Is #16 a PITA to get off for anyone else?

[imported_mrecktid]

Hey guys,



I ended up putting a layer of #16 on my G35 today because the weather got nice here, almost 80 degrees :xyxthumbs And I wasn`t sure if I should leave it on or not, but i ended up leaving it on for about 20 minutes while I was conditioning my leather.



Long story short, it seemed like it was baked on when I tried removing it. I tried using both Spray & Wipe and Spray & Gloss to help take it off, but water ended up being the easiest way. I have some pictures but I haven`t put them up yet I`ll try and do it later. It took about 45 minutes to take it off (I`m sure a little is still on there, I`ll probably wash it again tomorrow)



Anyways, I like the look it gives, very reflective and clear, I have a champagne colored car and it looks real nice. Similar look to Natty`s, maybe more reflective but less wet?



I`ll try and put some pics up.



-Mark

[Eliot Ness]

The key to #16 and easy removal is a very thin application. I use a PC with a finish pad because I can get a very thin coat that way (plus I`m lazy!). I`ll do the whole car and then come back and buff it off with a MF. Some members do a section at a time, but I haven`t had any problems doing the whole vehicle first and then coming back.



If you`re applying it by hand just take a foam applicator and "lightly" spin (or twirl) it on top of the #16 and it will turn into a liquid, then squeeze out the excess and apply as thin as possible.

[imported_mrecktid]

Dang, that`s probably my problem, seems like I applied it super thick.

[White95Max]

Yes #16 is a pain if it`s applied too thick. If you apply it thin, it`s really not that difficult.

[Scottwax]

Next time you try something new, it would be a good idea to do a search here on autopia and see how regular users are applying and removing the product. First time I tried UPP, I did a search before actually trying it and all my questions were answered. :)



Like the others said, thin coats, a section or two at a time and remove. Took me about 20 minutes to apply and remove #16 on an F-250 with a shell over the bed today.

[White95Max]

WOW you must be flying around that truck Scott! I`d like to see a video of you in action! :p

I`d come to visit you, but I`m 1000+ miles away.

[Setec Astronomy]

I have recounted the story before about many years ago when it was getting late and dark and I decided that I would wait until break time at work the next day to buff off the thick coat of #16 (or it could have been Collinite) I had just put on. So there I was, in the summer sun, trying to get the stuff off...it was like concrete...

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by White95Max

WOW you must be flying around that truck Scott! I`d like to see a video of you in action! :p

I`d come to visit you, but I`m 1000+ miles away.



After doing this for nearly 11 years full time, you just get fast. Anyone who saw me apply NXT by hand vs. Aurora40 via PC on a 350Z at the Autopia/Meguiars meet knows how fast I can apply a wax.

[imported_hadboosttroy]

Scottwax:



Do you have any tips on how to apply thin coats? This has been a problem for me for years, and is a real waste of product for me. Any tips you could give me would be great!



Thanks

[White95Max]

Originally posted by Scottwax

After doing this for nearly 11 years full time, you just get fast. Anyone who saw me apply NXT by hand vs. Aurora40 via PC on a 350Z at the Autopia/Meguiars meet knows how fast I can apply a wax.



Do you use a foam hand applicator to apply the LSP? If I try to apply an LSP really fast with my Meg`s foam apps, they usually just slip out of my hand and fall on the ground. :(

Do you use the yellow Meg`s foam hand applicators?

[Prometheus]

I use the contoured foam apps you can get here at autopia (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/vk-101.html) and I have also used the black magic ones (theyre almost flat, but have curved sides so you can grip easier) and I can easily do my whole car with #16 in about 20 minutes. You can do a panel or two with one twirl of the app in the can, which im sure is part of it. A little bit of #16 goes a REAAAALYY long way.

[imported_hadboosttroy]

See I think I just can`t get over the mindset that one or two wipes of the can WILL do a panel. I mean I know it will, I just can`t make myself do it. Of course removal is a real pain because of it too!! Maybe someday I will change/evolve :D

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by hadboosttroy

Scottwax:



Do you have any tips on how to apply thin coats? This has been a problem for me for years, and is a real waste of product for me. Any tips you could give me would be great!



Thanks



Hope you and ScottWax don`t mind my answering this one, I`ve been using #16 since forever- people in my family remembered when it first came out in the `50s, they loved it because it was so much easier to use than other stuff then on the market.



Use the "turn it liquid" approach Eliot Ness mentioned. Get the pad uniformly primed with wax and then squeeze as much as you can out of the applicator. Don`t worry about having enough on the pad; if you go over the surface a few times (this is why I love the PC/Cyclo for #16 application) you`ll get enough on there for an effective, even coat. The idea is to get it on so thin that you can barely see it. Try to spread the it over as large an area as possible by expanding the area being worked- start with maybe a 2`x2` area and then work out from its borders until you start to get some dragging from the applicator, which means you need a little more wax. You`ll soon learn how to do this without getting it too thick on the initial 2`x2` area.



Note that one can of #16 should last the average household (2-3 vehicles) several years or longer. I generally use it on 1-2 of our vehicles and also on a few cars I do for friends. My last can still had plenty in it when I gave it away, and I`d been using it for about a decade! Opened it around `92, gave it away around `02. But I`ll admit I get a kick out of seeing both how thin I can apply it and how long I can make a can last.

[imported_mrecktid]

Yeah I remember reading about application and removal and stuff about #16, but that was awhile ago, and I my computer at home was messed up so I couldn`t reread it.



Scott, Man vs Machine. That sounds like something detailers would pay to watch. Hahahaha.

[kartoon]

Originally posted by Eliot Ness

The key to #16 and easy removal is a very thin application...



Since the above quote seems to apply to every wax and sealant I know, I`m wondering if there is any wax application where it would be advisable to apply it thick :nixweiss