Removing Pigtails

[Mister B]

Last night I was waxing my truck with my G100 and as I was going along the side of the bed I noticed some pigtails in the area I had just gone over. Luckily I noticed and stopped immediately before i went any farther. It’s an area probably about 12” long. When I was waxing the lower portion of the bed I must have gone under the lower portion of the bed side a little too far with the pad and inadvertently picked up a piece of dirt on the pad. That's all i can figure. I changed to a clean pad and went over the same area again but that did not make any difference. I then checked, and I could feel the pigtails edges with my fingernail, which I know is not good. So I figured I would try the most aggressive combination that I currently have. I made a couple passes with Ultimate Compound and the 5.5” LC Hydro-Tech Cyan Cutting pad and my G100 on speed 5 with moderate pressure. That combo cleared up the swirls in the paint nicely, however it does not look like it even put a dent in those pigtails, which I wasn't really surprised.

Does any of the pros out there have any suggestions for me to try getting these pigtails out? I tried taking a picture of them last night, but I have inadequate lighting in the garage and I just could not capture them. The fact that I can feel the edges on those pigtails with my fingernail is not good and I have a feeling that I am out of luck with the products that I currently have.

Any suggestions would be appreciated?

Thanks

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

I guess all the Pros are out getting ready for the upcoming SEMA show next week?

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Hey,

Sorry to hear about that...let's see if we can help...

Try taking a piece of terry cloth toweling and apply by hand either M105 or Ultimate Compound. Apply a moderate amount of pressure really working the product into the paint; make sure to check your progress regularly. Now if the pig tails are too deep, this process will at least round off the edges thereby minimizing the damage. If this does not touch it, then a person skilled in using a rotary and feather sanding may be required.

Wet sanding or feather sanding are not recommended for the novice as you can get into trouble real quick. So while there are a few novices on this forum that have had 'somewhat' success, mostly on repaints, this is an area best left to people that have a lot of experience.

I still believe the UC or M105 on terry cloth by hand, followed by the DA will remove the vast majority, or pretty darn close...

Please keep us posted!

Tim

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Dillsburg is not to far away come on down we will get'em out I have a sand blaster and a fresh gal of bondo. LOL

But if your in the neighborhood stop by.

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Hi Tim.

I'll give the Ultimate Compound and terry towel method a try and then post back the results.

Thank you,

Brian

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Dillsburg is not to far away come on down we will get'em out I have a sand blaster and a fresh gal of bondo. LOL

But if your in the neighborhood stop by.

Sand Blaster and Bondo? Remind me to stay away from that shop....

If I'm ever down that way I would love to stop by.

Thanks

Brian

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Well Tim, I went out into the garage and tried the ultimate compound and the terry cloth by hand to a small 2" or 3" area just to see if it would make any difference. I rubbed the UC into the area 2 or 3 times and it did make a very very slight difference. The majority of these pigtails are actually fairly deep I think. Like I had said earlier I can feel them with the edge of my finger nail. I could continue rubbing that area with the UC to remove more of the pigtails, but how do i know when to stop, you know what i mean? I don't want to rub on them so much that I damage the clear. I'd much rathere have these pigtails than damaged clear. How do I know where that happy medium is, ya know. I don't know if I should keep trying this method and just get what I can out of it and call it good or not? The majority of them are pretty deep and it did not make a huge difference, but on the smaller and shallower pigtails it definitely made a difference.

I tried capturing the pigtails again, but i just can not do it. When i put the light on them i can see the pigtails clear as day, but i can not photograph them.

This is the best i cold do (which is not very good). If you look real close you can see them running horizontally in the top third of the picture.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Removing Pigtails

If after 3 aggressive attempts with the UC and they have only improved slightly, then continuing on, may be counterproductive. It may be best to call it a day, or you may need to seek out a professional who can feather sand it assuming they are not too deep. Usually if you can catch them with your nail, they are pretty deep and it may be unsafe to remove them fully. In which case, if you have rounded over the edges, this may be the safest place to stop and not to go much further. You may still see them as you know they are there, but the vast majority of people will not.



Tim

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Usually if you can catch them with your nail, they are pretty deep and it may be unsafe to remove them fully. In which case, if you have rounded over the edges, this may be the safest place to stop and not to go much further.

Yea that is what I am thinking. I will just go over the rest of them with the UC by hand and then hit them all with the DA again to at least minimize them a little bit more and then just call it good for now I think.

That just really stinks. 5 years of waxing it with the DA and now that had to happen. Oh well, it is an 04 F-150 with 150,000 miles on it, but it still stands tall.

Thanks for taking the time to give me some suggestions Tim.

Brian

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Do you have any 105 ?

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Do you have any 105 ?

Nope, no 105.

I have it on my list though for the future.

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Nope, no 105.

I have it on my list though for the future.

I was playing with it on this explorer and was amazed at some of the defects I could get out.

one thing you could try with the UC is to apply a small to the area with the pig tails, just spread it around a little than mist some last touch over top than work it with the DA It will improve the cut a little.

[Mister B]

Re: Removing Pigtails

one thing you could try with the UC is to apply a small to the area with the pig tails, just spread it around a little than mist some last touch over top than work it with the DA It will improve the cut a little.

Last Touch improves the cut, or does it just give you a longer working time which in turn i guess would improve the cut?

I don't have Last Touch, but I'm guessing Final Inspection will do the same thing?

I'll have to give it a try.

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Last Touch improves the cut, or does it just give you a longer working time which in turn i guess would improve the cut?

I don't have Last Touch, but I'm guessing Final Inspection will do the same thing?

I'll have to give it a try.

Yes I have used FI also and even H2O with the old clay based compounds
It will improve the depth as well.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Removing Pigtails

Yea that is what I am thinking. I will just go over the rest of them with the UC by hand and then hit them all with the DA again to at least minimize them a little bit more and then just call it good for now I think.

That just really stinks. 5 years of waxing it with the DA and now that had to happen. Oh well, it is an 04 F-150 with 150,000 miles on it, but it still stands tall.

Thanks for taking the time to give me some suggestions Tim.

Brian

The problem with continuing to try and remove the pig tails is that I have no idea how much paint has already been removed due to polishing over the years. Without seeing it first hand, it is difficult to suggest that you try a couple more times in case you burn through the clear coat.

As I said in my first post and Frank also suggested, you could try M105. However, if UC with the terry cloth by hand is not doing it after a good 3 attempts, I really think it is best not to push your luck as you could chase the pig tails until you have burned through. Again, without seeing it first hand and seeing how the paint responds, I can not really say what to do.

It may be best to take the truck to a professional that has a paint thickness gauge who could measure the paint at that spot and on several panels in order to get an idea of how much clear there may be to play with. Either way, once scratches get so deep that they can be felt, that is usually a sign that it may not be safe to remove them by polishing without risking the longevity of your CC.

I know it is frustrating, but if the scratches are somewhat rounded over and look pretty good, it may be wise just to call it a day. Detailing is the type of obsession where a person keeps chasing the smallest imperfections. But that chasing eventually comes to a point where risking it may not be worth it.

Just some food for thought...

Tim