Overspray removal without screwing up paint (sand or polish?)

[LimeStang]

Hey guys,
I figured I better consult with you before I proceed any further with my paint repair. Last week I removed some rust from the lip of the wheel well on my 2003 Taurus daily driver. I primed, painted, and clear coated the area . Overall it turned out great. The only problem is that some of the overspray from the clear coat managed to find it's way onto panel above the wheel. It's not noticble to most people but it's driving me nuts. It's about 2 inches above where the repair was done. If you run your hand across it, you can feel the overspray. I was trying to avoid getting overspray on this but it was very difficult area to paint and if I had taped it, I'd probably have lines to deal with.

I've got 2 different friends with bodyshop experience giving me 2 different suggestions. First guy suggests using 3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to buff it. Then go over with a good wax. The second guy says to just use a polish and forget about sanding.

What do I do?. Do I sand JUST the overspray or do I also sand the area I clear coated in order for it to all blend in?.

I'm just afriad that if I go too far down, I'll start removing the clear where I did the repair. I've seen some people on here talk about the clay bar. I have one but haven't tried it yet. Didn't think it would be suitable for this job.

Any information would be appreciated.

[Psynx]

Try claying it first before trying anything to aggressive like wet sanding

[davey g-force]

Re: Overspray removal without screwing up paint (sand or polish?)

Agreed.

One of the clay bar's primary functions is to remove overspray (and other above surface bonded contaminants).

Clay should do the trick, especially if the overspray is relatively fresh.

If that doesn't work, try a compound like UC or M105.

If that doesn't work, then maybe look at wet sanding, if you're confident in your ability to do so.

Remember - least aggressive method first!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Overspray removal without screwing up paint (sand or polish?)

Clay is definitely the way to go, but if the overspray is heavy enough you might want something more aggressive than the typical consumer level clay. Our C2000 Professional Mild Clay is a definite step up from consumer clay and will usually speed through overspray.

Whatever you do, do NOT wet sand even with 3000 grit unless you know what you're doing. Just applying a wax over your sanding marks will do nothing - you will have dull paint where you sanded and a wax won't remove the sanding marks.

[rickylexus250]

Re: Overspray removal without screwing up paint (sand or polish?)

Yes clay it first, then polish with M105 by hand or machine over the whole area. The result is you want to smooth the whole area including the area you have done. Use the least aggressive polish first then move on with that.