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I have some small chip I have to repair and paint over.What should I use to remove the wax in this area so I am sure the paint will adhere properly?

Your local parts store sould have wax,bug and tar remover. I would also sand with 1000 or 1500 paper.

The specific product you want is made by TUMBLER and its called silicon wax polish and grease remover.

Or contact an automotive paint supplier and they will have exactly a brand that you need. Just follow instructions.

mike lynch

Not knowing much about auto paint,I thouht I would try some 2000 wet and dry paper before polishing the repair.I tried it in an un-noticable location,but can not get the scratches out.What is the proceedure.or is this wrong altogether?

I'm confused chef...couldn't get the scratch's out from what/which method/experiment...I thinking that 1500 will smooth things out and prepare you for polish...Something you'll be doing after the "touch-up" to hide the repair and blend it in to the original paint job...

Yes Kevin thats basicly it,I have a chip and to touch up I need to remove the wax then paint,then I thought I could blend it all with 2000 grit paper and then buff to an even shine.May test has left scratches,which after buffing have no come out so is this possible if so what am I doing wrong

You are using water while sanding, are you not...? Even if your pressing hard...Hmmm, I just don't get it, yet...

Use a little coarser sandpaper before you go to the 2000 grit.

Your right, something is missing in the persons explanation of what he is doing from the start and the paper type and grits he is using. Also what grit compounds and polishes he is using.

Is he spraying : nitrocellulose lacquer , acrylic lacquer, enamel, acrylic enamel or ???? How long is he waiting after spraying primer and then paint.??? Is the paint coming from a spray can ??

If one is using a polisher with a wool bonnet, it must be cleaned between different compound grits.

The superior polishers to use are the meguiars random orbital and their polishing products with the foam pads to leave a swirl scratch free surface.

mike lynch

Mike the simple question would be.If I wet sand with 2000 grit any area on my my nice shinny paint,painted 10 years ago(black in color)can I buff it back to a shine with no scratches,I tried a foam pad with orbital machine and Meguires polish and still have some scratches

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Well the first question is.....what type of paint is it that was used 10 years ago ?

If you use 2000 grit water paper its SOOOOOOOOOOOO fine, you should not have any visable scratches in the paint, it really is that fine. It should just dull the surface and remove any orange peel in the paint. Put a couple of drops of liquid dishwasher detergent in a large margerine type container. Use a flexibal rubber pad under the paper, otherwise you will put finger tip marks into the surface. Detergent stops the water paper from picking up paint particles and scratching the surface. Keep your eye on the paper for particles.

The procedure using mequiars system is : start with their heavy cut, medium cut and then fine cut cleaner ( using three #7000 pads ) , followed by #9 scratch and swirl polish remover ( using #8000 pad) and lastly the machine glaze ( using #9000 pad)


mike

Mike,I don't remember the paint type but when I was sanding I had a milky residue appear (clear coat)? Thanks for the great advice I will follow it closely.We don't get a lot of paint finishing knowlwge to often and sure many will be the wiser

The milky white is clear coat. When wet sanding a single stage paint you will get the color of paint mixed in the water. Still, you should get great results following Mike's advice. That is the process I use on both single stage and two stage (base coat, clear coat).

Einar

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Einar is right, be very careful with the milky white clear coat and make sure you do not get carried away and water sand thru it........EASILY DONE. Depending on the painter and whether or not the car was to water sanded or dry sanded afterwards will depend on how much clear coat was put on.

Playing around with clear coated 2 stage paints can be an adventure. If you water / dry sand thru the topcoat a lot of times the whole panel will have to be re painted, depending on the skill level of the painter.

Two part paints are dangerous and specific care should be taken to wear the RIGHT MASK . This isn't nitrocellulose or acyrilic lacquer based you can spray without a mask in your driveway or shop.!! The 2 part activater can kill you !!!!!!!!! by choking your lungs closed.

mike

I have only a small rerair,I certainly don't what to make paint the whole pannel,I will go slow and learn from the advice.

If you just have a small chip, you could use a tooth pick, or there is a touch up stick you can get at a paint supply store, to fill in the chip. Since you have a clear coat I would use a single stage paint in the same color and fill the paint with the stick a little at a time until you have the paint built up enough to block sand it level. Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours - more time is better. Then lightly sand the area with 2000 wet/dry paper and buff. The real trick with doing spot repairs is getting the repair area to blend in with the original surface. There is a good article in Auto Restore magazine that goes in depth about how to best do a spot repair. Good luck.

Einar

Einar,that is basicly what I am doing and have done pretty good with the leveling aspect.I am still a bit challanged with the buffing..I seam to have better luck with hand polishing then useing mechanical

Buffing is an art and takes time to get it just right. I use a new or very clean wool pad on a polisher. You put a little of the compound on the pad and then place the pad on the surface before you turn it on - unless you like seeing compound spread all over the place. Angle the pad to the surface and keep in moving around the area you want to polish. Work it in a little until you start to see a shine. Next I move to a finer compound using a new pad - it can be foam or wool I use foam. Same process as above compound or polish on pad and work that in until the surface begins to shine. I finish with a glaze, this takes out all the fine swirl marks. You can hand polish from there and if its not just freshly painted apply a little wax. The key is to let the buffer do all the work. Good luck.

Einar

So is the compound removed by the pad or do you wipe it off between stages..I realy would like master this,my paint is nice but I have a lot swirls now with my new glasses

The compound is removed by the buffing pad. To remove swirl marks use the method Mike outlined earlier. I would use a soft foam pad. Take your time and work in small areas. Keep the buffer moving so there isn't any heat build up. When it starts to shine your just about there. There is a product I use after all the buffing is completed - I will have to get you the name and brand. You spray this on and it cleans everything up, make the paint look new again, it designed for detailing.

Einar

I use a detailing spray between waxes,spray on,wipe off,shine.I have also used the same stuff as a lube when useing a clay pad...Is this the stuff

I think its MEGUIARS #34 called FINAL INSPECTION. I use it to clean the area after i have used the polisher pads and want to clean any polishing residue from the surface.

If you have sprayed the repair with paint , you do not want to introduce carnuba or silicon based wax onto the repair for 30 days or so.
mike

Mike I picked up a set of the polishes and am going to give it whirl.with your advise of course..Slow and easy

Use a different #7000 pad for each of the polishes......heavy cut, medium cut, fine cut.......or wash them out and use a cloth to remove excess material on the surface.
Use the #8000 pad with the swirl remover compound.

Use the #9000 pad with the #3 machine glaze. This last one from meguiars has a tendancy to congeal if too much is put on or very humid conditions. Their show car glaze also tends to act that way under humid conditions.

After polishing using each pad i spray the area lightly with #34 final inspection to see how we are doing. Use a clean soft towel.

I use the meguiars dual action polisher and using their pads and products you should not be able to polish thru the paint. Remember LET THE POLISHER DO THE WORK. You do not have to press hard on the unit , let it glide over the surface overlapping by 1/2 the previous surface pass.

Using water in a large margerine container with some dish liquid washing detergent squirted in , helps to break the surface tension of the water and makes it flow better. This helps for water sanding the area. It also stops or helps to stop the buildup of paint material onto your water paper. Look for build up on the paper and use a scraper to get any particles off if you find them.
The dishwasher detergent also cleans the surface removing any wax present and allows the surface to dry faster.

Have fun........mike

chef,

The spray I use is by Wizard and is called Wipe Down. Its the last step and cleans all the compound and polish residue.

Einar