I've had that issue, with the paint before, I usually do mine freehand too, if you fudge it a bit with masking tape, take a Q-tip, lob the end off and soak it in water, then gently brush it on whatever you want to clean, if your using acrylic it works like magic and works every time, no scratches and pain in the canopy 7 hour polishing days. I'll explain soon in my thread about the whole process.