removing polish residue from cracks

As ghetto as it sounds, I have a few MF cloths that are spent. I cut a small strip off of them, super glue one end to a small dowel rod, and wrap it up burrito-stylez. Looks like a q-tip scaled up 150% and hasn't let me down since.



Once it's rolled up, I put the edge into said recess, spin it as I move it and all polish is removed.
 
You pressurewasher guys just kill me...oh, if not for the overspray...



Though I still have some vehicles that a pw would simply, uhm...disassemble to some degree.



nailzer said:
A toothbrush is cheaper.
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The softest toothbrush I've ever used is the "soft" version of the natural-bristle ones made by Lactona (not so easy to find these days). (Natural bristles soften up when wet.) Even when used soaking wet, which is an absolute must, these still mar almost all automotive paint, usually so badly that you can see the damage without magnification. I'm adamantly :nono when it comes to toothbrushes on paint.
 
Accumulator said:
I'm adamantly :nono when it comes to toothbrushes on paint.
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Driving Florida's I-4 every work day doing 65-80 mph with rock trucks that usually have an unsecured cover on their load, cars that change lanes less than 1 car length in front of my Eclipse throwing whatever is on the road onto my car, the bristles of a toothbrush is the last thing I worry about.
 
nailzer said:
Driving Florida's I-4 every work day ..[with all that entails]...the bristles of a toothbrush is the last thing I worry about.
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OK, we just see this differently.



I don't mind zillions of paintchips, and other stuff that's beyond my control, but marring that *is* within my control isn't gonna happen.
 
I've never had anyone interested in the quality of the paint in areas that wax can build up in, and I'm not either.
 
But how stupid would it be if there was a bunch of scratches staring you in the face and you couldn't access them for correction? Detailing, many times, is all about using the least evasive means to accomplish a certain goal.
 
Accumulator said:
OK, we just see this differently.



I don't mind zillions of paintchips, and other stuff that's beyond my control, but marring that *is* within my control isn't gonna happen.
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^^^^ ....especially when it boils down to a simple choice in technique, product and/or tool to help avoid uneccessary damage to the finish.
 
David Fermani said:
But how stupid would it be if there was a bunch of scratches staring you in the face and you couldn't access them for correction?
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I guess if somebody doesn't care then, well, they don't care. I commit enough Autopian Heresy of my own that I'd better be cool with people having differing standards. But I'm with you David, fix any marring that you can, to the extent you can, and hope you don't reinstill it.



darkstar752 said:
Use a long toothpick and wrap a MF cloth around it.
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Yeah, just watch that the toothpick doesn't poke through. I've also flagged the tip of a toothpick/swabstick and soaked it in QD until it softened up, makes for a very gentle alternative to a (conventional) brush but still not safe on very soft paint.
 
I have NEVER seen anything CLOSE to marring on ANY car I've ever owned since 1966, and I've used a toothbrush to remove wax from any place that wax builds up on every car I've owned. If a soft toothbrush was that destructive I would never use them on my teeth.
 
I use q-tips to get into crevices. I also tried once where a q-tip wouldn't fit using some canned air and spraying into the crevice. That got the residue out so might give it a try.
 
nailzer said:
I have NEVER seen anything CLOSE to marring on ANY car I've ever owned since 1966, and I've used a toothbrush to remove wax from any place that wax builds up on every car I've owned. If a soft toothbrush was that destructive I would never use them on my teeth.
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You might want to try looking at your paint under some good light? I have about 30 toothbrushes accumulated for detailing and every one of them will marr paint to a degree. I'm trying to de-wax-in-the-crack a black Vette right now that the previous detailer did a lousy job on. In the super tight body to bumper gaps every toothbrush I tried was scratching the paint with every stroke. There's no way around it. I tried powerwashing it out, using a MF and finally I'm biting the bullet and actually inducing scrathes to remove the wax and then later on hand polishing them out. If the toothbrush didn't marr then I would be saving about 2 hours on this project alone. It depends on the car, the crack, the paint and the material in the crack I guess.



I only wish we could compare the finish of your teeth to finish of your car. A toothbrush can definatly harm your teeth if you aren't careful:

NHS Evidence - Oral health - Can brushing too hard damage teeth?
 
Nailzer said:
I have NEVER seen anything CLOSE to marring on ANY car I've ever owned since 1966, and I've used a toothbrush to remove wax from any place that wax builds up on every car I've owned...
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Huh. My softest, natural-bristle brushes, used wet, will mar Audi clear no matter how careful I am (virtualy zero pressure, only the bristle tips, etc.). I know this for an absolute fact, based on first-hand experience. Admittedly, that brush instills such light marring that it's not readily seen with the naked eye, but it's there.



Sorry if I'm coming across as all :argue on this thread, but our experiences and viewpoints are very different.



David Fermani said:
You might want to try looking at your paint under some good light?
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And/or magnification, which really makes it obvious. You don't need high-power for this, even a 3-5X visor works great, and is *so* helpful when polishing out stuff like wetsanding marks (or toothbrush scratches).



I only wish we could compare the finish of your teeth to finish of your car.
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I often use the analogy of autopaint being about as sensitive as the surface of your eyeball.



Teeth are infinitely harder than autopaint; ever feel the stuff your dentist polishes teeth with? No way you'd want to rub that stuff on your paint with a tiny little high-speed rotary using a rubber cup for the pad!
 
First order of business is to do no harm right :p





I use a cheap detailing brush(the one with a rubber tip at the handle end) and fold/wrap a MF on the end and use a paint safe solvent. Let the solvent to the work if you can.



That won't work in all cases, but sure helps.



Maybe I should just use steel wool :think:
 
I use disposable eye shadow applicators and IPA. The stem is sturdy and the swab is super soft.



I'm always amazed at the number of items I can find on the cosmetics aisle that crosses over to detailing!
 
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