does buffing get rid of overspray

[00camaro16]

quick question just as it says, i have over-spray on my car. i hate it. i want it gone. do i have to wet sand it or will a clay bar and then buffing get rid of it. thanks.



chris

[automedix]

use a medium to heavy grade clay bar and a clay bar lubricant or some sort of quick detailer. That should remove your overspray, unless you ran your vehicle through a spray booth

[00camaro16]

use a medium to heavy grade clay bar and a clay bar lubricant or some sort of quick detailer. That should remove your overspray, unless you ran your vehicle through a spray booth

would mother or meguiars clay bar be consider a medium to heavy grade clay bar. im planning on doing it this weekend so i cant really order it online.



chris

[Dan]

Clay magic medium is available at some carquests. Meguiars and Mothers stuff from the parts store is considered fine and it will take you a LONG time to get overspray off.

[brwill2005]

It depends on the severity of the over spray. Clay the paint with what you have, and see if that gets rid of the over spray. If not, order some of the medium grade clay. Just be aware that a coarser clay grade will probably leave its own micro scratches that you will need to be polished out.

[David Fermani]

There`s several methods of removing overspray....What kind of overspray is on your car? How long has it been on? That will determine the best method for it`s removal. Don`t buff the car until the overspray is removed. If claying, Red Clay Magic is probably your best bet (if you`re buffing), but Blue CM can get the job done too in that case.

[Mike_Phillips]

quick question just as it says, i have over-spray on my car. i hate it. i want it gone. do i have to wet sand it or will a clay bar and then buffing get rid of it. thanks.



chris

For most overspray, the best and safest way to remove it is with detailing clay, there`s an abrasive in the clay that in simple terms act to sand off the offending contaminant and as the contaminants are sanded off they attach to the clay because it`s tacky and for this reason you want to re-knead the clay and fold it into itself to expose fresh clay. At some point the clay will become so loaded with contaminants that you`ll want to throw the used clay way and start with some fresh clay. How long a clay bar will last depends upon how much contaminants and in your case overspray you`re removing off the paint.



Someone mentioned being careful with more aggressive clays, more aggressive clays can leave behind Clay Haze, this is a kinder, more gentle way of saying scratches but it`s usually only a problem with real aggressive clays and/or bad technique.



If you drop the clay at any time, don`t re-use it, you run to great a risk of picking up some kind of abrasive particle onto the clay and if you do and then rub the clay over the paint you`ll instill scratches all over the paint.



When you first start out, only clay a small section and then wipe off the clay residue and inspect the section you clayed as compared to a section you haven`t clayed. The section you clayed should feel smooth, silky and glassy. If it feels better but not perfect, try claying again.



Here`s a link to a thread here on Autopia that has a video on how clay works and how to use it to clay your car`s paint.





Video: How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface





In some cases, claying might not work completely, just depends upon the type of paint and how well it`s sticking to your car`s paint.



As for trying to buff overspray off... this usually won`t work, especially with a foam pad as the foam will tend to just glide over the little bumps of paint, not kick them off... a wool pad with a compound on a rotary buffer can remove some overspray paint but the you remove good paint and risk instilling swirls at the same time, that`s two bad things in order to do one good thing.



Claying is the most effective way to remove overspray clay when the goal is to remove the offending overspray and preserve the paint.

[David Fermani]

For most overspray, the best and safest way to remove it is with detailing clay



Claying is the most effective way to remove overspray clay when the goal is to remove the offending overspray and preserve the paint.

Not always Mike. Claying is the enthusiast go-to item but not always the best or most effective way. Some oversprays react really quickly with certain solvents(that are paint safe). Wipe on...wipe away. In other cases I`ve used 4000 and 6000 grit Micro-Mech dry to remove light contaminant dustings. It all depends on the paint/contaminant that`s on the surface. I`ve sent MSDS sheets to Auto-Int before so that they can analyze and determine the key ingredient/process/chemical that will work the best in each case.

