"Spit-Shining"

[Cybercowboy]

I got a Herrington catalog the other day, and in it was the Klasse twins! This was the first time I have ever seen Klasse mentioned in a mail-order, mass market magazine. I had never seen this particular mail-order marketer before but since it said that it had (among others) "motoring" goodies, I thumbed through it.



The Klasse products showed a red plastic bottle and a silver can. All the other Klasse pictures I have seen (like on Snake`s tascar.com site) are both plastic - a red bottle and a silver bottle.



Is it possible that they got their hands on old stuff? BTW, they were selling the twins for $40+/- a few cents.

[JasonC8301]

I`ve seen Klasse in that catalog too, didn`t think much of it. This was like a couple of years ago though, before I got into the world of detailing. I think I remember the catalog selling some really expensive or over priced items though. Like the sharper image.

[imported_Luster]

CORRECTION:


I was mis-informed... This is spit-shining: (See Todd`s post below)


The premise behind spit shining is using water between coats of product will help dispel some of the solvents in the wax, so that that additional layers can be applied on top of the previous coating with our removing it.





I`ve been using this method for years, but I didn`t reallize that someone had named it!

Basically spit-shining follows these steps:

After the vehicle is washed, clayed and polished:

Lightly mist body panel with QD
Apply wax or sealant
Let haze
Spray panel with QD
Wipe panel to remove residue
Done


I started doing this because it allows the wax or sealant to be applied and removed more easily.

Some detailers say it gives the paint finish a little more pop... I haven`t really found that to be true. I`ve actually done a side by side comparison using Z6 as my QD and BFWD for sealant. The finished products were virtually identical in shine and slickness.

I`ve also used a spritz of water prior to applying BFWD for ease of applicaiton. Works great, no side effects.What`s your opinion on spit shining?

[Todd@RUPES]

I`ve been using this method for years, but I didn`t reallize that someone had named it!

Basically spit-shining follows these steps:

After the vehicle is washed, clayed and polished:

Lightly mist body panel with QD
Apply wax or sealant
Let haze
Spray panel with QD
Wipe panel to remove residue
Done


I started doing this because it allows the wax or sealant to be applied and removed more easily.

Some detailers say it gives the paint finish a little more pop... I haven`t really found that to be true. I`ve actually done a side by side comparison using Z6 as my QD and BFWD for sealant. The finished products were virtually identical in shine and slickness.

I`ve also used a spritz of water prior to applying BFWD for ease of applicaiton. Works great, no side effects.

What`s your opinion on spit shining?



The premise behind spit shining is using water between coats of product will help dispel some of the solvents in the wax, so that that additional layers can be applied on top of the previous coating with our removing it.

Similar to how the military spit shines their boots. Add wax, spray with water and work in with a cotton ball, add more wax, repeat.... This might work well with shoe polishes and leather but it does not off a tangible benefit when used with automotive waxes and actually reduces the linking of the polymers that many `pure` waxes in fact have.

Paint can only accept so much product, and we spent a long time engineering our Blackfire Midnight Sun wax to make sure that it will in fact stick to a sealant and thus be `layered` to some degree.

Also, we do not officially recommend priming the applicator or the paint in with any lubricant when applying Wet Diamond as this can cause bonding issues.

[imported_Luster]

The premise behind spit shining is using water between coats of product will help dispel some of the solvents in the wax, so that that additional layers can be applied on top of the previous coating with our removing it.
......Also, we do not officially recommend priming the applicator or the paint in with any lubricant when applying Wet Diamond as this can cause bonding issues.



Thanks for that clarification. So my method is not really what would be called spit-shining. Spraying with water to remove some of the solvents between layers of sealant makes sense.

[Legacy99]

Thanks for that clarification. So my method is not really what would be called spit-shining. Spraying with water to remove some of the solvents between layers of sealant makes sense.

You spray water between layers of wax and not a sealant. Again, not adviseable to use water between sealants and that`s probably true of all sealants not just Black Fire.

[imported_Luster]

You spray water between layers of wax and not a sealant. Again, not adviseable to use water between sealants and that`s probably true of all sealants not just Black Fire.

OK... is the water wiped down between layers of wax? or left wet with the wax applied directly over it?

[TOGWT]

Spit shining is a method for layering organic wax, which uses ice cold water to `kill` the affects of the solvents removing the last `layer`.

As has been suggested water should not be introduced to a polymer until it has fully cross-linked as it will have a negative affect on both the bonding process and durability.

[Rob T]

You spray water between layers of wax and not a sealant. Again, not adviseable to use water between sealants and that`s probably true of all sealants not just Black Fire.

