What Type of Wax After Buffing Original Paint?

did you clay bar the finish? just asking cause i want to do my paint and a detail guy told me to use a clay bar to remove the grime first. can somebody tell me if thats alright?

 

If it's very old thin paint like on Monkeyspunk's Chevy, I might be a little hesitant about using clay. Probably OK, but I would use it sparingly and with a light touch. Should not be a problem on newer paint though.

The best way to tell if the paint surface has contaminants is with a sandwich bag. After washing the car, place you hand inside of the baggie and rub it across the surface. The plastic film between your fingers and the paint will magnify the surface texture and you will easily be able to tell if it needs to be clayed. The clay kits available on the shelf, such as Meguiars, Mothers, Clay Magic, etc, all work fine IMHO. Make sure that you use plenty of the supplied lube (insert joke here). It can be really surprising to see how dirty the clay gets after going over what appears to be very clean, uncontaminated paint. Also, don't drop it! If you do happen to drop it, slice off the contaminated area and toss it in the trash, otherwise you could scratch the surface with tiny bits of gravel or whatever else that sticks to it.

 

No wax, GLAZE. Wax just turns dull and looks like ass, glaze will actually protect your paint and fill tiny scratches.

 

Uh, no. Wax certainly deteriorates over time and the protection is gone, but it does not dull. If the finish dulls, it is because the oxidation layer has not been totally removed from the paint. Also, glazes do fill tiny scratches, but this filling is very short term. Glaze works really well for show car preparation if the paint surface is not (or cannot be) properly prepared. Just don't expect those fine scratches to be invisible for more than a few days.

 

Over time contaminants will embed themselves into the surface of the paint. Once this happens it is very difficult with a normal washing to remove these contaminants. A clay bar will literally pull the contaminants out of the surface of the paint leaving the finish smooth to the touch. If you are prepping for paint then use a pre-prep wipe and thoroughly clean the finish prior to sanding/painting. I assume that your statement, "do my paint" means that you are going to refinish your car and not just wax it. Just to cover the bases...if you are just prepping for polish/wax then the clay will work without the need for the pre-prep wipe down. The pre-prep wipe could be used to thoroughly clean off the old wax and any other non-water soluble stuff off the paint giving you an uber-clean surface to begin your polish/wax however.

 

thanks guys didnt want to highjack the thread just thought the question i had would also help monkeyspunk.

 

The OP mentioned something about possibly using a cleaner wax of some kind. If it's not appropriate for use on the car he has, then when are they best used?

 

Been using NuFinish for quite some time. Also Meguiars Ultimate Compound has found its way into my garage as of late.

 

Meguiars Mirror Glaze 205 applied with a Porter-Cable (or equivalent) orbital polisher using a Meguiars "yellow" foam pad. Easy to use and safe for a DIYer or novice.

 

Believe it or not I have had excellent luck using the Turtle Wax Color Back. You get it in the color closest to your paint (darker if necessary) and hand buff it a patch at a time. I have done this on a couple old cars and people are always stunned by the before/after effect. I've used it on a couple blue vehicles and once on a red car. All were faded before and looked like new afterward.

After that I've always used Nu Finish but you can also reapply the Turtle Wax Color Back any time you want.

 

A cleaner wax is really ideal for hand applications for paint like this. Many 'cleaner' waxes such as Meguiars Cleaner Wax and Klasse All-in-One remove the oxidation chemically as opposed to abrasively.

CharlieLED's advice of Meguiar's 205 on a PC orbital with the right foam pad is spot on IMHO, if you have access to that equipment. Probably exactly what I would start off with ifI was working on the black Chevy.

 

No worries, I'm still checking replies since this info always interests me. Still waiting to procure some polish and wax. Maybe this weekend I'll have time.

Back when we got the car in 2010 I used a quick Meguiar's cleaner wax paste to see if it cleaned up and it looked better, but not great. I put off tackling the oxidation until last weekend because i didn't want to rush it and I had some fuel system issues I had to attend to.

What always fascinates me is the different methods people have and how they all care for their paint. I've seen 60 year-old lacquer jobs that still shine like new and all the owner has used is Turtle Wax. I've also seen newer clear coat jobs that gleam and all they use is Mother's detail spray and no wax. so I guess its 6 of one and half dozen of another.

My goals were to not burn through the paint (I did a little on the peak of the cowl vent but don't tell anyone.) and clean up the hazy spots. I assume the worst thing that attacks old paint is sunlight, right? The other elements are out of the question since its garaged and relatively protected.

 

The car needs to be foam pad/glazed then hand work in the edges, door jams ect, before moving on to a top coat of sealant or wax. Deep wet shine comes from a 'perfected' surface.

