Repairing paint chip in the clear coat

[Kez]

I have a pretty big chip in the clear coat on the hood of my car. About 3/4" long. A close look revealed that the base coat is intact. Where the clear coat is missing shows up as a white-ish color. And this stands out against a dark color car.

I am planning on using a clear coat touch up paint to fill the gash with a small brush. The repaired area will be higher than the original paint area. Can I use a nib file to dress it down? I have never used a nib file before but I understand it is meant for dressing down paint imperfection.

Thanks,

kez

 

[moparbarn]

kez, a nib is more for runs/drips than "surfacing" paint. i would use a HARD sanding block & fine (1000) grit paer, followed by rubbing then polishing compound. the hard block will work mainly on the higher surface & leave the lower/original paint more untouched.. i would also use spray clear & feather the edges. that will be much easier to blend in than the sharp break left by just filling the scratch with a brush. duplicolor makes a spray bomb clear (1 part/lacquer based) that works well, i've had good luck with it.