Exactly.
...

[TOGWT]

`Spit Shining? (Bull polishing)

[Spit shining is the technique that is used to make shoes shine like mirrors - - and some of those tricks can be applied to putting carnauba on your car`s paint] NickT

It?s not as lurid as it sounds, I learned how to spit shine boots in the Royal Air Force (RAF), but for those of you who?ve never done it I?ll briefly describe how to spit shine boots to a mirror finish. You?ll need a can of Kiwi shoe wax, a bag of cotton balls, and some cold water. Wet the cotton ball and squeeze out most of the water. Get a very small amount of wax on the cotton ball and wipe it onto the boot - continue wiping until there is no more smudging. Add a little more wax and repeat.

Re-moisten the cotton ball as needed so that it leaves tiny beads of water on the boots. When the cotton ball retains too much wax, then use a new cotton ball, it takes several layers (maybe 6 to 10 or more) to achieve that mirror shine. It?s obvious that the wax builds layers because enough flexing of the leather will cause the wax to flake.

Spit shining is used for ?layering? Organic wax (although in this case the `spit` used is cold distilled water) to produce a ?depth of shine? providing you take the necessary precautions to prevent the solvents both re-liquefying and removing the previous wax layers.

One of the very important nuances of layering is to use very little applied pressure and friction when applying subsequent layers as they will have a negative impact on wax thickness Usually a spit shined surface is slicker, smoother, and has different beading characteristics; with even smaller tighter water beads. The durability is about the same (or slightly better) and although spit shining is very time consuming, the improved depth of shine and glossy appearance is worth it

Usually, a wax with a high solvent content will remove the previous layer, so use a Carnauba that is not formulated with a high solvent content (Pinnacle Souver?n) One of the very important nuances of layering is to use very little applied pressure and friction when applying subsequent layers as they will have a negative impact on wax thickness

Using a damp applicator and cold (almost ice) distilled water in a fine mist spray bottle neutralizes any solvents in the newly applied layer; the water should be cold, using ice cold water after applying a wax will harden the wax quicker making the shine deeper and help the new wax adhere to the finish, working until the water/ wax solution disappears.

The reason for using a damp applicator is to neutralize the solvents as much as possible, and to avoid the thin coats of wax sticking to the applicator, this enables the wax to build thin, fine coats. Spray fine mists of cold (almost ice) distilled water to a single panel and then apply a light Carnauba wax to the paint surface.

Always apply extremely thin layers using a very light pressure when spit shining, Wipe it onto a small work area and continue wiping until most of the wax disappears. Mist lightly as needed, keeping a few water droplets on the surface. Move to the next work area and repeat. After you do the final area you?ll have a surface with many spots of hazed wax. Lightly mist an area with the very cold distilled water - 1/2 hood or door - and lightly buff with a MF towel. Turn the towel frequently, when the towel becomes too damp switch to a new towel.

When you spray very cold water on a Carnauba wax layer that has been allowed to outgas (i.e. the solvents that make up its carrier system have evaporated) it reduces the wax surface temperature to the point that the next applied waxes carrier solvents do not dilute the previously applied wax and it forms a semi-hard coat.

Allow each subsequent Carnauba waxes solvents to outgas before applying more layers. Spit shining allows definitive layers, as opposed to a thick coat of wax that would result if the solvents dissolve the wax layer that they are applied to.

After 24 hours you can repeat the procedure, using cold (almost ice) distilled water and Pinnacle Crystal Mist (a low solvent quick detail (QD) each coat applied will increase the surface depth of shine with five or six coats being optimal



An extract from one of a series of unbiased Detailing Technical Papers ? TOGWT ? Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved.

[imported_Roadrunner]

Is this also called "flash" curing? That`s the term I learned to use with this method.

Just wonderin`...:Dancing Dot:

[Detailing Technology]

togwt -

Are the results worth the effort?

[Old Pirate]

It`s worth it to the person who wants to do it IMO, almost the same as me during my boots the 20 years of service I did.

[TOGWT]

It`s worth it to the person who wants to do it IMO, almost the same as me during my boots the 20 years of service I did.

+1

Like most things in OCD detailing its a lot of extra work, so it depends on your goals. When I was entering show cars it was `worth it` to me. Did it specifically make the difference between BOS and placed I`ve no idea

[Detailing Technology]

It`s worth it to the person who wants to do it IMO, almost the same as me during my boots the 20 years of service I did.

I have to ask as you dont see many click-n-brags with spit-shining outlined in the end process. Maybe a nice way to promote the effort and results.