What a fustercluck. Is it rubbery or hard?. I have to agree it does look like jb weld. If so, you'll have to search the net on how to dissolve if possible. You may have to heat it to liquefy it....which will likely damage the paint....

 

I hate to say it but i think your hope of saving the paint is minimal. I would try the dry ice, it won't cost much , you only need to buy a piece 1/2 the size of a brick, I think that might make it brittle enough to remove. You can buy it at some Harris Teeter grocery stores, Take a small cooler with some ice in the bottom . Wear thick leather gloves and don't let your skin touch the dry ice. IF you get the cement to contract faster than the surface of the door it may let go.

 

I tried scraping it with a razor blade, but I stopped when I was taking up clear coat.

Dry ice sounds like a fun future project. I'll keep it in mind.

The new mirror part should be arriving tomorrow, so at least the mirror will be attached better. It's just going to look really nasty. Oh well.

 

Hey Dave4422. I would invest in a good heat gun, at least 220°F. I have seen this quite a few times. It does take some patience, you don't want to burn the epoxy or paint, just get it soft enough to scrape off. A combination of heat and pressure. Since epoxies are thermosetting resins, they have a softening point called the glass transition temperature (Tg). Heating above the Tg will soften the material slightly and allow the epoxy to be pried or scraped off. I would use a plastic putty knife, and have also used wooden pop-cycle stick in tight places, with one round end cut off straight, and filed down to make a small scraper. Just do one small area at a time. Once the bulk of it is removed, you can use some acetone or mineral-spirits and a rag to remove the left-over film, again...only work a small area at a time, and spray with lots of water between applications as not do damage the clear coat. When finished, apply a good coat of paste wax to restore to shine and strengthen the clear coat. Best of luck to you!

 

Thanks for the suggestion Alpha. Part of the problem is that I don't know what that stuff is. All I know is that it's hard and doesn't scrape up very well. I'd be mighty nervous about taking a heat gun to a plastic panel. The last thing I want to do is to make it worse. However, I've seen people take dents out with heat, so maybe the panel will withstand it without damage. I dunno.

I won't be able to address this issue for a while yet. Summer school starts Monday and I have to move to a new apartment next month (in the middle of said summer school, no less!).

However, I am open to suggestions and techniques to try and remove and restore the mirror area.

 

You're welcome Dave! You said it's hard, and looks gray from the pics, I can also see drips, it is a two part epoxy of some type, no matter what type, when heated it will soften. Get a heat gun with different tips, the smaller the tip, the more concentrated the application will be. Yes, plastic will also melt, that's why you do a small area at a time, not the entire area all at once. It's trial and error, the smaller the area, the easier it is to work. Heat for 5 sec. and scrape, if nothing...5 more and try again. Start with heat gun on lowest setting first. If nothing, try the next setting. If you were doing the whole door, yes I would worry about warpage, but not the top of the door. Tops and corners are less apt to warp than the center areas. Most molded plastic will realign when heated, "Memory Retention" unless it's heated to the melting point. With 5 sec. intervals, you won't get it that hot. After you scrape off a small area, douse or spray with water to cool down the surrounding area. Just don't rush it, and you'll be fine. Trust, live and learn Grasshopper...LOL! Best of luck on your new Apartment too.

 

wow, I thought acetone would wreck the clear coat. But you have the experience, Alpha, e so I must defer.

The glass transition point is where the polymer transitions from having properties mainly those of a solid to those of a "glass" --- glass being loosely defined. Basically, it'll flow.


Make sure between your use periods that you let the gun run on the "no heat" setting to cool the filament down ---ESPECIALLY before putting it away. This should help to lengthen the life of the heating element.
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Alpha -- from where did you obtain your knowledge of thermosets, Tg, and polymer elasticity? I fear you are an avid reader...........

 

Thanks for your suggestion. I'll be busy for the next two months, but come August, I'll have a little time to play around with it. I'll let you know how it turned out.

 

My mirror came in the mail and I put it right on. Here's some more pictures of the stuff.

 

Hey Derf, I have been called many things, but a avid reader, well, that's a new one. LOL! I guess that you pick-up a lot of things when you're over one-half a century old. The problem is trying to remember everything, haha. When I worked for the dealership as a heavy line mechanic, I had made good friends with some of the guys in the body shop, who taught me quite a lot, not just about painting, but fiberglass repair and fabrication, plastics, polymers, epoxies, and acrylic urethane's. They had just come out with a new paint called Imron on the Big Rigs. This stuff was highly lethal if inhaled, and we were required to apply it in a full containment suit with a fresh outside air supply. This stuff was some type of epoxy, like spraying liquid plastic. Very flexible, and practically chip proof. Defiantly not something for a home project. No degree in Chemistry, although I did take a few classes in College, but you are correct about being a avid reader. Not so much on politics, history or current events, but if it pertains to the automotive industry...I'm all over it! LOL!