Removing Painted on Pinstripes (PICS)

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imported_turbomangt

New member
This was without a doubt the biggest headache I have ever come across. A guy stops by my shop and asks if I could remove the PAINTED on pin-stripes from his Jeep Cherokee. (Black) At this point I should have sent him to a body shop. But because I love punishment I told him I would do it. Here are some pics of what I did during the process.

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First pic shows the car with the stripe. Next I masked off the car, and used Aci-tone and some other highly potent chemicals, (definitely need to wear rubber gloves; otherwise your skin will peel off.) You can see in the next pic the paint slowly started to come off while I wet-sanded with 1500 grit. It was when I went to the other side of the car I knew I was in trouble. None of my chemicals were working on the section front passenger side. I was puzzled. I soon discovered after I ran my hand over the stripe that only that one section the stripe was clear coated over. RATS!!!!!. All the other paint not no clear over, but that one section did. I knew the car had to of been in an accident, that is the only reason I could think of. I looked at the hood and saw fish eyes (fish eyes occurs when the moisture gets between the base coat and clear coat) on half the section, which concluded my theory. (poor repair jop) That still meant I was in trouble. I had to go to 600 grit sandpaper, which is extremely dangerous. Took me 2 hours just to get that section done. Now I had the mess and aftermath of how to handle my sanding marks. It was tight quarters to get a buffer into.

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You can see in the pic how where the stripe was and I sanded, how scuffed and dull the finish was. I went to a cutting pad with the high speed and Meguiars heavy duty cleaner. It was tedious work, next went to a yellow pad and fine cut cleaner. Then the cyclo with a swirl remover/ still again with the cyclo (green pad) and a glaze polish, then a wax.

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Last pic is the final outcome. It looks decent, but Iâ€â„¢m not at all satisfied with the result. Imagine going through 8 open heart surgeries, that is what this car went through. I took off more paint than is left on the car. I will NEVER do this again, not even if my Mother asked me to do it.
 
Wow, you're much braver than I. I wouldn't have even considered that possible...



What was the owner thinking? He couldn't live with the one tiny pin stripe?
 
Was the customer happy with the outcome?



I really should make a point to hit one of your lectures or check out your shop one of these days! Maybe after winter Ill have a job for you :)
 
The customer was fine with it, I showed him the pics so he knew the work involved. Hindsight told me he should have gone over the white pin stripes with black ones. Since I'm a perfectionist I was not happy with it. The chemicals I used were so strong that it was was hard on the paint. He did appreciate the fact that I found some rust and showed him where the car was in an accident.. He just bought it so he may has recourse with the dealer. From now on I will remove decals only NO MORE PAINT. not worth it. LIve and learn I guess.
 
Removing any kind of painted on pinstripes or sign paint is a major PITA and I recommend that no one tries it unless they have a written waiver signed by the customer relieving you of any liablity if the paint will not come off properly. These types of paint "bite" deeply into the painted surface and even when removed will usually leave behind a mark where they were applied. Sometimes this can be carefully wet sanded out - often times not because the products needed to remove the paint in the first place soften the paint. The fastest way to remove painted pinstripes is BELIEVE IT OR NOT - Easy off oven cleaner. Don't ask me why but when I used to get a lot of these jobs in the early 90's a bodyshop owner let me in on that little trade secret. This is not good for the paint under any circumstnces but it is the lesser of two evils if a customer demands that you try this before going and getting the panels repainted (that same bodyshop owner would not remove - only repaint). Be forewarned before you try this that there is a significant chance of failure in this kind of work - hence the waiver.

Also, fisheyes are created in freshly painted surfaces not by water being trapped between the basecoat and the clearcoat. They are created mainly by contamination of the painted surface by oil, grease, wax and silicon residue. (e.g. polishes containing silicon). Not trying to be a know it all - just thought you might like to know.
 
Shine shop/ I AGREE! I did have an understanding with the owner that this was risky and might not come out perfect. I feel good about the job I did however I maxed out my limitations and skill on this job. I WILL NEVER ATTEMPT THIS AGAIN. That is why GOD made body shops. I thought it was worth sharing with you all. Gary
 
I have never tried this, so dont attempt without a test panel, but some people i have talked to, and i can dig up pics if you like...



People have used oven cleaner to remove the pinstripe, and it worked!!!





But regardless, that took guts to take on as a job, Thank god it turned out good for you.
 
the removal of painted stripes is a monster job on any car, and all in all the process described above is the way to go. i managed the detail/quality controll department at a highend bodyshop (nearly 10 million in repairs last year) for a long time and have found myself doing the painted stripe removal dance dozens of times. i have found that the process is much easier (and less harmfull to the surounding paint) if you use a razorblade and a little wd40 (as a lube) to lightly scrape as much of the stripe off before you go to the wet sanding. think of the process as fixing a very minor run in the paint. good work on the stripes, i'd hire anyone who could do what you did.
 
On a related item, I have a job waiting and the owner wants a small decal / sticker removed. It is a factory applied Mazda decal on the front bumper that is about 1.5" x 5".



Any easy suggestions? A walk in the park compared to the painful job on the Jeep.
 
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