Help! Paint Flake Under Clear Coat

[Dodge Driver]

Spraying Testors One Coat Lacquers, got a dried silver paint flake about this size (*) under the clear coat. I sprayed three light coats of clear.

I will have to sand through the clear to hopefully release the paint flake.

I have a full complement of sanding pads and sanding cloths. I could use some guidance on what grit to use to cut through the clear coat without causing me too much paint rework. I'm not all that experienced polishing paint, help is appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Which coat of clear did the "flake" appear under?

If it was the last coat, no problem.

If it was the first, you might have some issues.

 

Steve

[ScottH454]

Another method to consider would be to dig out the chip with your razor then fill the hole with clear using a paint brush. How it'd be done for a real car so could work. 

[Dodge Driver]

Which coat of clear did the "flake" appear under?

If it was the last coat, no problem.

If it was the first, you might have some issues.

 

Steve

Steve,

It was on the body before the first clear coat. The flake is dried paint from the gloves I was wearing while handling the body. I missed it when I tack-clothed the body before clearing.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Steve,

It was on the body before the first clear coat. The flake is dried paint from the gloves I was wearing while handling the body. I missed it when I tack-clothed the body before clearing.

If it's buried under 3 coats of clear, it may be a little difficult to remove.

The only thing I can suggest is to try sanding it out anyway.

You're going to have to use a fairly heavy grit to get through 3 coats, but try it with as fine a grit as you can get away with.

Possibly start with 2400 grit.

The problem will be that by the time you get to the flake & get it removed, you'll be all the way back down to the base.

By the time that happens, you'll most likely wind up with a "hollow" in the body.

Or, if it's a metallic base, you could open yourself up to "smearing" the metallic particles in that particular spot causing a variation in the color.

It's kind of a carp shoot!

It might not be a bad option to try Scott's suggestion, maybe with the point of an Exacto blade.

In that case, you would want to be extremely careful not to dig through the color coats.

 

Steve

Edited March 7, 2017 by StevenGuthmiller

[Snake45]

If it's buried under 3 coats of clear, it may be a little difficult to remove.

The only thing I can suggest is to try sanding it out anyway.

You're going to have to use a fairly heavy grit to get through 3 coats, but try it with as fine a grit as you can get away with.

Possibly start with 2400 grit.

The problem will be that by the time you get to the flake & get it removed, you'll be all the way back down to the base.

By the time that happens, you'll most likely wind up with a "hollow" in the body.

Or, if it's a metallic base, you could open yourself up to "smearing" the metallic particles in that particular spot causing a variation in the color.

It's kind of a carp shoot!

It might not be a bad option to try Scott's suggestion, maybe with the point of an Exacto blade.

In that case, you would want to be extremely careful not to dig through the color coats.

 

Steve

I agree with Steve.

But this might work for you: Sand a little spot in the clear about halfway down to the fleck, then cover the fleck with a tiny spot of the body color paint, and then build the clear coat back up over your spot-fix. Doing so might "camouflage" the speck with minimum damage or visual disturbance.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I agree with Steve.

But this might work for you: Sand a little spot in the clear about halfway down to the fleck, then cover the fleck with a tiny spot of the body color paint, and then build the clear coat back up over your spot-fix. Doing so might "camouflage" the speck with minimum damage or visual disturbance.

That's a thought!

Anything is worth a try.

Beats the alternative of stripping the entire body!

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

 some of this might depend a lot on where that speck is Frank.

It would be a lot easier to deal with if it's on a ridge or edge somewhere rather than in the center of a door or trunk lid.

 

Steve

[Dodge Driver]

I agree with Steve.

But this might work for you: Sand a little spot in the clear about halfway down to the fleck, then cover the fleck with a tiny spot of the body color paint, and then build the clear coat back up over your spot-fix. Doing so might "camouflage" the speck with minimum damage or visual disturbance.

 some of this might depend a lot on where that speck is Frank.

It would be a lot easier to deal with if it's on a ridge or edge somewhere rather than in the center of a door or trunk lid.

 

Steve

Thanks for the help, gentlemen.

The speck is on the lower rear fascia of a T-Bird Turbo Coupe.  The speck is below the body side molding typical of those cars.

Using the molding as my demarcation line, I shall sand, body color, clear as you recommend, Snake.