I'm really good with ding repair let alone when someone has keyed a car.
Had a tire slasher try to puncture my truck tires but he didn't know I was running commercial tires which have steel belts on the sidewalls, not nylon/polyester to handle my truck camper, motorcycle, and fishing boat I take on my camping trips. He couldn't get past the 1st front tire, keyed the truck down the side (front fender was down to the metal) and tried puncturing the back tire with his full force. The knife folded in and cut the guy breaking the blade off. That night he struck 50 cars. When my friend called I knew he didn't get past my truck so I did some good investigation... what would a dumb tire slasher do as for leaving evidence? Cut himself. So I looked at my wife's car tire that was slashed. Blood. Then I said where would he cut himself. My truck. So I looked and there was the bloody blade right below my truck tire and the truck tires still filled with air. So I called the cops and told them they missed something. They came and sent it in for DNA. One month later they had a match and also found the guy with a dagger, a hand gun, and he had previous felonies. Glad to get that guy off the street.
So getting back to touching up. Paint can be forgiving, such as with touchup. So with the keyed damage I used an orange glaze putty (they sell it at autoparts stores) to bring the surface even with the paint. Then I found matching paint to my truck's color and began over spraying with very quick light bursts of the spray can over the keyed area. I then allowed it to dry very well. I came back over with very very fine wet sand paper to start the blending process. I then used rubbing compound followed by polishing compound followed by a good buff with polish. And back to new it was. Can't even tell the truck was keyed. The two front fenders were just replaced on my truck and freshly painted too. Go figure. Only the front fender had the deep scratch, the rest of the truck I pulled most of the damage out with rubbing compound since it didn't get down to the primer.
So tips on touch ups. Practice! My friend just talked to me about repairing road chips, he said his trick is to NOT use the little brush but rather a Q-Tip. He then said he uses a piece of paper with a small hole about the size or a little bigger than the chipped area. He then dabs the Q-tip with paint on the paper that has the hole which is over the chip area. He then removes the paper and allows it to dry for some time, he said a day. He then comes back and uses a really fine wet sandpaper (that's wet) to start the initial buff or to bring down the high spot. Then buffs it with a little polish.
I haven't tried that but I'll give it a go. I'll practice on my truck 1st then move to the roadster. I've alway's used a quick dab with the touchup brush and no paper. I would then allow it to dry and use rubbing compound or very fine sandpaper to buff then I do a small buff job with polish. Just don't add too much paint and again practice on something until you get the right results and feel comfortable. Then move to the roadster.
