Spit Shining #16

[Eliot Ness]

OK, today I finished up my Caravan by putting on a layer of Meg’s #16, dressed the tires, etc.. Then I pulled the wifemobile (dark blue Lumina) around and started on it. While I was buffing off the last of the VM it started to intermittently drizzle (rain). Rather than stop I decided to keep going for the following reasons: A) I really wanted to get a coat of #16 on it today, B) I wasn’t going to put my street rod in the rain just to wax a Lumina in the garage, and C) I had wanted to try a spit shine method with #16 similar to how I used to do my combat boots in the Air Force.

With water droplets on the car I hit it with my PC and a finishing pad with a light coat of #16. I did half of the top, working it in very well, and then buffed it off with a MF to see what kind of a mess I’d made. It actually buffed off rather easily and looked pretty good, the #16 actually seemed to go a bit farther also. I then did the rest of the car a section at a time, working the #16 in really well and the buffing it off because of the drizzle.

Did the water compromise the #16? Perhaps, but it was better than no #16 at all.

Did it look any better than putting it on dry? I couldn’t tell because I wasn’t able to do a dry section because of the light drizzle, but it looked pretty darn good. Next time it’s dry I’ll do half of the hood or trunk dry and the other half spritzed with some distilled water and see.

[Accumulator]

See if you notice a difference in the beading characteristics. When I did my Cyclo/spit-shine with Speed Shine application of #16 the water beaded up differently- more spherical beads, like they were just *barely* contacting the panels.

I keep meaning to do a half/half test too, but I never get around to it