I'd like to fix a few chips and rough patches of paintwork on my black stock Savage. Can't find much info on here about the best way to do it, and looking elsewhere has got me v confused! A few questions..

Do I brush/spray on a matt (or satin?) black and then use clear laquer to get the gloss?

How easy will it be to merge the laquer, ie should I re-laquer a whole side panel if I have re-painted a small section? If so how should I prep the old laquer?

Any tips gratefully received

I have taken a shot at things like this before & found it harder than I thouthgt & I have been frustrated & disappointed by the results. Now, I work in areas that wont bug me if they dont look like I wanted or I get practice pieces to start with. Once I get the results I want, I move to the arease I want looking good. A body shop will have bent pieces of painted metal you can have to take home & practice technique on till you are ready to live with the results daily.

Fixing paint chips is easy.

Get the touchup color from the dealership.  Clean the chipped surface very well with a good cleaner, I like to use Naptha (Ronsonol).  

Break a toothpick in half, and locate a Dr. Pepper 2-liter cap.  Put some of the touch up paint in the Dr. Pepper cap.  Crush the end of the toothpick and dip it like a little paintbrush.

Drop the paint into all the chips so that you get a nice bumped up touchup.  Should look like tiny reversed potholes where the potholes all were.  This is the RIGHT way for it to be done.

Lightly sand with 500-2000 grit to smooth the bumps down flush with the normal paint.

Clean and clearcoat with Dupli-color automotive top coat from Wal-Mart/Autozone/Advance/Sam's Club, etc.

One thing, additionally.  If you are careful with how you sand, you don't have to re-clear the whole tank.  You can dust the spots you just hit.

OR, and this is really nice with modern waxes, you can get some Scratch-B-Gone(yellow bottle) and use it to get the sanding marks out.  Then use Meguiar's or equivalent glazing compound and a good cleaner wax.