I was wiping down my Raleigh Pro track and noticed a bit of clear coat peeling away from the chrome head lugs (it had been resprayed by the original owner some years ago, reputedly by Brian Baylis).
So, in a fit of OCD I figured I'd just carefully remove it from the lugs only (you can probably see where this is going--the path to hell is paved with figurations like these). But as luck (and stupidity) would have it, the clear coat got away from me and started peeling down the head tube as well.
Now, 24hrs and two throbbing thumbnails later, I've got most of the clear off of the head tube. There are just a couple of places where it looks like the clear was able to bind better (the way it should've originally I assume) to the paint and doesn't want to pry loose.
My question is this: is there any way to remove these bits of clear without damaging the underlying paint? Like I said, I managed to get most of it off with nothing but my thumbnails (not recommended). But this last stuff is stuck good.
Doing some quick searches, it doesn't look hopeful (clear coat conversations seem to come up regularly on car forums, with the inevitable definitive answer: SAND IT AND REPAINT IT! THERE AIN'T NO OTHER WAY, DOOD!). I'm just hoping others have had an experience like this and found a better answer; more specifically, a better tool to remove the clear.
Edit: Pics! Not all that clear, but if you look at the base of the head tube you can see where these "islands" of clear coat remain:
