Originally Posted by Davey

Seriously, back in the 50's/60's cars were painted with lacquer and you could maybe spray a little thinner on there and soften it up at the edges and then spray the same color and it would all melt together.

That hasn't worked in decades.

The stuff you buy in spray cans (except the special stuff where you "set it off" and have to use the whole can in a day or two) is just lacquer, it dries fast and it is easy to buff and will look OK.

Even if you spray clear on it, you'll still see the edge in the color under the clear and you will also see the clear overspray end.

You can get a decent-ish repair out of it but if you can't see it then you're probably the kind of guy who "doesn't notice" a big blobby touch-up right by the gas cap before he buys a car anyway.