Spot painting techiques

[Robert Eilers]

I am correcting a few small corrosion spots occuring alongside the door hinges. I have cleaned up the corrosion and washed with MEK. The problem I have is repainting the cleaned area. I have been masking the area off as close the cleaned area as possible and then using a can of spray paint obtained from the local auto paint shop and matched to the aircraft color. There is always a ridge left behind when I remove the masking tape. I do what I can with buffing compound to smooth it out a bit. In spite of my efforts you can tell that the area has been spot painted. What is the secret to spot painting well?

[DKent]

try 1000 grit wet or dry sand paper, use it wet, and back it up with a small stiff pad or some sort, try to only sand the high places until it all blends in together then apply some wax to hide the sanding marks,, good luck!
Dwain

[GAHorn]

Don't mask it at all. Instead, use a shield... a piece of cardboard with a hole slightly larger than the repair area cut in the center.... and spray the area thru the hole. After it's dried, THEN wet-sand or buff to blend.

[Robert Eilers]

Thanks for the advice George. The hole in the cardboard trick worked well.