Remove Paint From Carbon Fibre
Dec 20, 2010, 11:48 AM
#1
Remove Paint From Carbon Fibre
I bought a CF hood last year for cheap because the guy had painted it flat black. After a solid day and a half of elbow grease and work, I got the carbon back out...Here's my quickie write up... THIS WILL WORK FOR RESTORING FADED CLEARCOAT ON CF ASWELL!!
Tools needed:
1000 grit
1500 grit
2000 grit
Water
Sanding block
Rags and lots of them (t shirt aswell as micro fibre)
Something to prop hood on so it doesnt sit on the gronund (I used the huge box it came in)
Multi speed buffer or an orbital...(I used an orbital cause I didnt have access to a multi speed)
Drill and powerball mini, or powerball cone
Polishing compound
Finnishing waxes
TIME AND ENERGY...
If you dont have a big enough table to put the piece on, i'd highly reccomend knee pads of something to kneel on...
Ok, this is how i got the hood...
What you want to do, is fill the bucket with water, and toss your sand paper in. I started WET SANDING with the 1500 grit, and then moved to the 1000 grit when I realized that the 1500 was taking waaaay too long to remove the paint.
Wet sand with the 1000 grit, BUT PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to what you're removing! Keep a rag handy and wipe the area as you're sanding to keep an eye on your progress. You can actually see the paint come off with every stroke. DO NOT STAY IN ONE SPOT FOR ANY LONGER THAN REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE PAINT!!!!!!! You dont want to go through the clear/gel cause then you're completely screwed.
Once you have the paint off the entire hood, move to the 1500 grit, still being very careful not to sand through the clear/gel! Do the entire hood with the 1500 grit, and then move up to the 2000 for a final wet sand. The 2000 grit will get rid of any little scratches that may have been caused by the 1000 or 1500 grits. I tried to stay sanding in one direction at a time.
When you think you've finnished with the 2000 grit, it's time to break out the buffer and polishing compound. FIRST, wash the hood off with soap and water, and then dry it.
Apply the compound to the buffing pad and not the hood, and SLOWLY work it onto the hood at LOW RPMS! Once you arent going to splatter the compound everywhere, you can turn up the RPM's to about 3500, but be sure to keep the buffer constantly moving to avoid burning through. Do the entire hood like this. Again, I used an orbital just because i didnt have access to a multi speed buffer...
When you finnish with the compound, wash the hood again aswell as the buffing pad, OR if you have another pad, use that. Apply the wax/polish in the same fashion as the compound, and go untill there's a slight haze on the hood. Do the whole hood, (this is where the powerball mini/ or the powerball cone comes into play if you're doing a hood with curves and corners like mine). Use the microfibre rag to wipe excess wax off the hood, and then apply one more coat of wax by hand, as this will help to remove any swirl marks from the buffer or orbital. Let it haze and remove it just like you would the rest of the car.
Sstand back and admire you're hard work.
Tools needed:
1000 grit
1500 grit
2000 grit
Water
Sanding block
Rags and lots of them (t shirt aswell as micro fibre)
Something to prop hood on so it doesnt sit on the gronund (I used the huge box it came in)
Multi speed buffer or an orbital...(I used an orbital cause I didnt have access to a multi speed)
Drill and powerball mini, or powerball cone
Polishing compound
Finnishing waxes
TIME AND ENERGY...
If you dont have a big enough table to put the piece on, i'd highly reccomend knee pads of something to kneel on...
Ok, this is how i got the hood...
What you want to do, is fill the bucket with water, and toss your sand paper in. I started WET SANDING with the 1500 grit, and then moved to the 1000 grit when I realized that the 1500 was taking waaaay too long to remove the paint.
Wet sand with the 1000 grit, BUT PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to what you're removing! Keep a rag handy and wipe the area as you're sanding to keep an eye on your progress. You can actually see the paint come off with every stroke. DO NOT STAY IN ONE SPOT FOR ANY LONGER THAN REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE PAINT!!!!!!! You dont want to go through the clear/gel cause then you're completely screwed.
Once you have the paint off the entire hood, move to the 1500 grit, still being very careful not to sand through the clear/gel! Do the entire hood with the 1500 grit, and then move up to the 2000 for a final wet sand. The 2000 grit will get rid of any little scratches that may have been caused by the 1000 or 1500 grits. I tried to stay sanding in one direction at a time.
