Experiment: Mr. Clean Eraser used on paint

[felthove]

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!



My wife has used this soft but mildly abrasive pad on all kinds of things around the house and it works really well. After a very minor accident with another car I decided to use it on her van to try and work off some paint from the other car that was smudged on. It came off very easily and I was amazed.



I then tried using the eraser on some fairly deep scratches and it took those out, too. This product has some kind of cleaner or chemical in it and all you need to do is wet it. I didn't use any type of compound or polish.



After rubbing the paint there was some pretty bad marring of the clear coat. It will definitely take some work w/ a buffer and a good polish to get things back to square one but for those of you that think you need to wetsand an area but are scared to try it you might want to try out one of these Magic Erasers (available at most grocery stores). This appears to be a gentler alternative that works really well.

 

[coupe]

You dont understand what wetsanding does and when its appropriate do you?

 

[kapinnn]

Can you post pictures of before and after? That would be an interesting alternative, although sanding with 2000/2500/3000 sandpaper is pretty safe and easy on small spots too.



Remember that if it's doing what a sandpaper does it has to be just as abrasive as it. So I don't think it would be much "safer" per se.

 

[backwoods_lex]

What you removed was a paint transfer. You can even sometimes remove those with a detailing clay, paint cleaner, or a finishing polish.

 

[BobD]

I always recommend using the right products for the job. I mean, you could rub a brick on the car and get a scratch out and then have to compound the brick marring. LOL It is just safer wet sand...trust me. If you are afraid to wet sand use some Four star Abresive Enhancing Gel instead of water. Makes the job much easier and safer.

 

[felthove]

You dont understand what wetsanding does and when its appropriate do you?

Perhaps not. From what I understand it is the use of fine sandpaper using a water-based lubricant to remove paint defects that require a little more abrasiveness than most compounds. I was under the impression that most concerns about wetsanding are related to rubbing through the clearcoat due to improper technique or too coarse a grade of sandpaper. I only mentioned the pad because it seems to be less abrasive than wetsanding grade paper and has a soft applicator that seems less amenable to causing damage. I was just trying to point out a neat product that may have an application here. Sorry if I offended you.

 

[felthove]

What you removed was a paint transfer. You can even sometimes remove those with a detailing clay, paint cleaner, or a finishing polish.

Agreed. I only mentioned the paint transfer removal because that's how I stumbled on to this product to begin with. I just wanted folks to know that it worked well for me.

 

[coupe]

Perhaps not. From what I understand it is the use of fine sandpaper using a water-based lubricant to remove paint defects that require a little more abrasiveness than most compounds. I was under the impression that most concerns about wetsanding are related to rubbing through the clearcoat due to improper technique or too coarse a grade of sandpaper. I only mentioned the pad because it seems to be less abrasive than wetsanding grade paper and has a soft applicator that seems less amenable to causing damage. I was just trying to point out a neat product that may have an application here. Sorry if I offended you.

Have you ever felt 2500 grit or 3000 grit paper?





http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/91916-whoa-shouldnt-have-worked-like-should.html

 

[Setec Astronomy]

If it worked, that's the important part. Certainly a Magic Eraser is a lot easier to get than ultra-fine wetsand paper and the appropriate block, and may be a reasonable alternative for some people. As has been noted, it won't be a substitute for wetsanding in a professional setting.

 

[felthove]

[quote name='Coupe']Have you ever felt 2500 grit or 3000 grit paper?



Yes. Why so fiesty? Have you ever felt a Mr. Clean sponge?

 

[felthove]

As has been noted, it won't be a substitute for wetsanding in a professional setting.

I totally agree -- and I did try to modify my admittedly sloppy thread title (but I can't get it to stick).



I didn't intend to challenge professional practices in any way. I was just thinking about guys who have tried to work out a scratch with no luck and are scared to try the wetsanding approach. Sorry if I gave bad advice. There was no ill will intended.

 

[coupe]

[quote name='Coupe']Have you ever felt 2500 grit or 3000 grit paper?



Yes. Why so fiesty? Have you ever felt a Mr. Clean sponge?

