First scratch--plastic polish recommended?

[speede]

Our paint jobs are a urethane enamel base coat/clear coat finish, not lacquer. You should be able to tell if the scratch is through the clearcoat by the color of the scratch if it is a white scratch without any color in it you probably aren't through the clearcoat. Take a 3M sponge rubber sanding block wrapped with a sheet of 2000 grit wet automotive sandpaper. Soak the sandpaper for a few hours before using it. DON'T sand without a sanding block and just use your fingers or you'll burn right through the clearcoat. Slowly sand the scratch down keeping your sandpaper clean and the surface wet (patience is the key!!!). The sanding slurry will be a milky white...stop if you see any color at all. Sand until the scratch disappears. Then use some rubbing compound that says "clearcoat safe" on it to bring it back to a high-gloss shine.

[MVP44]

Glare makes a swirl/spider removal polish that may help if the scratch is superficial enough - I have used for a long time and it works very well.

[bakwheeltango]

Originally Posted by speede

Our paint jobs are a urethane enamel base coat/clear coat finish, not lacquer. You should be able to tell if the scratch is through the clearcoat by the color of the scratch if it is a white scratch without any color in it you probably aren't through the clearcoat. Take a 3M sponge rubber sanding block wrapped with a sheet of 2000 grit wet automotive sandpaper. Soak the sandpaper for a few hours before using it. DON'T sand without a sanding block and just use your fingers or you'll burn right through the clearcoat. Slowly sand the scratch down keeping your sandpaper clean and the surface wet (patience is the key!!!). The sanding slurry will be a milky white...stop if you see any color at all. Sand until the scratch disappears. Then use some rubbing compound that says "clearcoat safe" on it to bring it back to a high-gloss shine.

woowee! I was right!!.... didnt have the details that are so well explained
by speede...

but I was right!! wait until I tell the wife!!!
she'll never believe it. lol

all this talk of wet sandin... takes me back to my airbrushin gas tank days.
I would wet sand the clear coat then paint the art... then my painter would clear over top of the art and wet sand then buff .

here's a tiger I did on a harley... never got pictures of it on the bike. itwas sold and put in a show... apparently I won 2nd place for the art.

[omaz]

Very nice work BWT. Are you a professional artist or is it merely a sideline?

[bakwheeltango]

Originally Posted by omaz

Very nice work BWT. Are you a professional artist or is it merely a sideline?

yes I am and thank you.

I would be interested in muralling a tiger on a new tiger!

maybe start with the black bike and then do something perhaps such as a tiger stalking at night. only lit by the moon... lots of blues.

[Vox]

What great info! Thanks guys!

Bakwheeltango,

Great work. Made me pine for my '73 CB750 with a Viking dwarf brandishing a battle axe airbrushed on the tank (stolen in '92...bummer). Your work is far superior though.