# First Time Rust Repair



## woodycivic (Jun 4, 2015)

I hope I have put this in the correct section, its pictures are an insight into my first venture repairing some body work myself on my black Civic - 9th Gen.

At the back end of last year i noticed the passenger side rear door had small rust spots right at the base of the door, externally. Unfortunately I don't have pictures. There weren't noticeable unless you got really close but it bugged me and initially I got some quotes for smart repairs. These were around £200 - £250 so i started researching, watching YouTube videos etc. After doing this i decided when the weather turned I was going to give this a go myself as i'm always wanting to learn new things and ultimately see if i can do a good enough job so i don't have to part with too much of my hard earned cash. I've no doubt that the process I have followed and how I have done things is far from a pro job but today I have got to the lacquer stage and the first two coats are on now and i'm pleased with how its turned out given it was my first time and a complete amateur attempt.

I am far from a pro amateur and some of the things posted on here done by you guys in your spare time is unreal. My car is also our family car and is used daily for commuting and then during the summer for coast trips etc. I generally just try to keep it as tidy as possible and at the moment am masking the swirls by using Poorboys Black hole a couple of times a year to keep it looking decent.

The YouTube video that was my main inspiration is this one:






I got the primer, paint and lacquer from Halfords and already had a decent amount of sandpaper/wet and dry of various grades.










I taped off above where the rust was and sanded for quite some time to get to the bare metal in the areas where the rust was. I did the inside of the door too as well as underneath to make sure that the full area was sanded back just in case there was anymore lurking around.

*OUTSIDE*




























*INSIDE*



















I then got some turps and carefully made sure I went over all the sanded back areas to make sure they were clean and as much dust etc was removed ready for me to apply some primer:




























Next i got the newspaper out and made sure i'd covered all the areas around where i was going to be priming and applying paint so i didn't get any overspray marks. I did 3 coats of primer in total, a couple of thin ones with a thick one between each of these:





































Next i used 1200 wet and dry to sand over the primer and also above it so that i could do my best to get everything to blend in to the colour above. However, as you can see below I hadnt put enough primer on so i went over with a couple more coats to get better coverage.



















After the extra coats i sanded back again with 1200 and all was good, there was plenty of primer on now and i didnt get any noticeable areas which had little or no primer on. The video recommended scuffing up about 2 inches above where the main area of repair was to help blending so this is what i did.

Now i was ready for putting the paint on. I made sure the can was at room temperature and gave it plenty of shakes to make sure it was rattling inside. I put 4 coats on in total, 3 thin and 1 thick. I forgot to take pictures at this point though! Doh!

I left it overnight which after some more research was wrong (Despite the can saying leave 24 hours after paint, then lightly sand before applying lacquer). The research I did gave suggestions that if you had made the mistake of waiting that you should very very finely use 1200/1500 wet and dry the next day and apply another colour coat before applying lacquer as soon as that is touch dry. I did this and the final colour coat looked good. Below are the pictures what i took after 3 coats and you can just about see i didnt put quite enough colour on anyway so the extra coat the next morning after the very fine sanding did cover the area much better.




























So at this point in time I have just finished applying my 3rd coat of lacquer. The first was a thin one, second thicker and I intend putting another very light coat on and am hopefull that should be about right, not too much nor too little.

Below is how its looking now (The final one shows how filthy the car has got - it needs a wash!!!!)














































I'll post the final pics later when i have got the last coat of lacquer on and its dried so i can take off all the paper and masking tape.

I now need to order some 2000/2500 wet and try to go over the lacquer with, probably at the weekend as the next few days it looks like we may have some showers here. If i leave it until the weekend too its given everything enough time to set. I'm apprehensive about doing this as i don't want to mess up all this work at the last minute!!!

I then need to get some polish. At the moment all i have got is some black hole glaze so i guess im likely to need something with a bit more cut in. Any suggestions? I will be hand polishing too as i don't have a DA. I have got some Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection and also some Dodo Juice Blue Velvet so i am covered for the last stage.

Thanks for reading, all comments and suggestions welcomed.


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## polt (Oct 18, 2011)

Looks good to me but I am like you, I am not highly skilled simply below entry level lol. Great that you attempted this yourself. Hopefully some of the more advanced guys or gals can give you a good idea of which Polish to use. Might be a someone local to you that would help with DA once this situation is over.


