Don't use the cheap filler/bondo's. They will leave large pin holes, clumps and will "shrink-back" months later and make the repair area visible. Mix the Filler and Hardener thoroughly.

Use a small Angle Grinder/Sander to feather out the paint edges and produce a fresh prep area for the repair. Fillers need a deep scratch in the surface for proper adhesion. The old paint needs to be feathered away from the repair area to achieve a level surface. Also, primers that are aggressive in nature will tend to wrinkle the edges of the old paint as it cures.

Here is a graph showing how each step of the repair is gradually feathered away from the original damage. A damaged area that measures 1" will turn into a 8" repair area.

In this picture you can see how the repair area is beginning to taper out (Refer to step #6 to see how much the size of the repair area has increased to this point.).

Using a "spreader", apply thin layers of filler. Move quickly and evenly. Make several passes over the surface to push any air bubbles out of the filler. When applying the filler over the surface try to extend it 2 inches outside of the sanded repair area.

Use a Bondo Rasp (cheese grater) to shape the contours of the surface. By using a rasp, you can use the outside undamaged areas as a guide to shape and level the filler. Starting from the top and working downwards start shaping in a diagonal direction. Once you make a complete pass over the surface, change direction and make another diagonal pass to obtain the correct shape. When done, there should be an "X" pattern

For the sanding process on curved surfaces, I like to use a 3M Soft Block. These are available to attach either "Hook-It" or "Stick-It" sandpapers.

The 3M Soft Block will curve to the surface shape. Making it easier to achieve a uniform and level surface. A "hard" sanding block if not used correctly will create flat spots.

Continue shaping and leveling by sanding with the "Soft Block" and 80 grit sandpaper. The 80 grit sandpaper is very aggresive so be careful not to travel outside of the repair area. I use this grit paper to level the filler that was shaped by the Bondo Rasp.

Apply a thin coat of Spot Filler (polyester putty) over the filler. This will help correct any low spots, deep sand marks and pin-holes in the filler. Taper the spot filler further away from the repair area (refer to graph in step #11.)

In a "criss-cross" pattern, sand the Spot Filler using 220 grit sandpaper. You want to use a finer grit sandpaper at this point so deep sand marks are not created. Once you get experience in body work, you will be able to run your hand over the surface and feel high and low spots. Sand down high spots or add more filler to low spots.

There are literally dozens of "High Build" primers on the market. You must be cautious of inexpensive primers as they will shrink back in time and all the body work and sanding marks will re-appear. I prefer to use Evercoat's Feather Fill Polyester Primer. It is a resin based primer that dries fast, easy to sand and doesn't shrink back.

The Evercoat Primer is very thick and needs a gun with a large needle and tip to deliver it. Here I'm using an Air Gunza by Iwata with a 1.5 needle and tip. The Polyester Primer can be reduced 10% by volume with Acetone. Apply three wet coats to obtain a good film build. Fade the primer approximately 2 to 3 inches further out than the than the body work.

Once the Primer has dried, apply a light coat of "Guide Coat" paint in a criss-cross pattern. Do not completely cover the surface with the Guide Coat.

Put a fresh piece of 220 grit sandpaper on the 3M Soft Block and lightly sand the polyester primer. Don't press too hard into the surface with the sandpaper. You do not want to create deep sand scratches. Make a single pass with the sandpaper over the surface. Keep repeating this until all the Guide Coat is removed. If there is an area where the Guide Coat cannot be removed by keeping the Soft Block level, this is an indication of a low spot. Add more filler to this section and continue sanding until it is level.

Feather the edges of the Polyester Primer. Here you can see where the primer has filled in the deep scratches from the body work. When feathering out the primer be careful not to sand too deep and cut into the original paint design.

In this photo you can see how far the repair area has increased to this point. Remove all the sanding dust by using an air hose. Do not wash off the repair area with any liquid. Polyester Primer will absorb any fluids and possibly release the trapped fluids several months later that will lift the paint.

Back-Tape (folding a mask backwards where the edge of the mask is rolled over) where you want to end the Primer/Sealer application. This will let a small amount of material to bleed under the mask and create a soft edge for blending in a small area. Apply 2 to 3 wet coats of a premium Epoxy Sealer. Fade the leading edges so not to created a hard line where this primer stage ends. The Epoxy Sealer is applied for several reasons. It lock in the Polyester Primer and creates a barrier so the Polyester can not absorb any solvent based material. Refer to a manufacturers Data Sheet on Epoxy Primers.