When you think you've finnished with the 2000 grit, it's time to break out the buffer and polishing compound. FIRST, wash the hood off with soap and water, and then dry it.
Apply the compound to the buffing pad and not the hood, and SLOWLY work it onto the hood at LOW RPMS! Once you arent going to splatter the compound everywhere, you can turn up the RPM's to about 3500, but be sure to keep the buffer constantly moving to avoid burning through. Do the entire hood like this. Again, I used an orbital just because i didnt have access to a multi speed buffer...
When you finnish with the compound, wash the hood again aswell as the buffing pad, OR if you have another pad, use that. Apply the wax/polish in the same fashion as the compound, and go untill there's a slight haze on the hood. Do the whole hood, (this is where the powerball mini/ or the powerball cone comes into play if you're doing a hood with curves and corners like mine). Use the microfibre rag to wipe excess wax off the hood, and then apply one more coat of wax by hand, as this will help to remove any swirl marks from the buffer or orbital. Let it haze and remove it just like you would the rest of the car.
Sstand back and admire you're hard work.
Last edited by roblaza; May 2, 2011 at 07:09 AM.
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Dec 21, 2010, 08:31 PM
#8
thanks for all the positive comments! hope i could help anyone looking to refinish their carbon...
honestly, i have no idea. i got it from a guy on another board for cheap, and truthfully, it has a few cracks in the gel that i need to attempt to do something with over the winter before it goes back on in the spring, and i'm going to get it re-cleared aswell to help bring out the shine and help protect it a little better.
honestly, i have no idea. i got it from a guy on another board for cheap, and truthfully, it has a few cracks in the gel that i need to attempt to do something with over the winter before it goes back on in the spring, and i'm going to get it re-cleared aswell to help bring out the shine and help protect it a little better.
Dec 22, 2010, 11:44 AM
#9
looks sweet man
at least in the picture it just looks brand new...
ps i like how the license plate is blurred in the one pic but not the other...
o well, now we can spot u and u if we see you...not that we wont spot the bright red and cf hood...
at least in the picture it just looks brand new...
ps i like how the license plate is blurred in the one pic but not the other...
o well, now we can spot u and
u if we see you...not that we wont spot the bright red and cf hood...
Last edited by nekkidlad; Dec 28, 2010 at 11:11 AM.
Dec 22, 2010, 06:47 PM
#11
it will yes, but you have to be extremely careful that you do not take too much off and hit the carbon layer itself... give it a wet sand with the 1500 lightly and then go to the 2000. MAKE SURE NOT TO HIT THE CARBON!!!! give it a good buff and get it cleared.
Dec 29, 2010, 03:37 PM
#12
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long time ago, i got an old evo8 wing for dirt cheap off ebay(50$). The only thing was the clear going out like TONS of true evo wing. I sanded, painted, cleared and it looks awesome now!!! (to redo it, id put more clear (ive applied half a can and a year later with winter and everything, paint is starting to peel away)..... since then, im riding wingless and im loving it since then!!!! Here's my thread i created, might help you https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/04...re-making.html
edit: nice write-up and awesome job on the hood!!!!!
edit: nice write-up and awesome job on the hood!!!!!
Last edited by father04co; Dec 29, 2010 at 03:43 PM.
Dec 29, 2010, 05:16 PM
#13
Very good write up. And you did a great job.
My carbon fiber hood is in pretty bad shape. It was never garage kept. And when the motor was blown up, it sat at my house under a cheap tarp for a year. so the finish on the CF is fadding pretty bad. Probably going to do the same. Sand down the clear coat, and than get it redone. think it'll work? Asking, because what you did was sand down the paint, and keep the clear coat. I wasnt to re-do the clear coat...
thanks.
My carbon fiber hood is in pretty bad shape. It was never garage kept. And when the motor was blown up, it sat at my house under a cheap tarp for a year. so the finish on the CF is fadding pretty bad. Probably going to do the same. Sand down the clear coat, and than get it redone. think it'll work? Asking, because what you did was sand down the paint, and keep the clear coat. I wasnt to re-do the clear coat...
thanks.
Dec 29, 2010, 05:26 PM
#14
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(on my part i sanded paint+clear and re-did it) You cando yourself the clear but im not so sure how it would look on a hood. If it was my hood, i'd sand it and go to a paint shop get it clear