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Thread: slickness

  1. #16

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    Re: slickness

    "Slickness", technically speaking, is the measure of the co-efficient of friction. Less friction, more slickness. That`s true in engine oils, slides on product conveyors, or cooking pans; all things that desire or need less friction. How that is achieved and then measured or quantified can be done, but I doubt most detailers will conduct a physics experiment to prove that this wax, coating, sealant, or detailing spray has "this much slickness".
    Hydroscopicity (no, there is no such word, but it sounds "scientific"), or water beading, is really a subject of water surface tension. There are even waxes that tout how much "angle" the water bead has, with a 120° angle between the flat surface and the roundness of bead being kind of the "Holy Grail" for this angle index. You all have seen posted pictures of the water beading characteristics of an LSP on a vehicle. Some are big "blobs", some are very small. It would seem the smaller the bead, the "better" the LSP.

    I would prefer to have a LSP that sheets off water completely rather than beads on a surface because when that water evaporates, the dust or water contaminants in the water bead are left behind, leaving those unsightly "water spots" we are accustomed to on vehicles, especially those after a rain And maybe some coatings do that and have that sheeting characteristic. I don`t know.
    But I go back to my original statement about water beading and the mis-perception that if someone sees water beading on a vehicle exterior surface, they assume that some form of surface protection must be present. This "mis-perception" has been perpetrated by the long-time practice of using of carnauba waxes on vehicles and the inherent water beading characteristics of such a wax. Once the beading was gone or diminished, it was time to re-apply the wax of choice. This visibly seeing the water beading on a vehicle surface and hence, the assumption of some amount of protection being present, is still used by product manufacturers in LSP development because it is so ingrained in vehicle owners` minds. Were an LSP just to sheet water off, it gives the illusion that the surface protection is not there. It`s a hard sell to have an LSP sheet water in a thin film.

    I use an LSP for a glossy, shiny, glass-like reflection appearance purposes, but that is my opinion for a LSP priority, and I am sure I am in the minority. MOST vehicle owners want protection first, especially on daily driven vehicles, which is WHY most of them prefer a good liquid-applied ceramic/graphene coating that has excellent protection and self-cleaning characteristics. How it looks appearance-wise may be secondary . But chances are, it beads water very well but does not sheet water for reasons mentioned above.

    I think Rejex sealant has the packaging slogan text "Nothing sticks to it but the shine."
    GB detailer
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  2. #17
    wannafbody
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    Re: slickness

    To bead or not to bead, that is the question. The general concept is that any change in water behavior after curing is a sign of degradation to some extent. I`m not sure that all of the latest rage coatings offer all that long of protection by themselves. It seems most who`ve used them follow up with SIO2 soap and SIO2 QD and then praise the product for lasting two years. I used McKees Sio2 soap by itself and got over a month out of it. Washing once a month, I`d never have to coat the car again. I used Zaino Z8 on fresh paint and got a couple months out of it.

  3. #18

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    Re: slickness

    I`ve seen, more correctly, felt vehicle surfaces that were not de-contaminated, where a wax was applied over embedded sap, iron rust, and tiny tar droplets. It was shiny and it was somewhat slick to the touch, but the surface obviously was not pre-cleaned or decontaminated prior to the wax application. It may be that the perception is the harder you rub as you apply the wax, the cleaner the surface becomes.This may work with abrasive All-In-One waxes or even cleaner waxes, but MOST good waxes are for appearance and protection. Again, (mis) perceptions developed from long-time practices using waxes.

    I would hope that even novice detailers who peruse this forum understand the many steps (wash, decontaminate, correct, and polish, and prep wipe-down) required to PROPERLY prep a vehicle surface prior to a good LSP application, whatever type of LSP that may be.

    My pet peeve about feeling vehicle surfaces for slickness is the jewelry worn on fingers or wrist or metal snaps or buttons on long-sleeve shirt cuffs or jackets that can lightly scratch a surface as the glassy-smooth tactile sensation is being engaged in with said finger tips by the "inspector". Hey, I know it looks inviting and you just want to reach out and feel how smooth it really appears to be.... BUT it`s hard to tell a customer feeling their own vehicle not to. Probably ANOTHER long-time practice perpetrated by waxes.

    Totally off base from this discussion, but how many of you OCD Autopians have been told that even when your vehicle is dirty, it still looks "clean". I think that is a real testament to those of you who use coatings that tend to be self-cleaning. Don`t know if that applies to de-icing road-salt residue and debris. Mine looks pretty ermine-white like the rest of the vehicles driven here in a Wisconsin after a snowfall when salt is (always) put down. What is even worse is the sub-zero temperature cold spells after snowfalls that prevent using automated tunnel touch-less car washes and having to wait for slightly warmer temps. And when that happens, you wait an hour or so in queue at the car wash because EVERYONE wants to use it for a clean vehicle.
    GB detailer

  4. #19

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    Re: slickness

    I like slickness and prefer to buy products that gives it. Reminds me of waxing my car back in the day and feeling the final product from a hard day`s work.
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  5. #20

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    Re: slickness

    Quote Originally Posted by bolts View Post
    I like slickness and prefer to buy products that gives it. Reminds me of waxing my car back in the day and feeling the final product from a hard day`s work.
    I remember those days.

 

 
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