How to complete a successful fade out

Who among the paintshop staff has not experienced the annoyance of peeling back the delicate edge of a blow in or fade out and having to re-work the area? Here Farécla explain how using the right products and techniques you can achieve a perfect result every time.

What exactly is a blow-in / fade-out?

The fading in of the refinish surface into the original paintwork. It’s a procedure normally carried out either where there are no swage edges available to mask up to, or for a localised spot repair.
Preparation
The damaged area should be sanded and repaired according to the paint manufacturer’s instructions. Key the area to be blown into the existing paintwork (and slightly beyond it) using Farécla G Scuff Liquid by hand on a damp cloth. G Scuff contains fine abrasives that provide enough key for the thin paint film without being too coarse and causing problems in polishing up later. It will also help clean contamination from the area as G Scuff contains detergents that remove traffic film and tree sap. Don’t use a coarse material such as a Scotchbrite; the paint film is very thin in the blow in area and the paint edge will be peeled back before you have managed to polish out the scratches made by the coarse abrasive scratch pattern. The last coat of paint or clearcoat must stay within the preparation area.

Why do I sometimes peel back the edge of the repair?
This is usually caused by:
• poor preparation of the blow-in area or
• use of too coarse a compound to polish up
• under-cured paint

Painting
Allow the clearcoat to pass into the abraded/matted area. The overspray line from this coat will sit within the prepared area. Empty the remaining paint out of the gun and mix 50/50 with the recommended fade out reducer. Apply locally, extending beyond the overspray edge and into the wet paint film. Pour out and refill with a small amount of fade out reducer. Give the gun a good shake and purge the reducer through the gun. Apply the fade out reducer over the edge of the repair. This will melt the overspray and further reduce the paint film thickness.

Top Tip
Always flick the thinners into the wet paint film rather than flicking away. This minimises the polishing area and also the unwanted overspray that may contain paint residue.

Polishing
Allow the paint enough time to cool down before attempting any de-nibbing or polishing. Once the panel is cool remove any defects using G-Sand P2000 or P3000 discs and wipe clean. Whether polishing a Smart repair or a blow-in on a panel that has been fully painted, the polishing procedure is the same: Farécla G3 Ultra is ideal for both.

1 Initial Compounding
Using a G3 Ultra Compounding Foam (CFY601) on the correct back plate (BPI601) apply a small amount of G3 Ultra compound (G3U101) to the repair edge and spread evenly over the surface. Start the machine at low RPM (800-1000 max) and work with the edge of applicator pad using light pressure. Stop periodically to reduce heat induction and check progress. Once the paint edge is 80-90% removed, stop and change to the G3 Fine process.

2 Final Polishing
Switch to the G Mop Red Waffle Foam (PFR601) and apply a small amount of G3 Fine compound (G3F101) to the blow-in area and follow the same process as step 1 but at a slightly higher RPM (1200-1500) to remove the final 10-20% of the repair edge, again periodically stopping to check progress. Lightly compound over the whole area – don’t concentrate too much in one area. Once the gloss is restored, wipe off any residue using a Farécla Finishing Cloth (FC-3).