The proper way to wipe down a vehicle prior to paint

Found this. Maybe a little too particular but anyway...
 

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Chris_Hamilton said:
I've written this a while ago but never posted it. Maybe this will help some folks and help to clear up any confusion someone may have over how to wipe something down.

The proper way to wipe down a vehicle prior to paint.

First before the wipe down stage you want to have as clean a vehicle as possible. In collision repair this isn't always possible, but with Restoration type work it is and should be considered mandatory.
After your final sanding when you have your vehicle or part ready for paint, the first step should be a good detergent wash with Dawn or similar dishwashing soap. Dawn has always been my favorite. Wash all panels or parts to be painted thoroughly.
You want to get any sanding scum, dirt or whatever, cleaned form the panels. While you are doing this concentrate on getting all the nooks and crannys wet trying to wash away any dirt, accumulated dust etc. If you are doing just a re-paint this is especially important as what is being painted is where the majority of trash comes from, not the air, floor, or you, but the vehicle or part itself. One area that is especially bad is the underside lips of quarter panels and fenders. Inside bottoms of doors are another area. Basically get the vehicle or part as clean as you can including the areas that are not getting painted.

Once you have done this and the vehicle has dried (sitting in the sun for several hours is the best way) then the next step is to blow it off with compressed air. If you are painting in a booth this should be done outside the closed booth to guard against any areas that you may have missed blowing trash into the air and the booth. I've always done it lightly just to get any dust that may have accumulated on the vehicle while sitting in the shop drying.

Once it's dry and blown off move into the booth or your painting area. After masking and when you are ready now finally we get to how to wipe it down. Now is the time to put on your nitrile/latex gloves. This is not an option, your hands will contaminate the surface, plus the gloves protect your skin.
You need to use a dedicated paint wipe. Not paper towels, not microfiber cloths, not blue towels from the HomeDepot/Lowes. Dedicated Paint Prep Wipes that you purchase from your local jobber or a trusted source online. Only use "name brand" wipes. If in doubt google the names. I'll list some of the ones I like later in this thread. Yes they are more expensive but a whole lot less than redoing something because of contamination. Plus after you wipe a car down you can re-use them for other things. (wiping up a spill, cleaning tools, etc etc)

I always favor a 2 step process. First I will pull off several wipes and fold them neatly (flat). My first step is always with a waterbased cleaner like SPI 700. Spray it on the panel or area taking care to completely cover the area then wipe that area off. Move onto the next area. Change your towels often.
Second step is to use a solvent based W&G remover like SPI 710 or PPG DX330. Personally I find 710 a little too quick (sorry Barry) so I like DX330 cause it evaporates slow. I do it the old fashioned way. I'll take several wipes fold them flat and then take several more and fold them flat again so I have 2 sets of wipes. I then soak one set with W&G remover and grab the dry set in my other hand. I then proceed to methodically wipe down one section/area, then with the dry wipes while it is wet wipe down that same area. Solvent based W&G remover is designed to be used this way. It lifts the contaminates off the surface and the second set of wipes removes the contaminates. Change your wipes fairly often and do the entire vehicle or part. When finished give it enough time to completely dry. If you are in a booth now is the time to turn your fan on. If you are not wait 30 minutes before proceeding with things.

Hope this helps someone.
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Chris,
Thanks for taking the time to document the process. Didn't know about water-based cleaner before solvent based. Just curious why use the water-based first?

Thanks
Pete
 
Prprop143 said:
Chris,
Thanks for taking the time to document the process. Didn't know about water-based cleaner before solvent based. Just curious why use the water-based first?

Thanks
Pete
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Water based is better at cleaning silicones and "dirt". Use it first because you get the bulk of the cleaning done with it. Solvent based will remove any residual road tar and other things the water doesn't. Consider it the final cleaner. If all you have is one or the other, you can still get it done. Just a good idea to use both.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
...Second step is to use a solvent based W&G remover like SPI 710 or PPG DX330... I then soak one set with W&G remover and grab the dry set in my other hand. I then proceed to methodically wipe down one section/area, then with the dry wipes while it is wet wipe down that same area. Solvent based W&G remover is designed to be used this way. It lifts the contaminates off the surface and the second set of wipes removes the contaminates.
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- Can SPI 700 be applied in this manner as 710 or MUST it be sprayed on and wiped off?
- How wet does the surface (bare metal) need to be when using 700? Does it need to be saturated or just wet with the product?
- Can the cleaning be done days in advance as long as the car remains covered with breathable material?

-----
Emil
 
Evil_Fiz said:
- Can SPI 700 be applied in this manner as 710 or MUST it be sprayed on and wiped off?
- How wet does the surface (bare metal) need to be when using 700? Does it need to be saturated or just wet with the product?
- Can the cleaning be done days in advance as long as the car remains covered with breathable material?

