Removing Paint Overspray from Lacquer Finishes

A light buffing with a fine abrasive will take paint overspray off lacquer. July 24, 2006

Question
We finished a job a few weeks back and the top coat was finished with ML Campbell Magnalac. We had to spray some grooves with black paint and some pretty heavy overspray got on the finish. What could we use to remove the overspray without hurting the Magnalac finish? We tried Mineral Spirits already but it is very hard to remove the overspray with it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor B:
Try a local automotive paint supply house. Most of them sell a sanding clay for removing overspray from freshly painted cars. It is basically a non water-soluble clay, sort of like silly putty, but it will not stick to your finish. It has just enough abrasion to remove the overspray without affecting the finish.

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From contributor W:
You didn't say what type of paint you used. But if you need to lightly sand with 1200 or finer, you might be able to restore the Magnalac by spraying some no-blush on it. I use this trick with nitro all the time.

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From contributor L:
I would recommend that you get a buffer and some G30 - it will come right off. Also get some polish as well.

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The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor A:
I would suggest that you try using "clay magic" body shops which is used to remove overspray from automotive finishes. It is a simple clay bar that you rub on the overspray with a lubricant. Automotive paint stores will have it.