The Junkman Battles a Keyed Paint Job!
 

I was at a car show this past weekend and didn't notice what was on my rental car until I got there. Check this out:

The Specimen...

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest21.jpg


As for the car in question, here's the deal. Someone had scratched this car from the front fender all the way to the back of the rear door. The scratch was relatively deep. To make matters worse, they use blobs of touch-up paint to attempt to fix the scratch. After seeing how much worse the touch-up paint looked, they attempted to wipe the touch up paint off the car, That did nothing but smear the paint everywhere. The final dagger was when they parked the car with the paint still wet in what appeared to be a sand storm. Here's what the car looked like after I finally noticed it (I didn't notice this when I picked up the car because it was overcast).



http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest1.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest6.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest6a.jpg


Okay, let's get this party started!

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest7.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest8.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest9.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest10.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest11.jpg


These action shots are courtesy of John at The Shutter Group. They do event photography. Notice my buffing face! :confused:

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest12.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest13.jpg



... and now for the finished product!

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest14.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest15.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest16.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest17.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest18.jpg

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest19.jpg

She's back to her original beauty.

;)

The Junkman

Very nice!!!

BTW, I just got my Porter Cable... waiting for the next great weather weekend to get my Spring detail in. :)

I am considering the Junkman package, as I am in need of a PC.

Nice job! What compounds and pads did you use? I use the crap out of my Porter-Cable but rarely with anything more aggressive than 3M #39009 (swirl mark remover). In the case of your rental, I'd have been worried I'd go through the clearcoat of the finish surrounding the scratch.

I clayed the damage in order to remove all the dirt that was stuck in the touch-up paint, then I wet sanded the damage with 2500 and 3000 grit paper. I finished up by removing the wet sanding damage with Adam's Swirl & Haze Remover along with their Fine Machine Polish. No wax whatsoever. The shine you see is due to me finishing up with the Fine Machine Polish.

I've got an older car that needs help, got scratches all over it. I was thinking about getting it repainted but now I'm beginning to think it can maybe be saved. And well, if I f-up, then I can go ahead and go with the original plan A.

Are you coming out to ZDayZ in May, Junkman?

I don't have any info on it. When is it?

I just wana kidnapp him, so he can do my car on a weekly basis

The Junkman rules!

yeah m4a1mustangif you dont care send me a private message and tell me what ZdayZ is?

http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/c5fest12.jpg

epic buffing face :roflpuke2:

Check the Mid-ATlantic forum for the ZDayZ thread... its May 20-23. Lots of us are going to be there.

Wow, nice save!

After feeding me for a week, you'd let me go! :icon17:

:roflpuke2::roflpuke2::roflpuke2:


Wow, ZDay is actually close enough for me to drive to! The only problem is I'm due at the Corvette Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky for a bunch of detailing clinics.

Junkman,

I am trying to understand how this all works, so please forgive any ingnorance on my part. By wetsanding the paint, it removes the scratch, but it also removes the clear coat as well. When do you get to the point that you have removed too much clear coat and you are on the paint itself? By removing the clear coat, does it or can it leave the paint vunerable? After you removed the clear coat down to the scratch, do you need to add a layer of clear coat back?

Thanks in advance

I just dived right in ... and jumped straight to a Flex; rather than a PC.

The Flex is a good unit. However, it is not something I would give a novice to learn on because of all the trouble you can get into. It is also NOT the unit that you want to be using on your paint all the time. If you hve properly corrected your paint and practice proper paint maintenance practices, the Flex is overkill when doing touch-up work. I have 4 different polishers that I can choose from when working on cars. By far, the PC gets the most work because it removes the least amout of clear coat. Guys who use rotary polishers all the time are simply in this for the money. They grind on your clear without considering how much clear you have to start with. I would never use a rotary on a factory paint job and I would not use a Flex as my main unit on a factory paint job. You are just asking for trouble by doing this.

When you look at your paint thickness gauge and it says that you only have X amount of clear coat remaining. Sometimes I do it by feel, sometimes I make sure that I am measuring as I go. It depends on if it is a daily beater or a show car. It takes practice and feel, but the most important thing it takes is a paint thickness gauge.

Yes, and that is why you don't remove all, or close to all of the clear coat.

If you remove too much clear, then yes. Again, that's why you don't remove it all or close to all of it. Your paint thickness gauge is what protects you from doing that.

Paint thickness gauges come in various degrees of expertise. Some will give you a overall reading, some will give you a reading of each individual layer. Guess which one is the best and cost more. The one for my car has to be able to take readings off fiberglass. That sucker was not cheap! It also will break down the layers on my car. That is a must when you have a car that cost around $6000-$8000 to paint right. However, you can find gauges that are only $200.

Just remember, you get what you pay for.

Hey, we got a detailing section now! :happydance:

I watched a few of your video's today, and I think you mentioned that the fine machine polish has more cut than the swirl and haze remover?

Am I mistaken?

That's was how I felt when I made those videos. However, that's the problem when you just watch the videos, but don't read the actual thread where the videos are actually posted. Check out the thread here and read the associated text with that video. It explains everything.

I respect your opinion and I like the PC but I think the Flex is a better overall unit for me. Both units are random orbital buffers so both are fairly safe. I plan on using the Flex for other things besides just car detailing. If someone is just looking for a device to detail cars then the PC may be a more cost effective unit.

The top reasons why I chose the Flex are.

1) Powerful yet still a random orbital buffer
2) Variable speed trigger
3) Lock-on button locks the trigger
4) 40% more power than PC
5) Made in Germany.

P.S. Keep up the good work with your youtube feed. I've been watching your videos for a while now. :tup:

:iagree: My Flex is my favorite. Simply has all the finesse, and all the real power, when needed. The PC is good, but the Flex is great.

I understand why you both feel that way but the forced rotation of the Flex is why I don't recommend it to a novice. Maybe after you get good with the PC, yes. As a novice, no way.

Thanks for the link.