Carpro Eraser too much IPA?

[WRXINXS]

Hello,

I have been considering the Carpro Eraser over straight up IPA solution. I have heard that a roughly 10% IPA solution is best. When reading a thread about Carpro Eraser I heard it has 30% IPA. Will this dry out my paint?

Thanks,
Drew

[CEE DOG]

It will not dry out your paint. IPA actually escapes from the paint much faster than other solvents that many people use. I assume you are dealing with a modern vehicle/paint.


Courtesy of Dr. G of Optimum:

There is a lot of confusing information about solvents in general and IPA in particular. Let's limit our scope to cross-linked (enamel) clear coat finishes since that is the paint system on the majority of the cars we are talking about. Although there are many different paint systems being used, in all cases with this type of paint, IPA or other solvents will penetrate the paint and cause some swelling. Depending on the solvent, the degree of swelling varies and in some cases like with methylene chloride (within seconds) and MEK (within minutes), it can swell it to the point of delamination. IPA and mineral spirits do swell the paint but not to the same level of course.

As the paint swells and expands, it also becomes softer. Since there are many different types of paints being used, some paints might soften to the point that even a gentle wipe down might cause micro marring while others may not mar even at much higher solvent concentrations. That might explain the variations in some of the observations different people have reported.

While fast solvents such as IPA may fully evaporate at higher temperatures (e.g. 90 F) within hours, slower solvents like MS may take several days before they reach levels below 1%. But the notion that the solvents may be trapped in the paint forever or that the paint will soften permanently is absurd since clear coat paints start off with anywhere from 20-70% solvents and if this theory had any validity, then all paints should stay soft and/or some of the solvents should be trapped within the paint forever.

After this brief introduction, let me respond to your specific questions:

Is IPA safe for paint and in what dilution?

I would follow the recommendations of 10-25% IPA in water (posted by Mike Phillips) as a safe cleaning solution. The reason for this wide range is due to the variations in the clear coat paint systems. Therefore, when dealing with a soft clear coat or for those who notice a great deal of softening effect, they should stay at the lower end of the range while others can use the upper limit. Of course, the greater the percentage of IPA, the faster it will remove the oils.

Does it soften the paint either temporarily or permanently?

While straight IPA or even 70% IPA can soften the paint excessively, as you increase the water level, the softening effect drops exponentially. In any case, as I explained earlier the softening effect is temporary.

[Mike Phillips]

Hello,

I have been considering the Carpro Eraser over straight up IPA solution. I have heard that a roughly 10% IPA solution is best.

Read this, and for what it's worth I never felt like writing this article but there was so much mis-information on the topic and bad information and add to that a few people that seem to get quite emotional about the topic that I finally did some research and wrote an article to give people that wanted to use IPA some general guidelines safely. This was long before Carpro Eraser was introduced.

Here's the article,
How to Mix IPA for Inspecting Correction Results


Here's the second paragraph...

Note: The below article is NOT an official recommendation by Mike Phillips or Autogeek. It is an attempt to clear up any confusion on the topic of chemically stripping paint with the common products used for this procedure as discussed on detailing discussion forums. If you choose to chemically strip your car's paint, or your customer's car paint, all the risk is yours. Anytime you use a new product or procedure, it's a great idea to first test in an inconspicuous area and check the results before moving forward.

Besides the above, there's a ton of information on the topic of stripping paint in the article, not something to scan but to read if you want to bring yourself up to speed.

[WRXINXS]

Thanks for the help, after reading the article I am going with the 11% IPA solution with the 91% store bought IPA and save some money over the carpro and go with a lower concentration of IPA at the same time. I will use it after polishing and before I put on my Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant.

~Drew

[WRXINXS]

I'm actually now thinking about the merzerna top inspection to remove the oils before I lay down my wolfgang deep gloss. Its water based and seems to get good reviews

[Mike Phillips]

I'm actually now thinking about the merzerna top inspection to remove the oils before I lay down my wolfgang deep gloss. Its water based and seems to get good reviews

Plus the whole chemical synergistic compatibility thing...

[WRXINXS]

chemical synergistic compatibility thing???

Mike, did you get my PM about the PC7424XP?

[mwoolfso]

I'm actually now thinking about the merzerna top inspection to remove the oils before I lay down my wolfgang deep gloss. Its water based and seems to get good reviews

I've used Menzerna Top Inspection; liked it a lot.

[Twister]

I've got an almost new bottle of top inspector but after using Eraser I think I like it better. I don't have any real reason other than personal preference

[ShinyRex]

Could it be cut 50/50 with distiled water? I have a bottle I haven't tried yet but if it does have 30% IPA and someone is worried about it then it seems like you could cut it 1:1 or 1:20.

I could be completely offbase though