"Finicky Prep Work" Sanitary Prep Pays Off

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". How's that for a well-worn proverb? In Autobody refinishing, you could also say, "Three gallons of wax & grease remover is worth 20 hours of re-do". My proverb doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?

Cleaning up with solvents is not as much fun as buffing the finished product. It's one of those jobs that doesn't pay any apparent reward until the job's all over. Never forget that the little things you do wrong can quickly outweigh the things you've done perfectly when it comes to refinishing.

 First, let's nail down exactly what we're talking about. The use of a quality wax and grease remover in refinishing is a must. Using just any solvent to remove contaminants is risky (unless you're doing the job for free). That's not a joke. A serious foul-up under the primer will wipe out every nickel of profit you have in the job. Here are a few tips about contaminant removers and their use. We'll talk about what materials to use, when to use them, and where they should be used.

What To Use:

Don't cheap out on rags. Ordinary shop rags (recycled or not) may contain detergent solvents that can pollute the surface you're trying to clean. Solvent-free, lint-free cheesecloth washing rags or paper towels are your best bet for removing any traces of silicone or other contaminants. If you use a paper product, make sure it's tough enough to scrub nooks and crannies without shredding.

Apply solvent liberally with a wet rag and immediately wipe clean up with a clean one. Discard the wiping rag. Skimping on rags or solvent is a false economy. Use a brush to clean detail areas that can harbor silicone from past waxing operations. This is a critical area where the demon silicone tries to make a comeback. The beauty (and horror) of silicone is that nothing sticks to it, including paint.

If VOC regulations dictate, substitute one of the new VOC waterborne surface preps. They're made without solvents, so there's no compliance problem to deal with.

When To Degrease:

Degrease constantly. I'm only halfway kidding here. One thumbprint (that shows up as a discoloration in the final finish) is enough to mar an otherwise perfect job. You should clean the body of all wax, grease and silicone residue before anything is applied to the surface...and that includes:

1. Before retouching minor scratches in existing paint
2. Before conversion coating bare metal
3. Before filler or glaze application
4. Before all priming operations
5. Before basecoat application
6. Before topcoat/clearcoat application

That's a lot of cleaning. You may think we're being too finicky here, but you can't get a body too clean for refinishing.

Where To Degrease:

1. The body or panel to be refinished, of course.
2. Around all trim, weather-stripping, cowl louvers, air intakes and body panel joints.
3. Inside head and taillight apertures, if you removed the bezels or other trim.
4. Door jamb area and other areas that will be painted, such as under the hood or trunk lid.
5. Wheels

Remember, mopping the part with solvent doesn't do squat unless you wipe it clean with a fresh rag. Silicone doesn't completely dissolve, it just settles in a new place if you don't wipe it off. If you have any doubts, apply solvent and wipe again.

Well, that about does it. Except for our ...

Top Ten Reasons To Degrease:

1. Your peace of mind
2. Your shops reputation
3. The $80.00 you paid for etching primer
4. The $72.00 you paid for 2K primer surfacer
5. The $370.00 you paid for that metallic
6. The $230.00 you paid for clearcoat
7. Your time
8. Your helper's time
9. The argument with the customer over a redo
10. The red