Here's some good info posted by "whatyardwork" that I agree with when it comes to removing marks from the Harley paint.
Todays modern clear coats are the same catalyst hardened product we've been using in body shops for over 2 decades.They are very hard and very buffable.Roughly half of the cars painted in my shop are wet sanded and buffed after being painted.This is done to remove unwanted dust nibs or unwanted orange peel in the clear coat.It is possible because the clear coat thickness applied in a modern repair shop is thicker than a factory finish.Wet sanding with 2000 grit paper is used to accomplish this with no fear of burning through by an accomplished painter/detailer.
Vehicle manufacturers have modernized there paint procedures to apply only the necessary amount of clear to cut costs.For this reason I would not recommend wet sanding your new Ford out in the driveway as you WILL burn through.Over the years I have painted many Harleys.In doing so I have found clear coat on a Harley is roughly twice as thick as what you would find on a cage.Not because they just love there buying public but because the additional clear is needed to bury the thick decals and pinstripes utilized in there many paint schemes.For this reason I would not hesitate to wet sand and buff a Harley.The only areas of caution would be the edges of the decals and stripes as they are raised.
As for draining the tank and using a hair dryer. Sounds like a good way to blow yourself up.Its the fumes that are most explosive when dealing with gas not the liquid.By draining the tank you are creating a bomb just waiting for a spark.You would be far better off filling the tank.A hair dryer will not create enough heat to cause fuel in a liquid state to catch fire.The spark from turning it on does have the potential to ignite the fumes.
Ive also read several comments about using acetone.We use acetone to clean off hardened clear from our spray guns when lacquer thinner just wont do.For this reason I would not recommend using acetone on your clear coat.A quick swipe with acetone is not enough to do damage and in fact is recommended in tape applications when installing emblems and moldings.Soaking or prolonged saturation of acetone will eat clear.
What You Should Know About Clear Coat Auto Paint Finishes
Todays modern clear coats are the same catalyst hardened product we've been using in body shops for over 2 decades.They are very hard and very buffable.Roughly half of the cars painted in my shop are wet sanded and buffed after being painted.This is done to remove unwanted dust nibs or unwanted orange peel in the clear coat.It is possible because the clear coat thickness applied in a modern repair shop is thicker than a factory finish.Wet sanding with 2000 grit paper is used to accomplish this with no fear of burning through by an accomplished painter/detailer.
Vehicle manufacturers have modernized there paint procedures to apply only the necessary amount of clear to cut costs.For this reason I would not recommend wet sanding your new Ford out in the driveway as you WILL burn through.Over the years I have painted many Harleys.In doing so I have found clear coat on a Harley is roughly twice as thick as what you would find on a cage.Not because they just love there buying public but because the additional clear is needed to bury the thick decals and pinstripes utilized in there many paint schemes.For this reason I would not hesitate to wet sand and buff a Harley.The only areas of caution would be the edges of the decals and stripes as they are raised.
As for draining the tank and using a hair dryer. Sounds like a good way to blow yourself up.Its the fumes that are most explosive when dealing with gas not the liquid.By draining the tank you are creating a bomb just waiting for a spark.You would be far better off filling the tank.A hair dryer will not create enough heat to cause fuel in a liquid state to catch fire.The spark from turning it on does have the potential to ignite the fumes.
Ive also read several comments about using acetone.We use acetone to clean off hardened clear from our spray guns when lacquer thinner just wont do.For this reason I would not recommend using acetone on your clear coat.A quick swipe with acetone is not enough to do damage and in fact is recommended in tape applications when installing emblems and moldings.Soaking or prolonged saturation of acetone will eat clear.
What You Should Know About Clear Coat Auto Paint Finishes