Best technique for applying touch up paint

[JimJ 11]

Hey -

I've got a few small (the biggest is maybe an inch by 3/4") rust spots forming near the top of the rain gutter...other than being somewhat of an eyesore on that side, I figure I might as well stop them from getting larger. I have both a can of spray touch-up paint in the OEM color and a small bottle of brush-on lacquer.

So I defer to you, oh fellows who have done this before...what's the best way to prep and paint this so it looks decent and stops it from rusting any more? I was thinking of sanding it lightly to remove loose paint and rust and taping it off with blue painter's tape and newspaper to protect the finish...putting on a primer coat and finally spraying the white on.

Any tips I should use?

Thanks...

[Supa_c 1]

Sounds like that'll work fine.

If you want, buy a prep wipe, gets all that extra grease and junk off the surface

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Painting it will not stop the rust. The rust will still be under tha paint and you will have to sand an area quite a bit larger than the visible spot to get rid of ALL the rust.

I would suggest going to the parts store and they should have something to put over the rust to inhibit it's growth. I can't think of the exact word right now, but you basically paint it on and it catalyzes with the rust and alters the molecular struture so it's no longer rust. Then you can paint right over it. This may work for a while, but there will always be an underlying problem and the rust will return. May be days, may be years, but it always wins.

[///M5 2,833]

If you have a wirebrush for your drill remove the rust. Then you put a product like Tirefryr recommended: I use Extend. After you grind off the rust and Extend it tape off the area with the BLUE "easy remove" masking tape. You will also need to prime before painting, being you will have some grill brush marks use a "building up" primer that has a lot of extra body for filling grooves. Sand this smooth with 400 working your way to 1200 grit paper. Then go ahead and shoot the paint from the can (practive on a piece of cardboard first--start the spray before it hits the board and go past it). NOTE: Tape off extra so you can "overspray" onto it. To take off the ridge of paint from the tape, use 1000/1200 grit sandpaper with a dry thick sponge between your fingers and the paper (to prevent grooving). Then I would shoot any clear that you can find cheap in a can over the whole area. If you spray the clear well all you will really need to do is buff the area afterwards and you should be set.