Bicycle Mechanics - Touch up paint (clearcoat)

Not sure if this is the best forum for this, but you guys seem crazy helpful and well informed so...

This week the top tube of my carbon cervelo met the brick corner of my house. Not hard, I watched it happen, but it chipped away the clearcoat in two spots and the clearcoat and paint in another spot. I am wondering the best way to fix this. I'm not too worried about it (won't pay to repaint), as I am sure that over the life of the bike worse will happen, but I do take pretty good care of it and would like to get it as close to showroom as possible.

First - would a local shop fix this sort of thing? Should I try them?
Second - if I go DIY, do I use nail polish, model paint or something else (I understand Cervelo doesn't make touch up paint).
Third - is there a consensus on the best way to try to do this, particularly the clearcoat? At the very least I don't want it to come off further, or to do more damage than already done.

I can post pics if anyone thinks that might help.

Thanks in advance.

Pepboy, Autozone, or any car dealership should have clear coat touch up paint.

Not sure if this is the best forum for this, but you guys seem crazy helpful and well informed so...

This week the top tube of my carbon cervelo met the brick corner of my house. Not hard, I watched it happen, but it chipped away the clearcoat in two spots and the clearcoat and paint in another spot. I am wondering the best way to fix this. I'm not too worried about it (won't pay to repaint), as I am sure that over the life of the bike worse will happen, but I do take pretty good care of it and would like to get it as close to showroom as possible.

First - would a local shop fix this sort of thing? Should I try them?
Second - if I go DIY, do I use nail polish, model paint or something else (I understand Cervelo doesn't make touch up paint).
Third - is there a consensus on the best way to try to do this, particularly the clearcoat? At the very least I don't want it to come off further, or to do more damage than already done.

I can post pics if anyone thinks that might help.

Thanks in advance.

Testors model paints is what you need. Make sure you buy the enamel, not the acrylic. What I did was to take my bike to a well-equipped model shop and match the paint as closely as I can. They are cheap, about $1.30/bottle. And you can also buy the Testors in clearcoat also.

Then buy yourself some tiny paint brushes at Harborfreight and you are in business. The brushes were a bunch for $1.99 or so.

Testors model paints is what you need. Make sure you buy the enamel, not the acrylic. What I did was to take my bike to a well-equipped model shop and match the paint as closely as I can. They are cheap, about $1.30/bottle. And you can also buy the Testors in clearcoat also.

Then buy yourself some tiny paint brushes at Harborfreight and you are in business. The brushes were a bunch for $1.99 or so.

Thanks. That's exactly what I wanted to know.

For small touch ups hobby paint will work but in big amounts could eat the original paint because those paints are lacquers. For sure the paint in the bike is a urethane paint (knowing canadians for sure is water based,) so if somebody has the great idea of paint his carbon bike using rustoleum over the clearcoat for example, for sure the clear will be eaten by the spray paint. Just something to have in mind when repainting bikes.

Good luck.

if I go DIY, do I use nail polish, model paint or something else (I understand Cervelo doesn't make touch up paint).
Third - is there a consensus on the best way to try to do this, particularly the clearcoat?

3 possible, convenient options are nail polish, model paint, or car touch up paint. All 3 are easy to get ahold of. Also, all 3 have clear coat options. Please make sure you use the clear coat for what ever you used for color (i.e. don't put car touch up clear coat on top of your color model paint).

Nail polish may be the cheapest, but is probably the least durable, even with clearcoat. Model paint is probably tougher, but the car touch up paint is going to be the toughest, though slightly more expensive (~$3 for a small bottle). Of course, with the car touch up paint, though there are many colors to choose from, there aren't going to be as many as with the other two options.

For small touch ups hobby paint will work but in big amounts could eat the original paint because those paints are lacquers. For sure the paint in the bike is a urethane paint (knowing canadians for sure is water based,) so if somebody has the great idea of paint his carbon bike using rustoleum over the clearcoat for example, for sure the clear will be eaten by the spray paint. Just something to have in mind when repainting bikes.

Good luck.

Huh? Rustoleum? Did I pass out and miss something?

That said, the spots are smaller than 1/2 a dime. Are you saying there should be a fear of damaging the existing paint and finish by doing the model paint or car clear coat process?