Here is another "Really stupid and weird paint" story. Aircraft owners
that show their planes in competitions like to have nice glossy-looking
finishes. They use brake fluid. Yes folks, brake fluid. Just applied
with a cloth damped with brake fluid. There is never enough to lift the
paint, only to add some gloss. I suspect that an application would
soften and smooth out the top surface of the paint, and fill in any
microscopic voids (just like wax).
So motor oil would probably do the same. It would only be temporary fix
until you decide to re-paint. At that point, you will likely have to
strip to bare metal to ensure all the oil is removed.
PS. Sorry for the late posting. I've been away for a week.
Vic Whitmore
76 Spitfire
Thornhill, Ontario
"R. A. Woodward" wrote:
>
> The PO of my Carmine Red Spit left it out in the sun a lot... uncovered all
> year for ten years through frigid Wisconsin winters and blistering hot
>summers.
> Needless to say, the paint is heavily oxidized and dull, especially on the
> upper surfaces. I tried a variety of restoratives, polishes, rubbing
>compounds,
> etc. and got bupkis as a result.
>
> Here's the weird part:
> A nearly empty motor oil bottle tipped over and spilled some oil on the
>bonnet.
> I quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped up the excess, then proceeded to try to
>rub
> away as much as possible, thinking I could give it a proper wash later. That's
> when I noticed the paint under the spill now showed no sign of fading or haze.
> It was as dark and shiny as the inside of the boot lid. I then took to
> polishing it in earnest, and soon there was no sign of oil, just a nice,
> smooth, deep red surface about eight inches in diameter in the middle of my
> hazy, dull bonnet. On a lark, I dabbed a bit of liquid wax over half the spot,
> and onto the unoiled surface as well. after drying and buffing, the result was
> that even with the wax, the unoiled paint looked the same, but the oiled paint
> covered with wax was hard, smooth, and glossy with no apparent oil residue. A
> week later it still looks great.
>
> Here's the stupid part:
> I'm seriously considering treating the entire surface of the vehicle with
>motor
> oil and liquid wax. Does this mean I'm insane? Seriously, can the oil cause
>any
> damage to the paint beyond what the sun has already done? Has anyone
> experienced a similar phenomenon?
>
> --
> "I don't regret any of the things I've done, just some of the things I wanted
> to do, but didn't."
>
> -R. A. Woodward (conn@wctc.net)
--
Vic Whitmore
76 Spitfire
Thornhill, Ontario
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