Yes, its all i use on interior rubber, vinyl, plastics and leather.



Im worried that newbs will read what you wrote and think that this is the safest way to remove scratches and paint transfer. Its the farthest thing from it.

 

[coupe]

Yes. Why so fiesty? Have you ever felt a Mr. Clean sponge?

Yes, its all i use on interior rubber, vinyl, plastics and leather.



Im worried that newbs will read what you wrote and think that this is the safest way to remove scratches and paint transfer. Its the farthest thing from it.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I totally agree -- and I did try to modify my admittedly sloppy thread title (but I can't get it to stick).



I didn't intend to challenge professional practices in any way. I was just thinking about guys who have tried to work out a scratch with no luck and are scared to try the wetsanding approach. Sorry if I gave bad advice. There was no ill will intended.

You don't need to apologize, at least not to me (some other members seem a little more offended by this). If you used the regular Magic Eraser, I can't see this being too dangerous, and as I mentioned, a real convenience for some members who don't have easy access to the special uni-grit papers.

 

[felthove]

Yes, its all i use on interior rubber, vinyl, plastics and leather.



Im worried that newbs will read what you wrote and think that this is the safest way to remove scratches and paint transfer. Its the farthest thing from it.

Understood. No hard feelings. Sorry if I was sloppy.

 

[Less]

Doesn't the box specifically say "DO NOT USE ON AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS" or something like that.



I'm pretty sure that these Magic Eraser pads are FULL of solvents.



I read once about a guy who used a solvent on some scratches and it sort of "melted" the surrounding paint into the scratch. Maybe that's what happened to you.



If it works for you, great. But I would be deathly afraid to even attempt this.



I have some magic eraser pads on my detailing product shelf, but the only thing I will use them on is uncoated, aluminum alloy wheels.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

There are no solvents in a Magic Eraser, it's just a SPONGE. I'm sure it has the potential to scuff glossy surfaces, hence the warning on the box. All that kind of stuff warns you to try a small, inconspicuous spot first, from Magic Erasers to leather cleaner to deck cleaners to...everything.



I have only used the Magic Erasers on the backs of wheels in good condition (the tire & wheel version) and on the (interior) walls of my house. I haven't used it on an auto paint scratch or paint transfer, but if you're going to compound anyway, I don't see why everyone is getting their shorts in a bunch.



Before this gets any worse--I am not advocating doing this, but cut felthove a little slack! The more Autopian way to do this would have been to use a chemical cleaner on the paint transfer and wet sand and/or compound the scratch. Felthove--how about compounding your marring and telling us how it comes out?

 

[TortoiseAWD]

Before this gets any worse--I am not advocating doing this, but cut felthove a little slack!

This.



Disagreements are fine (and expected!), but please, be cordial when discussing differences of opinion. Thanks for trying to calm things down, Setec.



Tort

(moderator)

 

[felthove]

There are no solvents in a Magic Eraser, it's just a SPONGE. I'm sure it has the potential to scuff glossy surfaces, hence the warning on the box. All that kind of stuff warns you to try a small, inconspicuous spot first, from Magic Erasers to leather cleaner to deck cleaners to...everything.



I have only used the Magic Erasers on the backs of wheels in good condition (the tire & wheel version) and on the (interior) walls of my house. I haven't used it on an auto paint scratch or paint transfer, but if you're going to compound anyway, I don't see why everyone is getting their shorts in a bunch.



Before this gets any worse--I am not advocating doing this, but cut felthove a little slack! The more Autopian way to do this would have been to use a chemical cleaner on the paint transfer and wet sand and/or compound the scratch. Felthove--how about compounding your marring and telling us how it comes out?

I will take some pics and do a little polishing and get back to you all. Thanks for cutting me slack, and I do understand all of your concerns about bad info. Cheers.

 

[dshreter]

Thanks for posting this. Sounds really easy and could be useful information for a lot of people! Its possible that instead of wetsanding the Magic Eraser is a good alternative for some of these situations, and there's no reason to assume it can't be good. Can't wait to see some pictures.