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Eradicate Rust
For rust, the most important thing to remember is to eradicate all the corrosion on your first try. If you don't, you'll be chasing that same rust spot for the life of the vehicle or the rest of your life, whichever comes first. Here are the basic steps to follow:
Grind the rust down to bare metal. An orbital, or circular, sander is the best tool for this job, but it can be done by hand. Again, your goal is a taper from the rust area out to clean metal out to good paint.
Here's where the electric drill comes into play. Drill holes around the area beyond the original rust spot, forming a base for the body repair screen. Cut the adhesive-backed repair screen to fit over the rust area but within the drill holes. Put the repair screen in place.
Once the patch has cured, apply body putty, shaping and sanding for a smooth, seamless transition from the repaired area out to the original paint.
Using very fine sandpaper (one designed for wet sanding) and a water-soaked sponge, feather the edges of the scratch, going to bare metal if necessary. What you're looking for is a smooth taper from the scratch to the unmarred paint. You know you're there when you can run your finger lightly over the area without feeling even a trace of an edge.
If the scratch is deep, you can fill it with body putty or filler. The best way to determine if body putty is required is, again, to run your hand over the area. Unless you've got a practiced eye, just looking at the area is deceptive. Your fingertips and palm are your best tools. Wet-sand the putty to blend the edges.
Make sure the area surrounding the damage is masked off—at least three inches is good—to ensure a good blending of the repair coat. Apply the primer and wet-sand the area with extra fine sandpaper and your wet sponge for the best bonding of the final paint.
Automotive manufacturers make it easy to match the original paint with color codes and touch-up kits available from automotive supply shops or the local dealer. Once the final color has been applied and dried, do the final sanding with 1000-grit wet sandpaper. Once you're sure the paint is completely dry, use rubbing compound to bring up the shine on the new paint.
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