Scotchbrite instead of wax!

[Jeff Kleiner]

As most of you know, 4 years after getting on the road my roadster is still wearing its "temporary" satin black epoxy/gloss black enamel stripe paint scheme. Four years of UV exposure, cone scuffs, gas and brake fluid spills and general road rash had it getting pretty splotchy and chalky so earlier this season I decided to see what would happen if I hit it with some Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner. It got rid of the chalk but still left a spot from a big gas spill (note to everyone---do not fill the tank on the way to an autocross and forget to put the cap back on because the first left hander will force it out the Lemans cap and coat the side of the car, not to mention alarm the course workers :rolleyes:). Decided to try to cut it a little deeper and hit it with ultrafine grey Scotchbrite. It worked but the microscopic scratches remained, giving it a little bit of a brushed look in certain light. Last night I grabbed a beer, said "what the heck" and went over the back end with slightly coarser Scotchbrite red to capitalize on the effect. Just pulled it out of the garage for the first time to see what happens in sunlight:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3252.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3250.jpg

Hmmm, still trying to decide but I think I'll go ahead and do the rest of the car...

Jeff

76646

[billybobracing]

I like it!
Cheers
Bill

[Mike N]

I like it, very creative. Let's see the complete car when you are done.

[skullandbones]

Yeah, it reminds me of a gun metal finish sort of. That's pretty cool!!!! WEK.

[Pierre B]

Reminds me of the finish on a DeLorean. Very interesting, especially if it can hold that patina over time. I'm thinking Scotchbrite rejuvenation can/will break through the paint eventually, but 'eventually' may be a long way off. It's a very interesting look IMO.

[Scott L]

I like it! I thought you were thinking about "real" paint, but this is cool. I will be curious to see how it holds up.

[RMB]

I think it looks great...do the rest of the car!

Rob

[pmmjarrett]

Reminds me of the finish on a DeLorean. Very interesting, especially if it can hold that patina over time. I'm thinking Scotchbrite rejuvenation can/will break through the paint eventually, but 'eventually' may be a long way off. It's a very interesting look IMO.

On the bright side.. If it does break through it's already scuffed up for a few fresh coats of paint.


I'm not a fan of satin and flat paints but that looks good.

[riptide motorsport]

I like it.......wonder how it would look in silver....probably just like brushed aluminum.

[AZPete]

I like it a lot. It's so good that I think I'll try Scotchbrite on my wife's silver E-class Mercedes next week when she's out of town.
Pete

[Adrian1281]

Interesting effect. Do you have a clear coat over the satin/flat paint? Or is it a single stage?

[Jeff Kleiner]

There is no clearcoat. The satin part is just PPG DP90 epoxy sealer and was never intended to be permanent (4 years/5 driving seasons isn't considered permanent is it? :)). This simply started out as a whim and/or science experiment. I figured if I cheesed it up too bad I'd just be forced to finally give it a "real" paint job. Anyway, I've been over the whole car now:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3268.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3271.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3270.jpg

The way light plays with it depending on intensity and from different angles changes it's apperance---more light=more play. The pics above are in bright sun. This one below is in less direct sunlight and you can see that it is more black and texture is less visible:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3276.jpg

Fluorescent light in the garage picks it up differently than sunlight:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_3263.jpg

I might be able to go another season or 5 without giving it paint!

Jeff

[riptide motorsport]

Does look great!

[tenncobra]

I say keep it that way. No need for paint. It looks great.

[efnfast]

I will pass on stating my opinion of the non-shineeee :p