Removing spray paint overspray edge

[Snowman9000]

I did a small body repair on a 2002 Ford Taurus that has clearcoat metallic paint. I used Dupli-Color spray touch up paint on the finish coats of the repair. It oversprayed more than the primer so it turned out that I had my masking tape too close to the repair. Now I have a distinct line between the spray can paint and the original paint. It's not a full height edge like if I had painted right up onto the tape, but it's not far from that either. Live and learn.

So, how can I blend that edge in without hacking up the original paint job?
I'm thinking wet sand with some super fine paper like maybe 1200?
And/or rubbing and polishing compound??
The car has 100K miles and only has to hold up for another year, for a college kid. It's a lot better looking than it was before I worked on it. But still, I'd like to get rid of that edge, just for the sake of learning how if nothing else.

I'd like to finish with some clear coat. I only mention that in case it matters as far as what to do on this step.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I did a small body repair on a 2002 Ford Taurus that has clearcoat metallic paint. I used Dupli-Color spray touch up paint on the finish coats of the repair. It oversprayed more than the primer so it turned out that I had my masking tape too close to the repair. Now I have a distinct line between the spray can paint and the original paint. It's not a full height edge like if I had painted right up onto the tape, but it's not far from that either. Live and learn.

So, how can I blend that edge in without hacking up the original paint job?
I'm thinking wet sand with some super fine paper like maybe 1200?
And/or rubbing and polishing compound??
The car has 100K miles and only has to hold up for another year, for a college kid. It's a lot better looking than it was before I worked on it. But still, I'd like to get rid of that edge, just for the sake of learning how if nothing else.

I'd like to finish with some clear coat. I only mention that in case it matters as far as what to do on this step.

If you intend to clear coat, go ahead and wet sand...actually, you need to wet sand it even if you don't clear coat...finish with a good polishing compound (not as agressive as rubbing compound and less prone to cut through). And don't use your hand to sand it...get or make a sanding block.

 

[Snowman9000]

What grit?

The panel is not flat, can I use a sponge to support the sandpaper instead of a block? I have the typical black hard rubber sanding block if I need it. I've wet sanded before, but never finer than 400 grit, before repainting. (This is a blast from my past, when cars used to rust like crazy.)

Re the polishing compound, I have a bumpy foam disk that goes into a drill. It came with a 3M headlight restoration kit, and was used with polishing compound for the final step. Can I use this or should I do it by hand?

Is that a 69 428 Cobra Jet? I was in love with that car when it came out. At age 11.

 

[ray66v]

I do this for a living, and its too late to tell you this, but you never want to paint up to the tape like that. the resulting edge is very difficult to hide.

Sanding it, and buffing it, will result in a ripple, because you cannot sand the edge of the paint without sanding some of the original finish too. so it really never is flat.

The best way to remove the edge in your case, is to use a solvent like lacquer thinner.

I would wash it all off, and start over.

To answer your question about how this should be done, you cannot do this properly, with spray cans. Because, they do not allow you to thin the material, to blend it into the original finish.

That is not to say you can't get do a satisfactory repair with spray cans, it will depend on how particular you are.

If your really interested in doing this properly, Writing down all the steps would take a long time. And I am not interested in dong that if your not interested.

If you send me a PM, I will be happy to spend some time helping you.

 

[Snowman9000]

Ray,

Thank you for your offer, it's very generous. I also don't want to waste your time.

I'd sure like to avoid taking it all off and starting over. There are a few layers of paint and a few more of primer. And spot putty. I'm worried it will be a bigger mess.

I'll test a bit of lacquer thinner on a small portion of the edge and see what happens.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

What grit?

The panel is not flat, can I use a sponge to support the sandpaper instead of a block? I have the typical black hard rubber sanding block if I need it. I've wet sanded before, but never finer than 400 grit, before repainting. (This is a blast from my past, when cars used to rust like crazy.)

Re the polishing compound, I have a bumpy foam disk that goes into a drill. It came with a 3M headlight restoration kit, and was used with polishing compound for the final step. Can I use this or should I do it by hand?

Is that a 69 428 Cobra Jet? I was in love with that car when it came out. At age 11.

If I understand correctly, you are not looking for a "perfect" finish, but an acceptable one? Use a 600-800 grit if you are going to clear coat, 1000-1200 if you are just going to polish it out. The black rubber sanding block will work or you can improvise with contours. I have a cabinet full of homeade sanding blocks for various contours. If you are not after perfect, you can use your drill and pad but don't expect too much from it. If you decide to clearcoat, apply the masking tape but leave a rolled up edge and try not to spray right up against it. And yes, that is one of my prides and joys, 1969 Mach 1 SCJ (Drag Pack, 3.90:1 rear and 4 speed). Rare horse nowadays.

 

[ray66v]

Ray,

I'll test a bit of lacquer thinner on a small portion of the edge and see what happens.

The thinner rag will soften the paint, and leave what we call rag marks. They look like brush marks. These are also very difficult to hide.

I would not use the solvent unless your going to try at the least, to remove all the color. If you used a sandable primer, you will have a decent chance of blocking the rag marks out of the primer, and then you can repaint it.

 

[Snowman9000]

OK, thanks guys, it's nice to have options. I'm after an acceptable finish. It doesn't have to be perfect. The underlying repair is not perfect anyway.

I'll give it a little thought and do one or the other. Thanks again.