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## pdrpaul (Aug 6, 2013)

*hi*

great attempt and better than my first attempts lol. what i would say is back fold the masking when applying primer base etc etc to avoid a hard edge. and if thats a metalic paint i asked the very same question years ago here and caused quite a stir lol. mettalics are normally sprayed with lacquer within 30 to 45 mins after the last coat of base forget the 24 hours halfords mention lots of paint jobs been ruined on their advice lol, if you sand the paint prior to the lacquer it ruins the mettalic in the paint and you end up with a dull effect as the mettalics dont stand right. another point is use 2k clear as its way more durable and you can buy it in a can MIPA 2k aerosol is a great one imo, but you really need a proper respirator for that.. awesome job tho mate especially for first go. some cavity wax from bilt hamber etc through those drainage holes will help keep it from rusting from inside out


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## woodycivic (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys.

I did some googling around and am waiting for some poorboys 2 as the rest of the car has swirls so i am going to try and reduce these as much as possible. I did get some 2000 wet and dry delivered but am wary of doing this so am going to use my new poorboys 2 over my newly painted area and see how it turns out using that first.

I'm intending washing the car over the next few days so will get a good idea of how it looks compared to the rest of the car once its all nice and clean


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

Great work woody - looks like you've done a very thorough job.
Hats off to you for having the balls to give it a bash.

See how you get on with the Poorboys 2 - don't know how good it will be by hand.
I've got two machines and they just make things so much easier to a point you don't really worry about putting much effort in other than plugging in and going over it.


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## Demented (Nov 3, 2014)

Yeah, you’ve done a fantastic job.

Spraying lacquer, especially Acrylic and from a rattle can, is normally what ruins a good paint job.

As what pdrpaul said; back masking is a must; as it prevents a hard edge and can be applied to both the primer and base coat, although it doesn’t tend to work for lacquer.

Lacquer has to be sprayed to a body panels edge, swage line or allow it to over-spray beyond the newly painted area and apply Blend/Fade Out Thinners; sprayed into the newly painted area, once the the lacquer has flashed off and is touch dry but tacky (touch adjoining over-sprayed masking tape)

Blend/Fade Out Thinners is available in a ready mixed rattle can but ensure it’s compatible with the lacquer used, otherwise it will react.

A foam tape is available to create a soft edge rather than back masking, which was originally designed to stop overspray entering door and panel gaps, although back masking is cheaper.

In my opinion whether metallic or not; for a clear coat/lacquer to adhere robustly to a base coat, it must be applied once the base coat has flashed off and is touch dry; no flatting the base coat beforehand or flatting the lacquer between coats either.

I apply heavy coats of lacquer, not heavy enough to run or sag but heavy enough to look wet whilst being applied; also, you want the lacquer to dry looking wet.

I don’t apply a lacquer dust coat either, just apply two, maybe three heavy coats and allow at least 15 mins between applying each coat.

If the lacquer is applied too heavy, it tends to sag rather than run but once hardened, any runs or sagging can easily be wet sanded flat and re-lacquered.

When applying the lacquer, I use the reflection of the paint gun/rattle can and my hand as a guide to maintain a consistent wet look reflection.

Ensure the Poorboys or any other product used on new paint or lacquer doesn’t contain Ammonia, as the Ammonia can discolour paint and cloud lacquer; also, ensure the paint/lacquer has hardened/cured before applying any cutting compound, otherwise it can also cause damage.


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## GSD (Feb 6, 2011)

I thought turps left an oily residue ?


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## Demented (Nov 3, 2014)

Yeah, Turps not good for automotive body repairs and paint; I missed that and yeah it will leave an oily residue on a surface, which will more than likely affect the paint, although I don’t how but it isn’t recommended.

Prior to applying primer, it’s best to wipe the bodywork down with a panel wipe and if the primer has hardened/cured and is being painted some hours or a couple days later, especially if outside, wipe again lightly with a panel wipe, followed by Tack cloth.

Always ensure the products used are compatible with the paint and lacquer used 

However, if you’re painting and rust repairing once in a blue moon, it may workout too expensive to buy all these products; therefore just wipe down the area with a damp lint free cloth and allow to dry naturally and apply primer as soon as possible.


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