Where/What to Tape?

[tustah]

I searched and read many threads about taping off the car before polishing but still have a few questions. I will be using 3M Blue Painter`s tape.



1. I understand you are to tape near windows and trim, but what exactly is meant by trim? Is it plastic, chrome, emblems?



2. My doorhandles are painted black, but from guessing it looks like there is a lot of potential for polish to get stuck. I`m thinking I should tape it off. Do you guys make passes over it without taping with good results?



3. I saw a Meguiar`s brush at Big Lots and was wondering if it would come in handy for those hard to reach spots (but since I`m taping, not sure if it`s needed unless I don`t tape certain areas like the doorhandles).



4. For areas other than glass where you can`t tape right at the edge, after removing tape, I would expect to see a difference between the taped area and newly polished area. How would you even the taped area out so that it isn`t as noticable? Please LMK if I need to clarify this question.



5. Is it safe to run over the headlights and backlights with ANY kind of polish? I`ll be using Optimum Polish and Compound. (Sorry, question has nothing to do with tape.)



Most threads were mainly about what tape to use. I`ve been trying to soak up as much information to have an understanding of what I`ll be doing, but I know I`ll learn along the way as I use the PC. Think I`m doing this for a better sense of security.



I digress. Thanks in advance!

[Accumulator]

tustah- I`ll try to address each Q.



1) In this context, we`re talking about stuff you a) don`t want to abrade (fragile surfaces) and/or, b) don`t want to get polish on (like black pebble-grain plastic) and/or, c) areas where you can`t get to to clean out the polish (like the slotted air intakes in front of the windshield on some cars).



2) Those door handles are a perfect example of "b" above. Some polishes don`t cause problems, especially if you wipe them off right away, but *I* would rather tape and be on the safe side.



3) I would`t trust that brush. If it`s stiff enough to clean out polish residue it might very well mar the paint. When I need something like this I use cotton wool (like the tips of Q-Tips) or plush MF, wet with Meg`s #34 and/or sharpened wooden sticks (swab stick, toothpick) that I`ve "flagged" the sharp tip of with a razor blade. I use these wet with Meg`s #34 to further soften them (the cotton and/or sticks) and to provide both lubrication and some solvent-action. Usually I use the stick behind the MF/cotton wool, but sometimes I use the stick by itself, but *oh man* do you have to be careful doing that!



4) That`s a good example of the sort of area you might have to work by hand. Or try with the PC being *very* careful to not hit the spot in question more than necessary and *VERY* careful to wipe off the polish immediately, running your MF along the window (parallel to it) not across the seam (perpendicular to it). Working parallel won`t force as much stuff into the seam.



5) I avoid getting *really* aggressive stuff on plastic lenses, but generally it`s not a problem.

[imported_hooked]

Another question:



How do you tape off the thin pinstripe decals? Do you just get the thinnest painter`s tape to cover it? If so, what`s the procedure to polish the paint that was covered up with the tape without getting polish stuck on the edges of the pinstripe (which is what you were trying to avoid by using the tape)?

[Accumulator]

How do you tape off the thin pinstripe decals? Do you just get the thinnest painter`s tape to cover it? If so, what`s the procedure to polish the paint that was covered up with the tape without getting polish stuck on the edges of the pinstripe (which is what you were trying to avoid by using the tape)?



Oh jeeze am I dreading having to deal with this on the RX-7 :o Fragile (factory) pinstripe all along the sides of the car, so I sympathize with your plight.



I haven`t decided whether to cover (just) the pinstripe with thin tape or to cover the sripe and more with regular-width tape, working first one side and then retaping and working the other. I *will* let the tape overlap the edges of the stripe though, covering a little bit of paint too.



Thinking it through, I think I`ll order some tape that`ll be a little wider than the stripe and use that.



Then work by hand right up against the pinstripe. I`ll use a sponge applicator or a MF, work parallel to the stripe, use as little product as possible and be sure to buff it off before it dries. Then I might go over the area with a QD before applying some LSP that doesn`t leave white residue.



