OK, I've primed it, what next?

[Dr Strangelove]

I thought i would try my hand at repairing a largish dent in Mrs Strangloves MPV, i sorted out the inevitable rust that follows a meeting of shiny paintwork and concrete pillar... So, i filled it with Isopan (good stuff), and have primed it, but being a bit of a dipstick i used masking tape which has left hard edges to the primer, so i figured when i overspray the paint, that hard edge will show through, so the question is. How do i feather back the hard primer edges without encroaching too much onto good paintwork and run the risk of defeating the inital objective which was to avoid having a whole door and rear panel repsrayed?

[flamingm0]

In the past I have used a wide masking tape and not stuck down the edges nearest the repair. This effectively creates a softer edge when spraying. Might be a bit late if you've already sprayed so some fine wet and dry should do the trick...

[grahambell]

Trick is to mask up leaving a large enough area around the repair so that you don't spray onto the masking tape.

What you should be aiming for is a 'fogged' edge to the sprayed area (as formed by the spray pattern) with the masking mainly to protect the surrounding panel/s from overspray.

This avoids hard edges, and when rubbed down should give you a nice smooth surface to apply the top coat to.

Your best bet now is probably to rub it down as best you can, then give it another go with primer filler after masking as per above, then block sand until smooth.

[Dr Strangelove]

Thanks for the good advice fellas. Appreciated.


Wished I'd sought out the wise before I began the task though. All i have to do now, is wait for the weather to settle down, and then it's back to living and learning.