[RaskyR1]

I`ve also had many over spray jobs that a solvent has worked well and required far less effort that clay.

[Mike_Phillips]

Not always Mike. Claying is the enthusiast go-to item but not always the best or most effective way. Some

Good point David.



Seems like a lot of questions on detailing forums are by people new to detailing so in an effort to help them sometimes it`s best to keep it simple,



KISS = Keep it Simple Simon



Plus, I did start that sentence you quoted me on with the words...



For most....









Out of the available remedies to overspray, without getting too AR over the process and keeping in the realm of affordable and timely, detailing clay has been working pretty good for a lot of people ever since it was introduced to the detailing world, which is around 20 years or so...



When it works, it actually is quite effective and safe.



Detailing clay removes above surface bonded contaminants without removing paint like buffing by hand or machine with a compound. For the average person just looking for a remedy without rising to super star status for their know-how on a detailing forum, clay is pretty good first choice to test out and if it doesn`t work then the person can alway come back to the forum for more help from seasoned professionals like yourself.



I actually have what I guess can be considered antique clay and it`s never been used...





This is a thread I created in the "Blast from the Past" forum group on MOL a few years ago...



Photos courtesy of MeguiarsOnline.com



Classic Clay - Early Detailing Clay



Meguiar`s introduced their customers and many, many car enthusiasts to detailing clay when it was first introduced to the U.S. market in the early 1990`s.



The package with the white colored clay bar is from 1995 as the date is on the package, I`m not sure of the date for the clay kit that has the black clay bar in it but have sent out a few e-mails to try to find out.



Enjoy!









































It must work and it must be a popular option for a lot of people as a lot of companies offer it in their line.

[Mike_Phillips]

I`ve also had many over spray jobs that a solvent has worked well and required far less effort that clay.

I don`t know if this would qualify as a solvent, but some people have had good luck using this as a liquid approach to removing "some types" of paint overspray. Before using, maybe contact the manufacture and discuss with them your particular situation.





I`ve never used this before and because the rubber trim is old and dried out it`s unlikely it will work but you can give it a try.



of Motsenbocker`s LIFT OFF 4



MOTSENBOCKER`S LIFT OFF 4







It`s states it`s primarily for Rattle Can Spray Paint. It was less than $8.00 so it wouldn`t be to expensive to test out. Next to it were some other products for the same purpose but the Lowe`s salesperson said they`ve tried them all for use in the Lowe`s store and the Motsenbockers worked the best.



Here`s what the website states about the product,



#4 Graffiti Remover



Mötsenböcker’s Lift Off® #4 Spray Paint Graffiti Remover is the only water–based, biodegradable and Green Cross Certified, by Scientific Certification Systems, graffiti remover in the world! It effectively removes all types of oil based paints, varnishes, lacquers and spray paints from all types of surfaces including: stucco, concrete, cars & trucks, brick, metal, plastic and more!

Features and Benefits



Spray Paint Graffiti Remover

Green Cross Certified

Low–VOC

Water–Based

Biodegradable

Safe for the Environment & User

Works On:



Oil–Based Paints • Varnishes • Lacquers • Spray Paints • Old & Fresh Paint • Acrylics • Primers • Enamels • Sealers • Aerosol Paint • Acrylic Enamels • Semi–Gloss • High–Gloss & More!

Safe On:



Hard, Soft, Porous Surfaces including: Stucco • Concrete • Cars & Trucks • Brick • Metal • Plastic • Street Signs • Utility Boxes • Tile • Vinyl • Plexiglas® • Aluminum • Stainless Steel • Fiberglass • Split Rock • Formica® • Slumpstone & More!







:xyxthumbs

[00camaro16]

There`s several methods of removing overspray....What kind of overspray is on your car? How long has it been on? That will determine the best method for it`s removal. Don`t buff the car until the overspray is removed. If claying, Red Clay Magic is probably your best bet (if you`re buffing), but Blue CM can get the job done too in that case.

its clear coat over-spray, i used ppg 660 i believe. it has been on for about 8 months now on 10 year old factory clear coat.

