Lighting issue...

[Dolphin463]

Has anyone heard whether CMA will offer a holiday discount to Autopians this year. I noticed they have several holiday special items on certain items but in the past, they have offered 10% discounts to all Autopians. I have several things in mind and want to get my shopping done early for a change.

[BradE]

I think David said there will not be a discount before Christmas because business is down due to Sept 11. But, there maybe one in January.

[mx5]

I posted a topic about how the September 11 tragedy affecting the economy might affect detailing sales and people told me I was crazy. hmmm.... :)

[Holly Marie]

A man that wants to stay ahead of his Christmas shopping this year! That`s so cool, Mike.



Well, Showroom Lincoln is correct, CMA will be offering a discount POST-holiday. However, they have put some items on special that almost equal or exceed a 10% discount. PLUS, if you`re looking for gifts, they have brand new Gift Certificates available.



Have fun holiday shopping!



~hm

[Lemonxxs]

I bet Mike is shopping for himself though LOL.



Some of the deals are pretty good if you are in the market for those items.



I did see where Meguiars is offering $100 gift certificates for $85.



Either way this Xmas will be specials for all products I bet.

[Dolphin463]

You`re partially right. Tim at tacscar has some good holiday specials too. However, I bought a PC for my dad earlier this year and I want to get him a velcro back-up plate and some pads. Who has the best deal on these types of accessories. Is the dm-kit from CMA still the best deal for this? I didn`t see any of these items on Tim`s web site but I thought others have mentioned that they bought pads from tim.

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

when i asked db a while back he said late Jan/early Feb relating to the slow down....but like hooly said...i already got a few gift certficate candidates in mind...:)

[ThePriceofPerfection]

So I am still new to paint detailing and I`m trying to polish my car but I can`t see the swirls and other defects using my Brinkman Dual Xenon flashlight or my 1000 watt light stand. I know there are defects because if its sunny outside I`ll be able to see the imperfections, lots of swirls, but the sun has to be in the right position and I usually need to be looking at some crazy angle.

So attached is a photo of my baby and the second photo is of my 1000 watt halogen light stand like three feet away from my front passenger side door.

http://roar671.fileave.com/200.JPG

http://roar671.fileave.com/198.JPG




What can I do to expose the imperfections so that I can remove them and allow my paint to shine through?!? And is this a common problem with silver paint? Thank you in advance!!!:rockon:

[imported_Flash Gordon]

Your car looks great. Throw a coat of Meg`s #7 and call it a day :o

[ThePriceofPerfection]

Thank you for the complement!!

But I know that the paint is not 100% I tried to take a photo showing the swirls but if i could do that i wouldn`t have this problem. I`ll try taking a photo tonight as the street lights seem to expose the swirls. :(

Now if I decide to go with a glaze to fill in all the imperfections which sealant should I use to go over it? I hear Klasse sealant, not KAIO, can be tough/tricky to apply.

[Street Dreams]

Try placing the halogens at a sharp angle and looking at the paint from the opposite angle, I usually highlight defects very well that way. Also placing lights further away from the paint can help you see defects on a larger scale.

Handheld LED lights are great to have. If you tilt the beam up or down and walk around the paint you can see if the light carries (thus showing fine swirls or marring). You need to really look for it but when your working on light colored metallics you need every last bit of help you can get in trying to view paintwork.

[imported_CH.Detailing]

As David said, shining the lights straight at the paint won`t always reveal all the swirling, in fact it will usually just over expose any attempts at a photo.

Straight on, looks pretty good!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4684167131_4f1ebe0c0d.jpg


Take it at angle, looks pretty bad!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4684808022_5321cd822f.jpg

[Puckman]

Bingo, you guys nailed what I was going to suggest i.e. play with several different angles and you`ll see the difference.

CH shows this perfectly in pics.

A handheld as David suggests offers the most versatility because you can walk around the vehicle and get any angle you want. I use a handheld light to check, not work. Halogen stands are a little more cumbersome but the right placement (at an angle) in relation to the panel you`re working makes the difference for me.

Keep playing with light angles.

[bmw5541]

Good point guys. It really is very hard to capture the swirls on light colored cars. Be patient and take your time. Look at all angles and if they are there, you will find them.

[imported_Flash Gordon]

Hey, has anyone mentioned you should try and aim your light source at a different angle. Those pesky swirls like tryin to hide sometimes :out: