IPA Wipe down

aherzing

aherzing

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Ive read about this in multiple places, from what I understand it is using isopropyl alcohol (available at any drug strore/Wally world) to remove anything from your paint... Am I right? and what is the best method for this? 1:1 in a pray bottle or a bucket solution and wash? Also when do you use this technique in a full detail?
 
IPA is used to remove polishing oils before you apply your sealant/wax. It can be diluted at any ratio, but the higher the dilution the safer it is. Say you buy 70% IPA and dilute it 1:1, it then becomes 35% IPA. I wouldn't got any lower than 10%. Most people use it in a spray bottle. I've never heard of it being used in a wash bucket. Hope this helps. :props:
 
I use it at 50% dilution. If you're finding it's evaporating too fast before you wipe it off then dilute it more. But as stated before, it's to remove polishing oils in case they're filling in any defects before you apply your LSP.
 
Ok so it should go:
Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
IPA
Glaze (if needed)
Sealant/Wax

Am I correct?
 
I usually compound, IPA the harsher corrections, polish, then I either do another ipa wipedown or give it a foam dawn bath to make sure all oils are stripped (I usually go to 205 for a finishing polish and it's crazy oily).
 
I copied this from another sight but because this topic comes up from time to time I thought it would be an ideal read for this group..

Courtesy of Dr. David Ghodoussi, Optimum Polymer Technologies :props:

 There is a lot of confusing information about solvents in general and IPA in particular. Let's limit our scope to cross-linked (enamel) clear coat finishes since that is the paint system on the majority of the cars we are talking about. Although there are many different paint systems being used, in all cases with this type of paint, IPA or other solvents will penetrate the paint and cause some swelling. Depending on the solvent, the degree of swelling varies and in some cases like with methylene chloride (within seconds) and MEK (within minutes), it can swell it to the point of delamination. IPA and mineral spirits do swell the paint but not to the same level of course.

As the paint swells and expands, it also becomes softer. Since there are many different types of paints being used, some paints might soften to the point that even a gentle wipe down might cause micro marring while others may not mar even at much higher solvent concentrations. That might explain the variations in some of the observations different people have reported.

While fast solvents such as IPA may fully evaporate at higher temperatures (e.g. 90 F) within hours, slower solvents like MS may take several days before they reach levels below 1%. But the notion that the solvents may be trapped in the paint forever or that the paint will soften permanently is absurd since clear coat paints start off with anywhere from 20-70% solvents and if this theory had any validity, then all paints should stay soft and/or some of the solvents should be trapped within the paint forever.

After this brief introduction, let me respond to your specific questions:

 Is IPA safe for paint and in what dilution?

 I would follow the recommendations of 10-25% IPA in water as a safe cleaning solution. The reason for this wide range is due to the variations in the clear coat paint systems. Therefore, when dealing with a soft clear coat or for those who notice a great deal of softening effect, they should stay at the lower end of the range while others can use the upper limit. Of course, the greater the percentage of IPA, the faster it will remove the oils.

 Does it soften the paint either temporarily or permanently?

 While straight IPA or even 70% IPA can soften the paint excessively, as you increase the water level, the softening effect drops exponentially. In any case, as I explained earlier the softening effect is temporary.
 
For reference...

The topic of chemically stripping paint comes up from time to time and for some reason for some people it can become an emotional topic...

I did some research and couldn't find any articles on the practice so I asked others to write an article and no one took the opportunity to do so...

Since no one else wanted the job I took it upon myself to contact a few chemists, including Dr. David Ghodoussi and below is the article on the topic plus another article that is related...

From my article list...

How to Mix IPA for Inspecting Correction Results

Miscible and Immiscible - Wax and Paint Sealant Bonding



:xyxthumbs:
 
If availability of something like prep-sol isn't good, but you have a Walmart nearby, why not just get Kleen-Strip Prep-All as a paint safe alternative?

I may not be a professional detailer, but I grew up around body shops and all I ever saw those guys use for a wipe down was prep-sol. No IPA for me, no matter how cheap it is.
 
Prep-All is another option... I list this product as an option to clean the paint before doing any wetsanding in this article,


Damp-Sanding Tools, Tips and Techniques



I see the name spelled incorrectly once in a while so here's a picture just to help out...

DampSanding31.jpg





:)
 
There is also the new product in AG, Eraser. Same as an IPA wipe except it should be safer, smell nice, etc.
 
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