Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

[NJTitan]

Hey all..I moved this post from the introductions thread where I shouldnt have posted it....apologies..anyway, I am at wits end trying to get a bird dropping stain off a Brilliant Black Dodge Challenger !! It was only on the car for a few hours but on a 94 degree bright sunny day. Anyway, upon recommendations, I tried Ulitmate Compound as well as Scratch X...it lightened it a lot but the outline of where it was is still somewhat visible....is clay my next move or is there something else...?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

It sounds as though you've got an etching from that bird dropping, so clay won't do a darn thing for it. If Ultimate Compound has improved it, then we'd recommend giving it another shot.

But before you do, tell us how you applied it, how long you worked it, how much pressure, etc. We want to get a feel for how aggressive you've been thus far before giving a definitive recommendation. Some people are afraid to work something like UC too aggressively, while others dive in and go crazy with it. The former can lead to limited results while the latter can actually be dangerous if you're too zealous.

[RZ Autodetailing]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

sounds like it needs to be wetsanded and buffed..where in nj are you located

[NJTitan]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

RZ..I'm in Western Essex County. I don't know squat about wet sanding but jsut the sound of it makes be nervous ! ....Mike, I have used the UC twice more over a 3 day period..using moderate changing to light pressure over a 20 -30 minute stretch, once in a circular motion and then once back and forth. I didn't want to creat a bigger problem than I already had and so far I haven't...yet... so I stopped.

The outline lightened up a bit more but I can still see it. By that I mean "I' can see it because I am a fanatic and I know where to look..anyone else just looking at the car would have to search it out and be 12 inches from the paint to see it (its on ther trunk near the fender seam). I got it the best I could and then waxed the car since it was due anyway. (gold class carnuba, was told it was the best for black cars but I may switch to NXT 2.0 for its swirl & light scratch removal perks). Whats also weird is that the stain outline seems to catch dirt or pollen for a day or two and then disappears again.

Do I just stop and live with it, try clay kit anyhoo or somethihg else ?

[Murr1525]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

Wet sanding sounds a little extreme...

Clay would be a good idea in general for your car, but I dont think it would help the dropping. Maybe a machine would do a little more, but dont want to over do it either.

[NJTitan]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

Yeah, I've never wet sanded but it sounds extreme. I was thinking of trying a machine but again, I am afraid of making matters worse ! Maybe I'll give it a quick once over with guidance from my neighbor, he's got a machine..see what that does and that will be the end of it either way.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

A good wax layer in the future does work wonders. Even if it kills the spot, you can re apply once cleaned and corrected. At the very least it will give you a window of time for the correction.

Like said claying will remove contamination left on the surface, but will do nothing for etching below the surface. After washing, claying should always be next to make sure the surface is clear. Then try some corrections like Ult Compound. Look at the sticky in this section about "Total Cut" as it will explain the difference in product and in relation to how it is used.

If your applying by hand, with a clean terry cloth with moderate pressue, then try again. IF you cannot get any further correction. You will need to step up to a machine.

We sanding should not be needed. I only see wet sanding when your trying to level the clear coat or there is a DEEP scratch that needs blending. This should be corrected with a buffing pad on a DA w/ some UC or Meg 105/205.

This is the swirl correction I got by hand with UC, Terry cloth, time and passion. On HARD GM clear coat. This was another Navy Blue Metallic Trans Am, same color as my own.

[TOGWT]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

Type I is off-white non-transparent ‘clouded’ stain that if left for any length of time that will cause the porous clear coat to occlude (become non-transparent) this is usually inherent with a light surface stain. Providing it is removed quickly and hasn’t been subjected to reactivity (moisture and heat) this can usually be removed easily, especially if there is a sacrificial coat of wax on the paint

Type II is a mark with surface etching (a concave indentation) around its perimeter, this is usually the result of a stain that has been on the surface for a while and has been subjected to reactivity (the addition of moisture and heat), which produces an acid that etches the paint surface. This usually requires an abrasive to level the paint surface

[weavers]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

i've detailed cars with bird poop stains. i tried m105 and surbuff pads with my DA and it doesn't nothing.(this is my most aggressive method) its stained threw the clear coat. etching is easier to take care of, but when its stained underneath only a respray can fix it.

for the original poster it sounds like wet sanding would be best. if you tried ultimate compound a terry cloth towel and that doesn't fix it then i think wetsand would be the best next step. try 2000grit and 3000 grit then ulimate compound and swirl x. take your time and work in a small area. watch videos on youtube on how to wet sand. that or just ignore and forget about the poop stain.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

I don't know squat about wet sanding but jsut the sound of it makes be nervous !

