clear coat removal?

[Guest]

so the clear coat is coming off of my tank by the cap, because i left it tilted up because the petcock before i cleaned it up was still flowing when i yanked the tank the first time. so what's the easiest way of removing the clear coat that won't damage the undercoat paint? i wanna remove the clear coat after this riding season and add some painted on pin stripes/paint, but i don't want to redo the factory metalic burgundy paint

[rustybronco]

so what's the easiest way of removing the clear coat that won't damage the undercoat paint?

Very careful sanding.

[Skinner]

I don't think you can remove the clearcoat with out removing - or at least damaging - the paint below. The clearcoat is essentially just another layer of paint. Any chemical used to remove it would also remove the paint below. And sanding would be hit and miss. You'd end up with a very uneven layer of paint and would probably expose the metal anyway. I'd just strip it completely and repaint. Or just touch up the area near the cap.

Maybe someone else knows some tricks that I don't.

[rlloydl]

If your clear coat is peeled away, you are going to lose your paint anyway.

As Rusty said, light sanding; as in wet sanding.

If it was mine, I would start with 2000 grit and try not to touch the unprotected
paint any more than necessary while trying to smooth the clear coat around the
edges. You will get some color removal if you do this. Hopefully, you can get the clear feathered back to where it all lays down. Then, you would be in a position to reapply a clear coat.

Honestly, if you aren't an accomplished painter (me included), this type of job may be above our pay grade.

[60ratrod]

LOL. Well I was in the corrosion control work center in my first squadron (I'm in my 3rd now), so painting isn't out of my skill sets. And funny you used the paygrade saying cause I'm an E-6 in the navy. After looking at the tank when putting the bike back together tonight I noticed some paint rubbing down to the bare metal on the corners under where the seat mates with it, so it looks like I might be repainting the bike this winter, along with my kz1000m1

[earlfor]

If your clear coat is peeled away, you are going to lose your paint anyway.

As Rusty said, light sanding; as in wet sanding.

If it was mine, I would start with 2000 grit and try not to touch the unprotected
paint any more than necessary while trying to smooth the clear coat around the
edges. You will get some color removal if you do this. Hopefully, you can get the clear feathered back to where it all lays down. Then, you would be in a position to reapply a clear coat.

Honestly, if you aren't an accomplished painter (me included), this type of job may be above our pay grade.

A quicker way is to use an electric buffer with a soft pad dampened with water and use fine rubbing compound to remove the clear coat. Nexus plastic polish (heavy scratch remover compound) can also be used to remove a layer of clear coat. Neither rubbing compound nor Nexus has any wax, so you can still do paint touch ups/recoating after using them.