Has anyone thought/tried sugar soap to wash plastic, base coat, paint etc prior to putting on the next layer? Just thinking it's mildly abrasive but quite mild and dirt cheap. (Spot the man decorating)
Probably better off using CIF cream cleaner if you want it to be slightly abrasive, if it's good at gettin Skiddies out the pan it should work wonders as a pre cleaner
its commonly used by decorators to clean prior to painting as its good for removing grease and nicotine stains. Well, when i say commonly, it was when i was in the trade but ive not seen anyone using lately.. its not really for automotive applications, painters usually prepsol or other solvent based cleaners (probably because they are stronger and evaporate quicker) Fine scotchbright (it comes in different grades) is good for keying in paint
I always wash walls and ceilings in it before decorating is it takes the grease and grime off. Been looking at painting some fairing so put 2+2 together.
for a pre clean before prepping sure why not but not for a final clean before spraying (automotive i mean)
I'm doing some fairings at the moment and they have been filled and sanded down with 120 grit. They'll now have a good going over with a Scottish bite pad then be sprayed with high build primer before getting a light coat of paint. Then a sand with a block and 400 grit wet and dry to show up and holes or low spots, more filler, sanding, Scottish pad then prime and paint........phew! The bare plastic will get a squirt of evaporating cleaning spray before priming first time round as the filler will soak up the water
Personally I would not use sugar soap as it may leave reside (or ingrained scum) behind. Soap and water is the best way of cleaning or rubbing a panel down followed by a panel wipe, which leaves no residue. Even using methylated spirits, thinners, petrol etc. will leave a residue. Use the mildest grade of wet and dry you can get away with but usually no more than 600 as anything below that can leaves scratches which can show through a painted surface after it has settled. Patience is the key here as trying to shortcut work can create more problems than is solves. A de-waxing agent can initially remove dirt and\or residue if you want to paint plastic or bare plastic.
Actual 3M Scottish pads are classed as ultra fine if they are grey. I use Mirka Merlon pads which are cheaper for me locally.
The grades don't I find cross reference that easily. I use Merlon fine and ultra fine for rubbing down and flatting areas that are hard to get at and they are coarser, I find, than using the so called equivalent wet and dry. I would put the ultra fine Merlon as about 1000\1200 grit and over jealous rubbing does leave more coarser scratches.
