[Ducati] Carbon Fiber detailing question, please.

[Don Ross]

Charles 'n Mikiel,

Picked up a qt. of "Grow Automotive Super-Klean" grease, wax, and silicone remover  
at auto paint store.
Ingredients: 2 different Napthas, Toluene, Iso. Alcohol, and Benzene.  
Not much difference, actually...what I think I'm still seeing is the whiteness of the resin
surrounding (and filling) the tiny pin holes.   
No foo foo clear coat on this DP fender, I see... only resin.
Oh well, will fetch some Pledge later and try that...
and forget about looking at it with a 7x eye loupe.  
'Kinda bugs me, but a guy can get too anal, methinks. :)

Thanks again.

DR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
----- Original Message -----
From: the Kid
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 2:59 PM
To: Ducati Owners Group
Subject: Re: [Ducati] Carbon Fiber detailing question, please.

lol, yah pledge might work. it certainly wont hurt the CF. There are many  
types of wax and grease remover, some stronger then others. A nice paint  
supplier will let you try a little till you figure out which one works, or  
maybe they will ahve abetter idea.
Charles
------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Mikiel Kingsley
Acetone is great at removing wax, but I don't know if it will do anything
else to your finish.

--  
-Mikiel

------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----  
From: "Don Ross" <moaug at msn.com>

Thanks Charles...I figured you'd respond. :)

Weight not an issue here...I'm 30 lbs. overweight me own self. :(
Just looking at it in the sun, it's definitely noticeable.
With a 7x eye loupe, one can see millions of these tiny holes in the clear  
coat/resin filled w/white residue.
I'll be dead before I can clean all of them out w/a brush, etc.
I'll drop by local auto paint store w/fender in-hand 'n ask them for some  
wax/grease cleaner.

BTW, these particular pinholes are not clear through the CF...just the  
routine pits in DP's clear coat/resin.
After buffing, etc., the CF looks good (shiny), but for the millions of tiny  
white specs.  Boo!
I may also try a bit 'o Pledge to see if that'll dissolve the residue.  What  
the hell, eh?

Thanks again.

DR



----- Original Message -----
From: the Kid
DR, you definitely have a problem there. Ducati performance is all about
putting as little resin into their carbon as possible, creating hundreds of
pinholes. Your dilemma might be solved with soaking the piece in hot soapy
water (use a sponge) to "loosen" the compound/ polish, and then hitting it
with a power washer. other then that I would use some wax and grease remover
and a tooth brush. you'll end up stripping off all of your polish, but it
wont look like it has a skin disease. The only way to make the piece look
nice is to recoat it, as far as weight, unless you are Loris or Capirossi,
it isn't going to affect the performance of the machine. I doubt very much
that those small pieces re-cleared are going to increase but a few ounces at
most. You will fill them faster and easier by sanding the entire piece,
mixing up some clear coat, dabbing in the clear over the pinhole with a
small brush, let dry, re-sand, repeat the steps until holes are filled, and
then spraying the part with a nice coat of clear. not a huge deal, just time
consuming. BTW, my candied over "bling" parts are Ducati performance. I did
the exact thing I just described to you and I dont notice one bit of
difference in the weight. they just look a lot better, lol.
Charles
http://www.autoartstudio.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Ross" <moaug at msn.com>

Listers & painting/detailing gurus...

Ducati Performance CF front fender was built for lightness and not foo-foo
bling...
unlike some other CF parts with a thick/smooth clear coat.
Therefore, lots of teeny-tiny micro holes in the top clear coat of the DP
CF.
I did a buff job on her recently w/Mequiar's cleaner-polish and the
teeny-tiny holes are
now filled w/the white residue.  She looks like she has a pox.
How do I remove her white pox?
I tried hot water w/hand soap, alcohol, naptha...nothing works.
Is there some magic ingredient/solution that will work?

Thanks.

DR.