Ex Ford dealer tech here who is familiar with all things auto repair. I’m also familiar with with refinishing furniture & finishes & getting the sheen / texture I want using sanding/compounding/polishing.

Recently I bought a quality airbrush set up & learned how to use it. I’ve painted diff things & have figured out how to spray to get a pretty good result. I’d like to try to learn how to do spot repairs w/ auto paint & blend it in w/ the rest of the panel. I know easier said than done.

I have a paint scratch spot on my truck door & it’s probably $2k to have the door professionally painted - so I don’t have much to loose to practice. The spot is just chemical paint damage - there is no dent.

I’m doing research & I get 2k clear is harder & tougher. I’m trying to understand the theory why 1k clear always says it needs polishing though & 2k clear may not. It doesn’t lay flat? I haven’t decided if I want to try 1 or 2k clear. The area is on the pillar & doesn’t get any mechanical wear & doesn’t face the sun horizontally.

The idea would be to plan on making mistakes & learning how to get a great result with practice - and maybe getting some junk yard fenders to practice. I know you just don’t buy some paint, spray it, & it looks perfect.

Recently, for a separate project I was able to reduce Rustoleum oil based paint & spray it & get really nice results after wet sanding & polishing. There was no blending or clear though