Good, we don't want you wet sanding, at least not yet. Besides, let's say you did go in and wet sand - how are you going to get the sanding marks out? Not with a DA, that's for sure. You'd need a rotary, and that's a whole new ball game.

So let's keep the wetsanding idea on the shelf, at least for now.

....Mike, I have used the UC twice more over a 3 day period..using moderate changing to light pressure over a 20 -30 minute stretch, once in a circular motion and then once back and forth. I didn't want to creat a bigger problem than I already had and so far I haven't...yet... so I stopped.

Let's look at your technique here since you say you're using moderate to light pressure - that's most likely your issue; you just aren't being quite aggressive enough. We had someone bring a C6 Corvette to a Saturday Class with a deep etching from a bird dropping that the owner had been trying to remove for almost a year. Go on any detailing forum and just about everyone will tell you that C6 Corvettes have crazy hard paint. Crazy hard. Whatever. We got rid of the etch with a G110v2, W8207 polishing pad, and Ultimate Compound. We did two passes at speed 5 with enough pressure to just about stop the pad from rotating. Not quite, but it was turning very slowly. That's quite a bit of pressure, certainly well beyond "moderate". Dwell time over the spot, with the tool moving from side to side about one foot, was no more than 30 seconds each time. Just for safety sake, do this once and put your hand on the just buffed area to check for heat build up. The paint will get warm, but it shouldn't be painfully hot - not even close. If it is, back off and let it cool down, then repeat the process but for less time.

You need to get fairly aggressive here, but ease into it. Bottom line is, if you are not getting rid of the etching or other defect, and you can not feel that defect, then you aren't removing any paint anyway. You just want to avoid creating a lot of heat, hence the admonition to proceed slowly and build up the aggressiveness.

Type I is off-white non-transparent ‘clouded’ stain that if left for any length of time that will cause the porous clear coat to occlude (become non-transparent) this is usually inherent with a light surface stain. Providing it is removed quickly and hasn’t been subjected to reactivity (moisture and heat) this can usually be removed easily, especially if there is a sacrificial coat of wax on the paint

Type II is a mark with surface etching (a concave indentation) around its perimeter, this is usually the result of a stain that has been on the surface for a while and has been subjected to reactivity (the addition of moisture and heat), which produces an acid that etches the paint surface. This usually requires an abrasive to level the paint surface

Nice definitions, but where's the real help for the original poster with the issue on his paint?

[NJTitan]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

Ok, I gotta give this a try. Have to learn somehow right !? Maybe I just haven't attacked it with enough aggression out of fear of ruining the paint. I tried to take a few "before" pics but I couldnt get the stain to show up on the digital at any angle for the life of me... but I'll let you know the end result !! Thanks for the expertise !

[3Fitty]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

Mike,

That was a really useful post. Thank you.

I recently had a run-in with some bird poop etching. I attacked it with D300 and a 5" cutting pad, G110 speed setting 5. I made three separate passes. From a straight frontal view there remains barely visible discoloration (silver paint - discoloration is yellow-brownish), but when you look at the etching at surface level, it remains clearly visible and you can see that the etch has some depth.

There is no cracking or crows feet in the etch, but my question is, since I don't have a paint thickness guage, am I running the risk of "going too far" if I keep at it?

I've also got M105 and a chorus of foam pads but I was concerned I was getting too aggressive.

[SunnyD]

Re: Will Clay Remove Bird Dropping Stain?

i think you should try uc