Topic: Removing overspray

[Wollongongwolf]

Hi all, as some of you would know I scored my 550 Supersport about 5 weeks ago, been a heap of cleaning, polishing etc. one thing I did notice when I got the bike that it has white paint overspray on it. Also looks like the old owner placed timber on the seat that was painted white and not quite dry as you could see the paint marks.
I got the large stripes off the seat with mineral turps but he either sprayed it on the timber or used a roller. Me thinks it was a roller. Anyway, there is a lot of small dots on the tank and seat and I can't get them off. Tried Mineral Turps and Eucalyptus oil and tried to polish it off the tank but no luck. Dots are tiny, did not notice them until I put on my glasses and stand out like dogs balls! So now I know it's there, want them off, old farts like me can't see em without glasses, but young blokes would.
So any tried and trusted methods to use without damaging the paint or the seat vinyl?
Thanks

[LesterPiglet]

I use stuff called T-cut, not sure if you get it over there. It's just a very fine abrasive paste.

[Wollongongwolf]

This paint is tough,no Telling how long it's been there,worried that something like that may take off the tank paint and guess that would be no good for the seat vinyl. Was thinking more to soften it up and wipe off. Long shot I know.

[calj737]

If the paint is fully cured, then wiping anything off without damaging the paint (on the tank) is unlikely. You might try a quality body shop rubbing compound. Use a firm, foam pad.

If that doesn't work, you may need to get some 1200-1500 grit wet sand paper and lightly sand the tank. Then jump up to 2500 and repeat to lessen the scratches you put in. Then follow with the foam pad and some compound.

For paint on a vinyl seat, Denatured Alcohol may work. May need to give a good rub with a clean cotton cloth. Or "test" acetone on the material and use it should you find that safe.

[Vinhead1957]

Try goof off.  It works !  Good for a lot of things

[Wollongongwolf]

Not keen on sanding the tank, acetone may be a good idea on the seat, wonder if it would damage the tank paint? Not sure if the paint was enamelled or water based. De natured alcohol, never heard of it, unless you mean mentholated spirits. As for Goof Off, never heard of it, not sure we get it here. What is it's base ingredient? Will do a google on it?

[Wollongongwolf]

Just found Goof off in Oz, will have a look at it, thanks. Where have you tried it?

[calj737]

Not keen on sanding the tank, acetone may be a good idea on the seat, wonder if it would damage the tank paint? Not sure if the paint was enamelled or water based. De natured alcohol, never heard of it, unless you mean mentholated spirits. As for Goof Off, never heard of it, not sure we get it here. What is it's base ingredient? Will do a google on it?

Acetone will remove paint. Don't use it. Wet sanding with 1200+ grit is very safe. It doesn't remove thickness, only surface level imperfections. You can start at 2000 grit if you're overly worried.

Denatured Alcohol is similar to Mineral Spirits, but different product. It's excellent at removing goo and other stuff safely from paint, rubber, glass, metal, etc.

[Lostboy Steve]

A little lacquer thinner will work on cured paint. I use it all the time. Just be easy and dont scrub.

[Dream750]

Try a clay bar to remove the overspray on the paint. I recently did this to remove the yellow paint overspray on my mustang. This method worked like a charm. Comes in different levels, you will need to select a bar designed for overspray removal. I used the Meguiars brand “aggressive” level clay bar along with Meguiars “quick detail” as a lubricant medium. Consulting a professional automotive detailer before starting this is probably a good idea and to get more overspray removal options. 
 
Here’s the clay bar idea: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clay+bar&FORM=HDRSC2

[Bootlegger56]

A little lacquer thinner will work on cured paint. I use it all the time. Just be easy and dont scrub.

+1 on the lacquer thinner on the vinyl only.  Use it judiciously though because it can cause cracking later on.  We used to use it to clean vinyl in old cars and it looks great....for a while!  I agree with the clay bar on the paint.  You can be fairly aggressive with it.  Do the whole tank though followed by a good wax or polish.  If you spot clean it with the bar it will show.