IMO the big trick is to work parallel to the edge of the stripe and not use a lot of product once you start doing the by-hand work.

[FreeBIZZ]

Oh jeeze am I dreading having to deal with this on the RX-7 :o Fragile (factory) pinstripe all along the sides of the car, so I sympathize with your plight.



I haven`t decided whether to cover (just) the pinstripe with thin tape or to cover the sripe and more with regular-width tape, working first one side and then retaping and working the other. I *will* let the tape overlap the edges of the stripe though, covering a little bit of paint too.



Thinking it through, I think I`ll order some tape that`ll be a little wider than the stripe and use that.



Then work by hand right up against the pinstripe. I`ll use a sponge applicator or a MF, work parallel to the stripe, use as little product as possible and be sure to buff it off before it dries. Then I might go over the area with a QD before applying some LSP that doesn`t leave white residue.



IMO the big trick is to work parallel to the edge of the stripe and not use a lot of product once you start doing the by-hand work.



I just did my wife`s white Forester that has red and blue pinstripes. I didn`t bother to tape them, and the car looks awesome. Used Klasse Twins......2 coats of SG. I can`t noti

ce any product build-up on the stripes.

[tustah]

Oh jeeze am I dreading having to deal with this on the RX-7 :o Fragile (factory) pinstripe all along the sides of the car, so I sympathize with your plight.



I haven`t decided whether to cover (just) the pinstripe with thin tape or to cover the sripe and more with regular-width tape, working first one side and then retaping and working the other. I *will* let the tape overlap the edges of the stripe though, covering a little bit of paint too.



Thinking it through, I think I`ll order some tape that`ll be a little wider than the stripe and use that.



Then work by hand right up against the pinstripe. I`ll use a sponge applicator or a MF, work parallel to the stripe, use as little product as possible and be sure to buff it off before it dries. Then I might go over the area with a QD before applying some LSP that doesn`t leave white residue.



IMO the big trick is to work parallel to the edge of the stripe and not use a lot of product once you start doing the by-hand work.



Wow thanks for answering that question. Totally forgot about the pinstripes on my car.




I just did my wife`s white Forester that has red and blue pinstripes. I didn`t bother to tape them, and the car looks awesome. Used Klasse Twins......2 coats of SG. I can`t notice any product build-up on the stripes.



My guess is that you`re using a paint cleaner which is less abrasive than a polisher.

[Accumulator]

FreeBIZZ- The Klasse twins are great products for this sort of thing, especially on relatively new pinstripes. Sounds like you used them correctly (as in, not too much product).



I`d be a *little* careful with AIO on old ones like on my RX-7, but that`s a special case where preserving originality is more important than anything else. While I wouldn`t use AIO on the newish pinstripes all the time, infrequent use shouldn`t be too much for `em. The "one-micron" abrasives aren`t exactly *good* for the top film of such stripes, but they won`t irreperably damage the film right away either.

[FreeBIZZ]

FreeBIZZ- The Klasse twins are great products for this sort of thing, especially on relatively new pinstripes. Sounds like you used them correctly (as in, not too much product).



I`d be a *little* careful with AIO on old ones like on my RX-7, but that`s a special case where preserving originality is more important than anything else. While I wouldn`t use AIO on the newish pinstripes all the time, infrequent use shouldn`t be too much for `em. The "one-micron" abrasives aren`t exactly *good* for the top film of such stripes, but they won`t irreperably damage the film right away either.



Thanks for the heads-up. I`ll watch that as the Forester is my wife`s and we plan to keep it for quite a while. Glad this topic came up as I never gave a thought to being careful around pinstripes.

[Accumulator]

Glad this topic came up as I never gave a thought to being careful around pinstripes...



Yeah, it`s not uncommon to see issues with tape-type stripes after a while. People polish through the top layer of whatever they`re made with and it`s sorta like clearcoat failure. It happens gradually so it sorta creeps up on you.