The impossible bird etching (before and after)

[zookie]

This car gets a lot of highway miles so the hood is a disaster. A lot of chips, etc but what really stands out is a bird etching that a previous owner left in this Honda paint over three years ago.

I used a PC 7424XP and started with Menzerna SIP and a LC Orange pad at full speed. When this didn`t work, I moved up to the LC Yellow. Completely removed the swirls, but did nothing on the etchings. Moved on to Menzerna Micro Finish and then topped with 4-star UPP.

Can anyone give me some advice based on these pictures?

Thanks!

Before shots are after washing the car.

Before shot of area


Before shot of etchings


after shot of area


after show of etchings

[Gus-Gus]

did you try claying? uhh also.. maybe wet a shirt towel of some sort with vinegar (in the shade when the hood is cool) and let it sit for a while and then see if they will buff out? just a thought...

Also what products do you have available to use?

[zookie]

I did clay it. I`ll try the towel and vinegar idea. Definitely worth a shot. I don`t have a huge arsenal of products but I`ve got no problem ordering more. Was thinking maybe SSR3 was worth a shot. What do you think?

[Gus-Gus]

well if you are up to ordering.. i would maybe try getting some bug squash from poorboys and letting that soak on it. if that wont budge it..vinegar wont.. but sometimes etching is etching and the only thing you can do is hide it.. Im not sure if wet sanding would take that out.. depends on how bad it is really...

[mrclean81]

Its hard to say weather or not it would wetsand just from pics. Chances are it would though.

[zookie]

I ordered Bug Squash so I`ll try that in a few days. I also ordered some SSR 2.5 to try instead of the Menzerna SIP I`m currently using. Doubt that will do it, but it might help.

Only concern is paint depth. It`s all OEM paint but I don`t have a thickness gauge so I`m trying to watch how much I cut. That pretty much stops me on wet sanding as well.

Was checking out those Positector gauges, but they certainly do have a hefty price tag. Do they make any that are a little (LOT) cheaper that are worth anything?

[mrclean81]

You would have to sand your finger tips off to go though the clear just from wetsanding, especially with 2000, which is what i would suggest using. Its likely that Bug Squash would get it from the great reviews i read on here about it.

[zookie]

Wow, really? I was under the impression that it is much more risky than that. Great tip! Well, ok, I can get some 2000 grit, but they also have some 3000 grit. Haven`t found a great write-up on wet sanding with two different grit paper.

This one:
Basic Hand Sanding Techniques - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

But they say to finish with higher grit. So do I do the exact same thing I did with the 2000 grit with the 3000 as a finishing pass?

Definitely going to see how the Bug Squash goes first, but very interested in wet sanding if it doesn`t work. Interested in general although this is OEM paint and not fresh paint so a little fear in there somewhere.

[mrclean81]

I wetsand almost everyday so my views on it are very differant than most peoples. To me, its not all that risky as long as you stay off of sharp lines and about an inch away from the corners and edges of panels. This is not only to keep from sanding through, but to keep from buffing too hard on body lines and edges. As for working up to 3000, if that`s just something you want to do that`s fine but not absolutly necessary. 2000 is very fine and buffs out easily with light compound. If you were to do a couple differant grits, the finer grit of course would be used to remove the rougher scratches. Just make sure you pass over it in several differant directions to insure all the rough scratches are gone and not just hidden. Its really not as big of a deal as what its made out to be. What machine do you use?

[zookie]

Well, I figure worst case the hood gets sprayed and blended so I`m not to scared, just cautious from things I`ve read.

So far I`m using a PC 7424XP but "eyeballing" the Flex for much higher RPMs although multiple passes with the PC have not made even the smallest change. For wet sanding I would use my hands.

Do you use the Nikken paper from Meg? Any other tips to pass along about your process?

[mrclean81]

You can get small packs of paper in the automotive section at Walmart that would work just fine for a fraction of the cost. The good thing about wetsanding is the paper lasts forever. Ive known of guys using a PC for it, but I think I would pull my hair out first. The Flex along with a good cutting pad would be alot better imo. I personally use a rotary and wool pad (sometimes foam cutting pad) and 3M compound. Their Perfect-It 2 if Im buffing out 1000 or 1500 scratches, or Perfect-It 3 for 2000 and up. As stated before, this isnt the best option, but its still an option. I would definatly try the other ways suggested first.

[Poorboy]

it is really hard to tell from the pictures and I would definitely go with a least aggressive approach first. If you are willing to repaint soon or in the near future, then it would be worth a try wet sanding, as often going after an etching in the paint can lead to premature clear coat failure on OEM paint.
good luck

[tuscarora dave]

It looks to me like checking. where there are a bunch of tiny cracks gathered together in the shape of what started as a bird dropping. If this is the case you will never get rid of it because the cracking goes through the clear, the base coat and into the primer. I know because I sanded one down to see how far it goes and it went through the primer. An unfortunate consequence of the previous owner not taking care of it.

[Poorboy]

It looks to me like checking. where there are a bunch of tiny cracks gathered together in the shape of what started as a bird dropping. If this is the case you will never get rid of it because the cracking goes through the clear, the base coat and into the primer. I know because I sanded one down to see how far it goes and it went through the primer. An unfortunate consequence of the previous owner not taking care of it.

I thought that too, but with a two dimensional picture it`s just too hard to judge

[tuscarora dave]

Here is a clear picture of the checking that I sanded down to the primer to realize that the primer is cracked as well.