Tips: In a Tight Spot

In a Tight Spot

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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For fine detail work, I found that using a large, rectangular eraser (like the ones you had in elementary school) worked very nicely to clean and polish the chrome. The eraser edges worked especially well in the sharp, inside corners that are hard to get to with a polishing cloth and compound. These erasers can be found in various grades of hardness and different abrasive levels. I use the pink ones made by Eberhard Faber. I have even chucked a pencil in my electric drill and used the pencil eraser to polish small areas. If you do that, though, remember to watch the size of the eraser as it wears. You don?t want the metal head of the pencil coming in contact with the area being polished.

It's difficult to apply paint in spots that are inaccessible with a brush or spray can. A great technique is to place the spray cap and thin applicator tube from a WD-40 can on a can of spray paint. The thin paint moves very easily through the rube and can travel several feet. Great for inside a frame rail. Always pre-spray a shot of paint to remove any WD-40 form the applicator tube and when finished painting replace the cap and give it a shot of WD-40 to clean the paint out of the tube. Be conservative when painting because a lot of paint moves through the tube very quickly and could cause runs. Also be certain the tube is seated tightly in the cap, or it can blow off and not only make a mess but be very difficult to find.

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