-----
Emil
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Emil, make the panel wet enough so that it stays wet when you’re wiping it. It needs to remain wet to lift the contaminants and not flash off before you wipe with the clean wipe.

The last thing you do prior to spraying is degreasing. Not days before. The longest I will do it might be the evening before a big spray. I’ll wipe it down, sits in my booth overnight, then the next day I tack and spray.

The reason I do it the day before is it takes some time to do, I don’t want to be rushed to do it, it’s in the evening so temps will be cooler and it won’t flash off as fast while I’m wiping, it can have plenty of time to flash off overnight, and the car is ready in the morning to spray when it’s still cool.

Only thing I do differently than the write up is I don’t use the dedicated cleaning wipes and I never will. Have used every brand of blue shop towels known to man for the last 15 years for anything I paint and I’ve never had a problem with them.
 
Lizer said:
Only thing I do differently than the write up is I don’t use the dedicated cleaning wipes and I never will. Have used every brand of blue shop towels known to man for the last 15 years for anything I paint and I’ve never had a problem with them.
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You aren't saving any money by not doing so. You will actually save money using them believe it or not. Try a box of the Axalta maintenance wipes. Even when finished wiping down they can be reused for other tasks. They last and last. I get three or four different uses (after being used once for wiping something down) out of them before throwing them away. I have'nt bought any general purpose type towels in years. Plus because they are woven they never shred. If you don't want to try them, totally your prerogative but you are missing out IMO.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
You aren't saving any money by not doing so. You will actually save money using them believe it or not. Try a box of the Axalta maintenance wipes. Even when finished wiping down they can be reused for other tasks. They last and last. I get three or four different uses (after being used once for wiping something down) out of them before throwing them away. I have'nt bought any general purpose type towels in years. Plus because they are woven they never shred. If you don't want to try them, totally your prerogative but you are missing out IMO.
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I'll check them out then. I've never actually priced them, I just didn't see how anything could be cheaper than the blue shop towels I use. I do fold them up into fourths when I'm cleaning and switch to a clean part of the towel, so I do get a lot of mileage out of a single one.
 
The latest fad is microfiber towels on a roll. You can wash them up to 50x. They're nice because they are thin and can get into the tight areas.
 
Lizer said:
Emil, make the panel wet enough so that it stays wet when you’re wiping it. It needs to remain wet to lift the contaminants and not flash off before you wipe with the clean wipe.
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Can I wet, and wipe immediately following, or does the WG need to sit for a a bit?

Lizer said:
The last thing you do prior to spraying is degreasing. Not days before. The longest I will do it might be the evening before a big spray. I’ll wipe it down, sits in my booth overnight, then the next day I tack and spray.

The reason I do it the day before is it takes some time
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yes, it does. It took me about 14 hours over 4 days to do the entire car during my first pass of solvent WG. I did 2-3 wet and wipe passes using a spray bottle and dry wipes. I am doing the ENTIRE car. I still need to do another pass with 710 then the 700. I can only do about 3-4 hours at a time before I start to give out. Any advice on how to address my situation?
 
Barry has spoke in the past about never using micro fiber cloths. One of his points of emphasis back around when I originally wrote this.
 
Evil_Fiz said:
Have you used these? Some of the 1-star reviews point to absorbency issues.

-----
Emil
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I have not. I still have some of the Devilbiss ones I bought some time ago. I like them but a box of 300 is $85 - way up since I purchased.
I saw these and when I need some more will get them - willing to to try for $20. Not spending $85, and the ones at the local jobber are expensive as well.
Most of the reviews are great, there are always a few people that aren't happy.
 
Evil_Fiz said:
Can I wet, and wipe immediately following, or does the WG need to sit for a a bit?


yes, it does. It took me about 14 hours over 4 days to do the entire car during my first pass of solvent WG. I did 2-3 wet and wipe passes using a spray bottle and dry wipes. I am doing the ENTIRE car. I still need to do another pass with 710 then the 700. I can only do about 3-4 hours at a time before I start to give out. Any advice on how to address my situation?
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You gotta stop overthinking this stuff. To wipe down an entire car should only take you about 30 minutes.

Take a door for instance. Give enough squirts on half the door that it will wet the entire half when you wipe it. Wipe the door and then while it’s still wet wipe with a second clean rag. Don’t need to let anything soak. Then do the same for the second half of the door. Split panels up so you’re doing about a 2x2 or 3x3’ section at a time.

I clean until the clean rag remains clean after wiping. Usually just two applications of WGR.
 
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