Stain / discoloration from tree sap

[AndyL]

Trying to renew paint on a vehicle that sat, under poplars... for about a decade...

Compound / polish / claybar / bit of scraping got all the tree sap off - but there's small stains around where each drop was...

I'd just polish more aggressively - but this paint is thin (80s maaco? Single stage - burgundy over a bright red, almost applied like a stain - visible metal flake is all from the red beneath...)

Anyone have a magic solution?

Thanks in advance,

Andy

[HiSpec]

Originally posted by AndyL
Trying to renew paint on a vehicle that sat, under poplars... for about a decade...

Compound / polish / claybar / bit of scraping got all the tree sap off - but there's small stains around where each drop was...

I'd just polish more aggressively - but this paint is thin (80s maaco? Single stage - burgundy over a bright red, almost applied like a stain - visible metal flake is all from the red beneath...)

Anyone have a magic solution?

Thanks in advance,

Andy

What type of pad did you use for compound/polishing?

[AndyL]

Mostly using a wool finishing pad.

Did a little work with a foam compounding pad on some areas - but it was way too aggressive for the paint... light blue waffle style - should have been one of the less aggressive cut pads...

[HiSpec]

Originally posted by AndyL
Mostly using a wool finishing pad.

Did a little work with a foam compounding pad on some areas - but it was way too aggressive for the paint... light blue waffle style - should have been one of the less aggressive cut pads...

80 microns is pretty thin... Not too sure who is the manufacturer for your blue pad, but did the pad make any improvements?

A little info about single stage metallic paint

Single Stage Metallic Paint = Difficult to Restore Single stage, non-metallic paints like the above paint on the Ranchero are actually very easy to fix because the problem is for the most part just topical, that is the problem is just on the surface. All you have to do is remove the dead paint off the surface and if there's enough paint left then it's just a matter of polishing what's left to a high gloss. The most difficult paints to restore are single stage metallic paints.

The reason single stage metallic paints are the most difficult to restore is because not only does the paint itself oxidize, that is the resin used as the binder, (generally some type of seed oil like Flaxseed oil or Cottonseed oil), but also the aluminum flakes embodied inside the paint oxidize. This is where the problem lies.

It's a problem because the entire exterior surface of each individual aluminum flake oxidizes over time but you and I can only work on the surface of the paint and thus we can only work on the portion of the flake that is exposed at the surface level. Any portion of each aluminum flake that is below the surface and is surrounded by paint cannot be cleaned or polished so there's no way to remove the oxidation on the portions of the flakes inside the paint.

Souce: Single stage paint detailing (Mike Phillips)

I have a feeling you may have to leave the paint as it is...

[Lux Detail]

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