toothpaste

[tdoty]

I just use Ultra Brite brand toothpaste. It's cheap, simple, mild. Of course, the only other "compound" I ever touch my models with is The Wax Shop's Swirl and Haze Remover - it's even finer than the toothpaste.

Works fine for me. Model type compounds are hard to find around here. The finer 1:1 stuff is expensive - though it does last a long time, I've had my bottle of Swirl Remover for 5 years now. A tube of toothpaste lasts quite a while too. Besides, it's easier to find when you run out, and if you run out of your regular toothpaste, the Ultra-Brite works okay for that too!

HTH,

Tim D.

[DJ RaYgU]

so do u use toothpaste the same way? I asked this twice...i kno.

[TheSyndicate]

Why don't you experiment with different methods, tell us what works best.

[egon_dude]

toothpaste works well if you scratch up the clear parts on your car, or they fog up due to glue fumes. Rub them with Wet&dry to get the scratch out, them polish up with toothpaste or metal polish untill you get a brilliant shine!

[agricus]

Actually, I been wander that myself. When I went to school in Taiwan some 15 years ago. During shop class we use tooth paste to polish and shine plastic materials. And it did a very good job with natural shine. But the problem is that it takes a very long time to accomplish this.

[DJ RaYgU]

WTF? I used Crest regular toothpaste (it's a thick white paste with cavity protection...oh yea!) on my car sprayed with Tamiya black and it seems to make the paint even duller. anyone have any ideas? am i not rubbing my car enough or something?

[SonyMobile]

what if you tried ketchup? Put a penny in some ketchup and let it sit there for a bit, and the penny gets shinny as hell, toothpast might work, but what about that stuff that dentists polish your teeth with? no the stuff im talkin about, they put it ont the little spinning joby and polish away

[tdoty]

Okay, well, Crest seems to be a coarser grit. Also, you have to use a very soft cloth, and buff quite a bit after you've removed the toothpaste. It does leave a bit of a haze.

Without seeing it, I can't tell exactly what the problem is. Use a bit of water to thin down the toothpaste if needed - it helps keep it from sticking to the surface and leaving a haze, but I usually forget about that step until I'm halfway through the job, lol. Also, how much pressure you apply has an effect on the results. It's a practice and feel situation, too little pressure and not much happens - too much pressure will go right through the paint.

On a different note, I picked up some Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze last week - it's a bit expensive, but man the stuff is great!


Hope this helps.

Tim D.

[DJ RaYgU]

Originally posted by SonyMobile
what if you tried ketchup? Put a penny in some ketchup and let it sit there for a bit, and the penny gets shinny as hell, toothpast might work, but what about that stuff that dentists polish your teeth with? no the stuff im talkin about, they put it ont the little spinning joby and polish away

i dun want my car smelling like ketchup!

[DJ RaYgU]

and BTW, does gel toothpaste work also or do u have to use the paste?

[Jay!]

Originally posted by jay@af
Use the white gritty PASTE... make sure you don't get a gel.

Also, ketchup cleans pennies with its acidic content, IIRC...

[DJ RaYgU]

Originally posted by jay@af



Also, ketchup cleans pennies with its acidic content, IIRC...

So ur saying that ketchup works also?

[tdoty]

No, ketchup is not abrasive enough, at least not the stuff I'm used to. The acid in the tomatoes eats away the corrosion from metal - won't do diddly at removing orange peel or aligning scratches, right Jay?

Tim D.