 

All I seem to find locally is Meguiar's "Show Car Glaze". I may even be able to steal some from my Pop's garage next time I'm over there. Would that do the trick? He calls it his "paint food".

 

I'm speechless. That car is gorgeous in every way.

 

I was always told to use a polish and not a wax becuase of wax buildup.
It doesn't matter anymore because none of my cars have paint worth wasting time waxing!

 

That's interesting, I never knew it was a chemical thing. I always assumed that it was an abrasive thing, almost like a polish combined with a sealer. There aren't any good products that can do this, are there?

Not trying to hijack the thread, just curious, and thought the OP might find it useful too.

 

Just to clarify since I'm a novice. Because I already used 3M 06085 compound on it, I would want to skip the 205 and go straight to polish & wax right? The paint is pretty thin so I don't want to cut anymore than I have to.

Thanks again all for the hand-holding. My wife saw me mid wet-sand and was convinced I 'screwed up our old car'.

 

The terminology in this discussion is critical...buffing is something that is done to remove a lot of material, to impart a gloss on a finish that has been sanded as in colorsanding. The next step is polishing...polishing is like buffing but with a very fine compound (Meguiars 205 for example) and a smooth pad. Polishing does not leave a protective coating on the finish, just a smooth finish. Polishing is done to remove swirl marks left by the buffing process or to remove light oxidation. Waxing is done to seal this smooth finish and protect it from further oxidation. There are many products that fall into the "wax" category, carnuba/polymers/etc, but the function of each is to protect the shine that was imparted during the polishing stage.

 

Daryl,

I agree that you don't want to cut the paint any more. If you are happy with the way that it looks right now, you are ready for the wax/sealant. If not, you should be able to pick up a bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Polish at a local parts store or maybe WalMart or Target. I'm told that it is essentially the same product as 205, but formulated for 'novice' use by hand. I think that it runs about $10. Go over the car with this by hand until you are pleased with the results, then apply the protection.

Shoot me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send you a small bottle of HD Poxy sealant. It's my current favorite sealant and really lasts a long time, particularly if the car spends most of its time indoors. I have it on my OT daily driver which spends every day parked in the sun at an oil refinery, and it still beads pretty nicely after 9 months, but it is due for a follow up.

 

What a refreshingly great HAMB thread. No drama. Very good advice being despensed. No condescension.

Please post a photo or two, when your done getting that puppy of yours polished/waxed/whatever. We'd appreciate it....

 

Yeah...pretty boring, too.... No more fun on the HAMB.

 

UPDATE: Well, the wife is out of town, the dog is chewing on a giant rawhide, and its rainy outside so it was a perfect morning to start throwing some glaze on the car. I won't say which brand I used for now...but here's a few teaser shots until the rain lets up and I can back the car out. This is just the glaze, no wax.




Here's the trunk reflection after I worked it with a foam pad on my crappy buffer at low speed. Reflection is better than I've ever had, but you can still see the small pock marks and few big scratches in the paint. I think without turning my car into a red oxide primer bomb, this is as much as I want to 'work' the paint. Its so thin in a lot of spots.

The orange peel / overspray in the upper left is from a very old touch up job that I discovered was 'leaded' instead of bondo. Someone filled the holes where the "Fleetline" emblem went above the license plate.




Definitely more to come. Had to take a quick lunch break and give my arms a rest. This is the most time I've spent on a car finish in my life, but if it protects the original finish for a few more years and make it presentable, I'm a happy camper. I'm already impressed with how far its gotten thanks to everyone's advice.

Cheers.

 

Looking great Daryl. You're right, if you try to get all of the defects out you will definitely find primer. It's just not worth finding out how much further you can go. Has the sealant showed up yet? It went out Wednesday morning via Priority Mail.

 

Thanks Bobby, not yet but the mail truck hasn't shown up yet. It may be this afternoon. Can I put a sealant over wax, or just the glaze? A lot of them say to clay your car before application.

 

You will be fine using the sealant over a glaze. It works exactly the same as wax. Rub a fair bit of it into your application pad to prime it and it should not take more than a drop for each panel. Probably enough there to do 10 cars. Remember to let it cure for at least 30 minutes before removing it. Lastly, we are waiting on more pictures of the old girl.

 

I like Meguirs Gold

 

Well done Monkeyman! Your work is paying off in many way's. Your learning finish work. Leave one full coat of sealant on overnight. It will hold out much longer.

 

Bobby, just got this in the mail. Man, you really know how to help a guy out. I'm putting the finishing touches on it now and then I'll let this stuff sit and come back when the Advil kicks in.

 

And to think people spend good money to try an recreate what you have originally from 1947. I dig it and can't wait to see the "money Shot". Wax on, wax off.........