[Muckinfuss]

Until you know what kind of paint spray you are dealing with, the odds are pretty set that you will ruin the whole thing.  If it was me, I'd start with an assumption that it's latex house paint (wall, trim and ceiling paints are almost all acrylic/latex forumulae these days, post 1978) and go from there.  There are plenty of latex paint softeners that won't cause any harm to real automotive paints....and then there's no sanding, claying, softening of paint you want to save by using the wrong solvents etc.   Go to a local paint store and ask them for what they recommend to remove latex paint overspray.  If that doesn't work, then you have a different paint.  Assume it's pre-1978 enamel and use a thinner that will soften oil based enamels. 

You will run into an unavoidable problem if both the overspray and the keeper paint are the same types.  Since what ever you do will affect both the same....including the misleading sanding with any grit, including 3000.  They cut all the paint without any selectivity.  When both paints are the same, the solvent that works...will work on all the paints the same.....no selectivity.

Working your way through this in an orderly fashion will eliminate the law of unintended consequences, also known as Murphy's Law.

[LesterPiglet]

T-cut or Meguirs will not harm your paint. There is clear coat on there. You would need to rub pretty damn hard and long to get through it.
You could try it on the underside just to be sure.

[Muckinfuss]

If it's an original Honda paint job from the 70's, the clear that you refer to is a non-cellulose lacquer.  Not hard at all.  I painted quite a few cars and motorcycles with it back then.  If it's a 2 part catalyzed clear urethane, then yes, it's harder...but not impervious to unskilled application of abrasives.  Even in the shop, after working up through 3000 grit, urethane still has to be polished.

[iron_worker]

I'm in detailing as a hobby and I can tell you that detailers use clay bars to remove over spray (and all sorts of other bonded contaminants) off of paint with little to no damage. Now days you can even get a product called "nano-skin" which is the modern clay equivalent. It works faster and can be cleaned and re-used as opposed to clay (if you drop a clay bar on the ground consider it garbage because you'll never get all the dirt out of it that will scratch your paint).

You can get clay bars locally at any place that sells a decent selection of automotive cleaning supplies or if you want better quality stuff you can go here:

http://www.autogeek.net/ (I have bought many 100s of $ of stuff from here personally)

http://www.detailersdomain.com/ (this one I haven't tried yet)

... but be careful because it's addicting once you see what a properly detailed vehicle can look like ...   

IW

[iron_worker]

Not keen on sanding the tank, acetone may be a good idea on the seat, wonder if it would damage the tank paint? Not sure if the paint was enamelled or water based. De natured alcohol, never heard of it, unless you mean mentholated spirits. As for Goof Off, never heard of it, not sure we get it here. What is it's base ingredient? Will do a google on it?

Acetone will remove paint. Don't use it. Wet sanding with 1200+ grit is very safe. It doesn't remove thickness, only surface level imperfections. You can start at 2000 grit if you're overly worried.

Denatured Alcohol is similar to Mineral Spirits, but different product. It's excellent at removing goo and other stuff safely from paint, rubber, glass, metal, etc.

I promise you that wet sanding with 1200 grit will remove paint thickness. You can go through a layer of paint or clear coat quite easily. It's not to say you shouldn't use it but don't spread misinformation.

-Sanding removes the most thickness the most quickly (more aggressive the lower you go in grit)
-Compounding is the next most aggressive (can be quite aggressive with rotary machines or only moderate with DA)
-Swirl Removers would be next up. They still remove a small amount of paint thickness which can be measured with the right tools.
-Fine polishes still have some abrasive qualities but the amount of thickness removed is very very slight.
-Waxes/sealants have little to no abrasive qualities (unless it's a cleaner wax which does have some)

You can also alter the aggressiveness by changing your method of application. With compounds, swirl removes, polishes, and waxes you can apply various types of pads which also have their own "cut" rating which is usually indicated by color. You can also apply by hand which brings the aggressiveness down.

With sanding you can change aggressiveness with grits and hand sand or machine sand. You can also change it by changing the backing plate ... if you have a foam interface pad it will tend to absorb more of the energy whereas if you have a hard rubber block then most of the energy is transferred to the paint ... ie more cutting.

