Awlgrip touch-up

[HenryD]

Hello,
I have a boat that was painted with Awlgrip SkyBlue paint about 12-13 years ago. I have many scratches, cracks and some paint bubbles that I want to sand and fix.
I was told by one boat yard that they can create a touch-up kit where they would pre-mix the components and colors to match my current faded/aged paint. This does not make sense to me based on the 3-4 components needed to mix for Awlgrip but I have a lot to learn about multi-part paints.
I have used a Preval sprayer to paint my transom (it took me 4 tries) 7 years ago.
Now I am looking to paint small areas - 2-3" areas.
Can a touch-up be made and then sealed until used?
Thanks

 

[Capt.Bill11]

I'm assuming they mean they could mix and match the color and put a kit together that you could mix at the time of use.

But Awlgrip that old is pretty much at or passed the end of its life. Although you should be able to buff it out. If it's really faded and chalky you'd need to wet sand it first.

 

[kapnd]

You have certainly got your money's worth out of the first paint job, and it sounds like its time to repaint.
Break out the sander and the Awlfair, its party time!

 

[Larry M]

On our last paint job, we bought touch up kits from Awlgrip. The paint came in 0.6 oz bottles like fingernail polish. They didn't custom blend any colors, just what was on their stock color chart. It was ok for small nicks or little scratches only.

 

[Bacchus]

Awlgrip / Awlcraft Info

Henry
I'll attach a file I put together for a post on the mainship forum - so just ignore the references to MS.

My understanding is that Awlgrip is not meant to be spot repaired or buffed out but you can do it with Awlcraft finishes (which have the same color chart availability) - The linked Jamestown article goes into more details on this and was helpful to me.

The Akzo Nobel website also has good info (product data sheets) and you might get some good info from talking to a rep there.
I don't know whether the Awlcraft system is compatible w/ Awlgrip finishes and could be used to repairs - good question for the experts.

FWIW - the color match for my dark majestic blue hull was excellent and I'd expect a lot more UV affect on dark colors than light ones.

Good luck - let us know how it works out.

 

[Delfin]

You tint Awlgrip with Awlgrip - darker blue with a bit of white equals a lighter blue. More complex colors are a lot tougher, but still can be done. Use an eye dropper to add the two (hopefully only two) colors and write down how many drops of each. You have to judge when you have it right from dry, not wet paint. Mix it up when you are ready to use it, adding the catalyst at that time.

I touch up Awlgrip all the time, using an Iwaki air brush, which lets you put on the paint with great precision over a small prepped area. Somewhere on this forum I described in detail the technique, but I can't find it now. The basic idea is to wet sand the area with 600 grit, then dust on to glisten the top coats. Primer coats are required if over steel or aluminum. Don't use masking tape, but wet sand with 1000 to 2000 grit to remove the overspray and use the wet sanding to match the fade of the surrounding paint, since the Awlgrip unsanded will be much more glossy.

Because your paint is colored, you should know that you will never get it to match well enough that you won't be able to see it, but if you're careful you should get it close enough to be happy with the job.

Hope that helps.

p.s. Delfin was painted in 2002 and people stopping by will frequently comment that she must have been newly painted. No credit to me, but if maintained properly, Awlgrip will last a very long time.

 

[bayview]

The color may be matched to the faded color but the texture and depth of finish wont. Blending new into old is a real art and requires that all the surrounding surface have the same reflectivity in varying light. That is the reason that repaired autos sometimes look different in different lighting conditions. Real blending require the new to melt into the old but I don't think catalyzed coatings will do that. Painters approximate that effect by spraying large areas with coats that are progressively lighter toward the edges. Your eye will notice a sudden change in color of texture but if the transition is done over a large area it is less visible.

All this is to help understand what you are up against but not to discourage. Since it is messed up now I don't see any harm in trying but don't expect perfect results.