Let the Epoxy Primer fully cure. The Epoxy needs to be opened back up (sanding) after its cured so base coat will adhere to it. Apply a thin coat of Guide Coat again to double check the body work for any remaining high or low spots. Wet-Sand with a "waffle pad" and 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Keep water running over the surface at all times so the sandpaper will not clog. Taper back the edges of the Epoxy Primer (as seen in this photo.). Wet sand the entire surface (fender) to remove any overspray or deep sanding marks.

Wash the entire surface with soap and water. Follow that with wiping it down with a wax/grease remover. Align the tracing that was made earlier to reference points that are still visible from the original paint design. Trace the design directly onto the repair area.

One of the tricks to repair work is "Blending". Blending is a complicated procedure when dealing with Metallics and Pearls. That would be a lengthy explanation so I'll save that for another time. Luckily, this job was done with solid colors. The blending procedure will be nothing more than simple fades. The longer the distance a blend is done the better chance that overlapping of colors will not be visible. I'm going to blend this one about 12 inches from the end of the repair area and into the original paint job. Start by masking the original pinstripe.

In this photo you can see a close up of how I "Back-Masked" to keep over-spray from getting onto the original paint and giving me a stopping point for the blend, while leaving a soft edge. You want to try to avoid the paint being applied from even reaching the the back-masked area. I masked up the flames with Transfer-Tape and with a razor blade, I cut to the center of the fine line tape that is protecting the original pinstripe.

In this photo you can see that the flame design is entirely masked off and that I have doubled the distance of the repair area to blend the color into.

When applying paint for a repair, start at the bottom of the repair area. Start by applying as many coats that are needed to gain full coverage over the repair area. Do not paint all the way up to the masked off area. In this photo, the "Red" line indicates where full coats of paint were applied and stopped. On the final coat of paint the blend "fade" was started at the end of the "Red" line and faded away to nothing by the end of the "Yellow" line. All you want is a fine mist of paint to overlap the original color.

Remove all the masking. Take "Fine Line" tape and mask the original pinstripes to protect them. As you are masking the pinstripes, continue into the repair area and follow the design of the flames. But-fit the tape to the inside edge of the newly painted area. Mask the entire background color to protect it from the next step.

This next step is very important when doing a multi-color repair. You have to determine the best place to end the color blend so the overlapping of colors can not be seen. Here you can see that even though the repair area is at the base of the flames, I unmasked them all the way to the tips. The center flame tip continues into a second flame, so I'm going to use the smallest area where it tapers down as a stop point.

The yellow color in the flames is very transparent and will show a difference in shade if it is applied directly over the repair area and original color remaining from the flames. Cover the repair area with white and slightly fade into the flames.

To do these type of repairs it is imperative that you have knowledge in Color Theory and/or Color Matching. If you are unable to match colors yourself, find a local paint supplier who has a technician who can assist you or make the colors for you. In this picture the yellow is being applied to the base of the repair area.

Fade the yellow up into the tips of the flames. Overlap the yellow over the white and up into the original color about 2 inches. A good trick to know when blending a color is before you do the final pass that will fade the color into the original color is to over-reduce the color before spraying. This will make the color being applied for the color blend to be transparent and hide color variation.

The original flames were shaded with a candy orange. Use a full strength (normal) mixing ratio of the candy orange to achieve coverage in the repair area. Over-reduce the candy and blend into the original color. If you do not over-reduce the candy to make it extremely transparent, you will see a shift in color when the two overlap.

Unmask the entire project. Wipe down with a wax/grease remover and apply 4 coats of a premium clear coat. Once the clear has cured, wet-sand the entire project with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. This will level the graphics and make the new ones even to the original paint job.

Luckily most custom painters use either House Of Kolor or One-Shot striping paints. This makes it easy to color match the pinstripes. Concentrate on making the new pinstripes the exact same width as the originals. The pinstripes can be blended in basically the same manner as the graphics. Try not to leave a blunt ending when you overlap the pinstripe.

Once the pinstripe has fully cured, the project is ready for its final clear coat. Finish off by color sanding and buffing. The final step can get even more detailed as you gain experience in doing repair work. Depending on how the original painter finished the job, you might have to match the "orange peel" on the undamaged parts.