So as you can see there are many things to consider when sanding, compounding, or polishing paint.

IW

[calj737]

IW - follow the directions given and you won't remove sufficient thickness that can be measured short of a magnetic paint reader. It's not misinformation, it's sound, safe advice. You and Muckinfuss are not the only folks on the planet who have techniques or experience with paint, so let's be a bit more humble.

Clay bars are a great tool, as are compounds. They all have their applications. If you read the OP, he indicates a "rolled-on" level of application. Expecting to use conventional paint detailing techniques normally used on advanced spray jobs is a bit unrealistic. I'd venture a guess that his paint thickness from a PO roller job is in about the 20-30 mil range. You think there's danger in using 1200/1500 grit on that? Please...

At this point, the OP has received numerous good ideas and options. Let's just let him decide how he proceeds and perhaps, he will treat us all to some "before and after" pictures and indicate how he found success.

Best regards-

[iron_worker]

If you read more carefully he said the paint was rolled or sprayed onto the wood which was then set on the seat.

It is either over spray on the tank or actual drops of paint that dripped off of the wood. (sounds more like over spray) I stand by my recommendation of trying a clay bar first.

IW

[Vinhead1957]

Just found Goof off in Oz, will have a look at it, thanks. Where have you tried it?

Used it for the car when the daughter ran over wet lines also use it at work to remove sticky stuff adhesives


Here in the US of A

[Wollongongwolf]

Thanks all for your replies. I am a little reluctant to start sanding, using clay etc, as not a professional and worried I will damage the paint, which is original and pretty good condition.
I looked into Goof Off, but it would seem I can only get the professional type here in Oz, which contains acetone, when it would seem I need the heavy duty stuff. (No acetone)
I also went to a paint shop, bloke there said to try Alcohol. Said get some Mentholated spirits  (alcohol) and mix 50/50 with mineral turps. Said the alcohol may soften it and the turps stops it from evaporating so it can sit and soften the paint. This stuff is rock hard, who knows how many years it has been sitting on the bike.
I still believe splattering is from a roller. Would seem he painted some strips of timber near the bike, cause later it looks like he place the timber on the seat and not quite dry and you could see where the edges of the timber sat. It came off pretty easy with turps, but not the over spray, unless the two paints are different and happened on separate occasions.
Like to try Goof Off, googled it here in Australia , can't find the non acetone type, unless any Aussies seen it about?

[krusty]

One of my mates recently used clay bar to remove overspray from his car which was the result of spraying bikes parts in his garage. I'm pretty sure he got the clar bar from Supercheap. That's the way I'd go.
I recently attempted to rub off a couple of imperfections on a newly sprayed tank (after letting it cure), using a fine buffing compound but it dulled the surface slightly. I'll be getting a clay bar kit soon to remedy that.

[dave500]

tried a plastic knife or nylon edge?they might sort of pop off if you lever against them?fingernail not work?

[Retro Rocket]

Try a clay bar to remove the overspray on the paint. I recently did this to remove the yellow paint overspray on my mustang. This method worked like a charm. Comes in different levels, you will need to select a bar designed for overspray removal. I used the Meguiars brand “aggressive” level clay bar along with Meguiars “quick detail” as a lubricant medium. Consulting a professional automotive detailer before starting this is probably a good idea and to get more overspray removal options. 
 
Here’s the clay bar idea: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clay+bar&FORM=HDRSC2

+1, look into the clay bar, DON'T USE THINNERS regardless of what anyone tells you...

[dave500]

mick knows paint!i think itllneed to be physically budged for want of a better word?how about turps mick,wont that only soften enamel?not acrylic?or nitro cellulose?

[calj737]

Clay bars won't hurt your paint at all. It's a good first effort. Essentially, it is akin to giving your skin a facial, as it only "sucks" dirt etc. from the paint, doesn't have any grit in it. You can't hurt your paint with clay. And definitely stay away from Acetone or thinners when in use near the tank paint. I'm not sure why you can't find Denatured Alcohol in Oz, same has been said about it in Canada. It's very harmless stuff, but extremely useful.