[JohnKleven]

Yes it can get rid of overspray, but it is not the CORRECT way to remove overspray. Once you`ve polished heavily oversprayed paint, your buffing pad is toast. Polishing pads should never touch paint that has not been clay barred properly. When your pad picks up debris that should have been clayed off, it can cause machine swirls. Better buy a clay bar and clay lube. Best of luck.





John

[00camaro16]

Yes it can get rid of overspray, but it is not the CORRECT way to remove overspray. Once you`ve polished heavily oversprayed paint, your buffing pad is toast. Polishing pads should never touch paint that has not been clay barred properly. When your pad picks up debris that should have been clayed off, it can cause machine swirls. Better buy a clay bar and clay lube. Best of luck.





John

yea i planned on using a claybar first. what i got from all you, which i appreciate alot, is to try the clay bar i can get at my local place and if that doesn`t work go to a more aggressive one. thanks again guy for the answers i did a search but didn`t find exactly what an answer to this question would be.



chris.

[David Fermani]

Yeah Mike, people always have to watch out for the newbies and offering alternative methods for alternative operations like paint overspray removal. I get caught up in that many times, but still try shooting from the hip from my experience skewed approach. I’ve been involved with several 100’s (if not over 1000) big overspray jobs throughout the years and my go to product (from a professional standpoint) has always been to reach for a nicely broken in piece of 4000 grit sandpaper. Back in my hay day I actually kept a piece in my pocket at all times. Not sure if you’ve used Micro-Surface’s paper, but it’s quite unique and allows the user to vary it’s characteristics and can be used wet or dry and isn’t affected by many solvents/degreasers. When used properly, it removes *most* overspray faster, better and creates less (and different) marring then aggressive clay. Very rarely have I come across an overspray and/or fallout problem where clay was the best alternative. Yeah, it’s the best alternative for newbies, but I stand by the philosophy that “you won’t know until you try it�. I remember issuing MS 4000 to my newbie detailers knowing that they’d have a hard time damaging paint with it. Clay was always a riskier endeavor seeing that 1 drop and there goes $20+.



Oh yeah, I remember that white Meg’s clay. Probably the worst clay experience I’ve ever had was with that stuff. I got bad batch 1 time and it left concreted residue all over the surface. PITA to remove. Glad they discontinued it. I’ve always stood behind Auto Magic Clay Magic clay seeing that they basically write the Holy Grail for others in the US market currently. I’ve been using it since it came out in the early 90’s and have had lots of interesting discussions with the AM guys throughout the years about it. Probably purchased enough of that stuff to buy a new Vette back then.



Watch out for that Motsenbocker`s LIFT OFF 4. It has Acetone in it and probably isn’t a good idea for anything more than a few isolated spots. Not sure if I’d want to do a whole car with it? Here’s the MSDS indicating it:

http://monsterjanitorial.com/msds/cl...01/4801007.pdf



Here’s some interesting threads about Acetone and how it could damage paint due to how harsh it is:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...hlight=acetone



http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...hlight=acetone



When in doubt about a chemical, problem or product use just reach out to AutoInt. Wealth of knowledge IMHO.

its clear coat over-spray, i used ppg 660 i believe. it has been on for about 8 months now on 10 year old factory clear coat.

Ouch. Clear Coat overspray that isn`t fresh can be a royal PITA to remove. It`s basically not too different than the clear coat that`s underneath it. Especially if its been baked in a paint booth. Clay usually isn`t the best method for this. If it was fresh, Clay and/or paint thinner works, but if it`s been on the finish that long it most likely needs to be lightly sanded with a fine grit of sandpaper. I`d call Micro-Surface and buy a piece of 4000 grit to make life alot easier.