Hey all,

I'm new to the forum. I ride a black '03 Fatboy. I recently noticed a small rock chip on the gas tank. It's pretty small but big enough to drive me crazy. Does anyone have any good recommendations for concealing and protecting it?

I saw another post that mentioned Meguires Scratch X and I know that Harley has a scratch product. Would one of these be my best bet?

Thanks for the info!

bfrmbama

 

While I'm waiting for a response to the paint chip question, here's another one for anybody that has bodywork/painting knowledge.

Can you paint over an area that is less than a centimeter by a centimeter (i.e. basecoat, clearcoat)? Or, would you have to sand down a larger area to paint it? I'm just curious if that small of an area can be repaired without having to do a major paint job.

Thanks again,

bfrmbama

 

I also have a small scratch and a couple of light swirls on my gas tank. Since I want to salvage the 100th anniversary striping and metal tank decals, and also avoid the expense of a complete tank repaint if possible, I've been doing some research and trials.

I really like Meguires products, so I purchases a tube of their Scratch X. The advertisment may say "scratch removal", but I couldn't even get it to remove any of the swirls on my tank. So I am very disappointed that Scratch X did not perform as advertised.

From what I read, if it's an actual scratch (i.e., if you can feel it with your fingernail), then you are talking about some type of repainting. I talked with my Harley dealer and he said Harley makes some touch up paint but that it would probably look like it has been touched up. He said this was more to protect the metal if the scratch went that deep. If the scratch is fairly significant, then a repaint is probably the answer and he suggests sending the tank back to the factory for proper paint and reinstallation of the striping and decals. You can imagine how expensive that's going to be, so I'm thinking about using one of those "bullet-hole decals" to cover up the scratch (lol).

Here's an article on how to repair paint chips that you might find interesting:
http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=8

 

Thanks for the information Blazer. I enjoyed the link you posted. It goes to show that touch up ain't as easy as it sounds!

The spot on my bike is very small and nothing stays in mint condition forever!

bfrmbama

 

not really, with a gun. and an airbrush will leave a halo. and you want to clear more area than what you put color on. To help protect the base coat.

Rocky

 

Well for chips, the easiest way to hide them is to touch them up. but not to many people know what to mix. I tell allot of people that good fingernail polish companies make almost every color out there. and is the easiest to use. Because it is usually thick . It can also fill the chips , by applying multiple coats.

For swirl marks, really bad ones or scratches , You can color sand them lightly or just try and buff them out. I use (3m perfect it II ) and a burgundy foam pad. at 1000 RPM It can be done by hand also but it will take much longer.

For light swirl marks , use can use 3M imperial hand glaze or McGuire's next generation wax. by hand I recommend a 100% cotton t shirt.

Rocky

 

And if you want to take out buffing wheel swirls use an orbital polishing wheel with Mirror Glaze #7 or McGuires

 

Once you get them clean keep them protected. We carry this wheel sealant called Poorboy's Wheel Sealant and it keeps wheels looking nice and makes them very easy to clean when dirty.

 

Get a small bottle of touchup paint to match the tank and use this stuff www.Langka.com Works great! Watch the videos on their site to see how to use it.

 

Unless you are a expert paint and body man, dont try to paint it. You can touch up and polish, but practice on some junk first.

A good paint and body shop can redoit and not be able to tell it. I take my stuff to a good body shop.