Best light to use

I find that while hand held lights can be good for certain types of inspections, it's really almost mandatory to have good lighting that you can work under. For example, while I'll do a lot of inspecting with the SunGun, it's much more convenient to have an inspection light that's showing the flaws while I'm working.



Also, note that the best (i.e., most meticulous/demanding) inspections are done in an otherwise dark environment.



I have the Brinkman and find it pretty marginal (at best) for inspections. Stuff I can see with that is pretty severe and I'm usually looking for stuff that I just don't see with that light. It's not about *brightness* but rather *contrast*. the other PC has posted good info explaining how it's "distant point source illumination" that shows most types of marring the best. And I've found that a simple (and fairly dim) 60 watt incandescent lightbulb can show flaws a whole lot better than a lot of fancy lights.



Yeah, I take a Cree-equipped SureFire with me when I'm looking at a potential purchase, but I don't use my flashlights in the detailing shop.



See if you can find one of the threads where we go into inspection lighting in detail. Fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, natural sunlight, the SunGun....lots of different types of lighting have their uses, but those uses don't always overlap between the different types of lights.
 
solekeeper said:
thanks guys.



accum, incandescent means regular yellow halogen?
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No, regular old-fashioned, "normal", screw-in lightbulbs.



E.g., many garages have bare lightbulbs in ceiling-mounted fixtures or inside garage-door openers (take off the plastic lens and you'll have the bare bulb). These will often show marring (especially in metallic paint) as well as anything and better than most.



I bought a pair of cheapie worklights at Lowes for about $25/each, the kind that take regular lightbulbs (actually I got ones that take high-wattage bulbs like 300w but you don't really need that). I clamp those onto various things so they'll illuminate the vehicle I'm correcting in just the right way. Those are often even better than the ones I have hanging over the workbay as I can position them exactly the way I want 'em (though figuring out what that is always takes a lot of trial and error).



I first noticed how great these lights are after correcting a car under halogens at my previous shop. I thought I'd spotted, and corrected, *everything* so I waxed it up and drove it home. Pulled it into the garage and glanced at it under the simple ceiling-mounted lightbulbs expecting to see a perfect finish. But no, I immediately saw marring that I'd missed during my oh-so-meticulous inspections at the shop.



It's not really like these *replace* halogens or anything like that, it's just that they show things differently. It's like fluorescents- I'm always saying I don't see marring under fluorescent light, and that's generally true...but sometimes that type of light *is* great for some kinds of inspection too. There's really no "one single answer" to this question of "which light?". But that doesn't mean that some kinds (like incandescents) aren't better for spotting "regular swirls" ;)
 
alright, so basically, no need for all of these fancy lights. lol





I have an led flashlight for now, so what I'll do is.. Correct a small area. And inspect with the light.



Then, take it outside to see the REAL correction? Does that sound good?
 
Ahh, never thought about the drop lights with clamps!! I'm putting my halogens on shelves, on top of tires, anything, in order to get them to the right height. I bet the drop light with clamps will make my life SO much easier for detailing, and will be useful when i work on the car!! Can't believe i never thought of them before!
 
solekeeper- I dunno, that sounds like a huge hassle to me, but if it works for you then that's what counts. I want to do the work under lighting that lets me see the flaws, even if I need something else to *initially locate* said flaws. Like this:



-panel looks OK until you do an inspection with [whatever], preferably with the other lights in the shop turned off.

-As soon as you spot a flaw, put a tiny dab of some mild polish on it (mild polish so it won't cause issues if it dries while you're getting ready to do the correctin).

-Turn on halogens/whatever to provide enough light do work under.

-Spot flaw by the indicator-dab of polish. Check it out until you can see the flaw itself under your "working lights".

-Do correction until the flaw appears to be gone.

-Repeat the "special lighting" inspection.



D_Nyholm- Yeah, though the positioning *can* be a huge PIA to get just right, having lights that do more than just swivel and do up/down can make it easier. I have some HVAC vents in the ceiling and I'll clamp the lights to those, and my wiring conduits, and...well, all sorts of things.



This all probably sounds like I don't appreciate my tripod-base halogens but that's not really the case; I just recognize their limitations. And I've found that I need to work a little harder at this whole "inspection lighting" thing since my most recent LASIK tweak, others might do fine without half the stuff I have to do.
 
accum, yea you're right. i tired it today.



Good thing about today's project is that i had a spare hood (black of course) so i was practicing correction. Checked under led light, then shifted hood into the sun to see my work. I know this isn't the way it will always be, but it was fun seeing the different lights and what they show.



Do you have experience wet-sanding accumulator?
 
solekeeper said:
...Do you have experience wet-sanding accumulator?
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Minimal. Generally just touchups and RIDS (FWIW, besides speeding things up, I think it can be a *safer* means of dealing with RIDS than just getting all aggressive with a buffer).
 
Hm.... this is probably the last thing I need to get before I try polishing the Jag with the new Flex I got this week. I will be working outside (away from trees, etc.).



Somebody in another thread (maybe this one, too) recommended a good LED flashlight. Is that really all you need? Because I have a ton of them.
 
amcdonald96- Since you have the LED lights, try 'em out and see if they work for *you*. I use my LED lights to inspect potential used-car purchases, but I don't use them when detailing....but that's just me and you might be different.
 
I am just wondering how even something like direct sunlight is effective, because at around noon today, looking at my hood, all I could see were some light RIDS, no swirls. I'm pretty sure under other lighting conditions, I can see swirls, though. Or maybe I'm just crazy!
 
amcdonald86- Heh heh, maybe we're *all* crazy to even concern ourselves with such stuff ;)



But yeah...IMO it just gets back to what I'm always saying about inspection lighting- no one type is best for all purposes.
 
Hmm... well I'm debating whether or not to get one of those halogen lights with a stand. I think a single one goes for about $35 and is also removable from the stand. Do you think I should get it if I am working outdoors in direct sunlight? (Hopefully the 50 degree weather will prevent me from having real problems with product drying too fast, etc.)
 
Mega response coming... likely in a new thread I'll start to better address this. As my article was linked in the start of the conversation, I feel compelled to answer some questions.
 
Accumulator said:
It's not about *brightness* but rather *contrast*. the other PC has posted good info explaining how it's "distant point source illumination" that shows most types of marring the best. And I've found that a simple (and fairly dim) 60 watt incandescent lightbulb can show flaws a whole lot better than a lot of fancy lights.
Click to expand...



(the other PC's post? http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing-product-discussion/90234-led-flashlight.html#post923124)



this is the closest statement to my experience with a well maintained beige metallic. i tested with a 150w halogen, 20w cool white and 14w cool daylight ccfl at about one and a half yard distance looking for (spiderwebbing) swirls, maybe marring, and not scratches.



i found it easier with the ccfls. all have revealed the mild swirls. the more i veer from perpendicular alignment of the light, the better i see swirls. the farther the light source the better but my sources grew tiny. it must be a big, strong light source such as a street lamp with reflectors so its reflection on the paint is large and clear, not faint.



i need the reflection of a big light source and the immediate area around it which is where you see the swirls. the nearer the source, the more light floods the paint. the glare will hide the swirls such that you see the depth of the clear coat with no swirls. the sun's glare on silver paint blinds me, only the camera can catch the swirls.



there still must be the matter of the type of bulb that best reveals swirls. also wavelength, frequency and such, as mentioned here where they tested on dark paint.



that's all for now, i'm off to my search for more efficient lighting for correction on silver.
 
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