Which BRUSH is safe for paint??

[dusik77]

Hi There,

What brush do you guys use for cleaning inside emblems and tight spaces??



Thanks in advance..

Andrey

[PerroneFord]

I use QD, make-up pads, and bamboo skewers. Cheap, and doesn`t scratch.

[cptzippy]

I asked a similar question a week ago or so. I`ve been using q-tips and that is still the safest I think (though it does take a lot of them). Use QD but I may try QD strength ONR for it next time around.

[PerroneFord]

I`m telling ya, using the skewers or a MF wrapped around the skewers KILLS playing with q-tips. You can apply a bit of pressure without problems, and move rather quickly. Give it a try. A pack of 100 bamboo skewers is about $2 at the local grocery store.

[cptzippy]

Have to try it then :)

[PerroneFord]

Oh,



The skewers appear to come in 3 lengths too. I bought a pack of the long, and a pack of the mediums. I use the mediums for most everything, but the long ones will make engine cleaning a lot easier when I can`t get my hands in some places. Or reaching through wheels to get to the calipers, etc.



I also use the skewers to clean those small areas inside the car like where plastic seams come together. Q-Tips can`t reach in there, but the skewers can.

[dusik77]

Thanks SCoach..

I`ll have to try it.. Now its gonna be 2 people in the house using make up pads.. LoL

What about round brushes that people using it? The only thing I could find is lug nut brush and interior brush.. Is that what people using on exterior`s in tight spaces??

[PerroneFord]

I don`t have one of those nice lugnut brushes. Maybe after my next paying job I`ll get a couple of the swissvax brushes. For now, it`s just using a MF wrapped around the blunt end of a skewer.



I use the little make-up swabs for stuff like coin trays and stuff which are nasty and would really soil my MF towel. They do lint a bit so be aware of that. But they`re like $3.50 for 200 at CVS. I just checked online. They make nice cleaners for door trim and weatherstripping too. A little APC and wipe. A little rubber cleaner and wipe. Easy. And no more black rubber nastiness on the MF towels.

[Accumulator]

dusik77- What job do you want to do with the brushes? I use BHBs for all sorts of things, but I use them *WET*. If you`re talking about removing wax/polish residue, I`ve never found any brush that`ll do that (used dry) without marring automotive paint.



Similar to what SCoach is suggesting, I whittle down little sticks (e.g. swab sticks) to the right shape/size and then use them to work some medium (cotton pulled from Q-tips, MF, foam, whatever) into the tight spots. Or, for emblems (harder to scratch than paint) I`ll flag the tip of the stick with a razor blade and soak it in QD to soften it up, then use that (but I sure wouldn`t touch paint with it).

[dusik77]

Thanks Accumulator,

I see(before and after section) some people use Swissvax brush when they wash cars.. After they let foam sit on the car they work emblems and some tight spaces with that brush.. So, I was just wondering if that brush (whatever people use) will scratch.. If its swissvax, which one?? Lug nut brush or the other one..

But I try what SCoach recommended.. Looks like a good idea..

[PerroneFord]

Accumulator has a LOT more experience at this than me, so pay attention to what he`s saying. Just because I do something on the vehicles *I* do, doesn`t mean it`s the best way to do it. Honestly, it`s probably NOT since I try to follow the advice of the pros here as my budget allows. But sometimes I have to find more economical ways of doing things.



If I had 100 MF towels I wouldn`t worry about messing them up. But I don`t so I make other choices. All kinds of considerations to be made.

[Accumulator]

Thanks Accumulator,

I see(before and after section) some people use Swissvax brush when they wash cars.. After they let foam sit on the car they work emblems and some tight spaces with that brush.. So, I was just wondering if that brush (whatever people use) will scratch.. If its swissvax, which one?? Lug nut brush or the other one.. ..



I haven`t used the Swissvax brush. I got my BHBs from Griot`s and AutoGeek.



Any brush will scratch if you don`t use it right, and "used right" most brushes are *awfully* gentle...sometimes too gentle for the job at hand!



Test any brush on the data-side of a CD and that`ll tell you whether it`s likely to scratch paint. Test it *wet* with shampoo solution, the same way you`d actually be using it (same degree of pressure too). Test it again from time to time as the bristle tips will wear and eventually *any* brush will become a scratch-machine.



FWIW, a lot of the "techniques" (scare-quotes intentional ;) ) that I see people using cause marring whenever *I* try doing things that way. I guess it`s all "YMMV" stuff but I`d sure err on the side of caution. It`s just *so* easy to mar paint....

[dusik77]

thanks a lot guys.. Ill try the way you do it.. see how I like it..