Best light to use

[Accumulator]

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

That wasn't the post I was thinking of, but he's always good for reliable info. BUT... [repeat my inability to see much marring with my Brinkman].

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.

I'm always amazed by how experiences can differ so much on this subject :think: I can't see much of anything with ccfls (and you can bet I'm stockpiling a lifetime's supply of incandescent bulbs, given the upcoming regs).



If I'm understanding you correctly, I do think your softwhite incandescent bulb was a bit on the dim side (not that brightness is the whole story); I typically use ~300w ones in the shop (both the hand-held and ceiling mount fixtures) though the 60w ones in my other garage show marring quite well on silver (all these examples work best in an otherwise dark environment).

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.

Right, the viewing and illumination angles and distance are significant factors :xyxthumbs

... glare [can] hide the swirls such that you see the depth of the clear coat with no swirls.

Yes. This is common for me when using halogens. Distance/angle changes can help a lot.

the sun's glare on silver paint blinds me, only the camera can catch the swirls.

Yes, well polished metallics can be literally blinding in the sun...to the point you can't see anything.



When that happens, I pull it into the dark shop and start with the incandescents and the SunGun (well, if I care that much ).

...there still must be the matter of the type of bulb that best reveals swirls. ..that's all for now, i'm off to my search for more efficient lighting for correction on silver.

Between the halogens, incandescents, and the SunGun I don't miss *anything* on my silver vehicles. Not that I don't have to put a lot of effort into the whole inspection process. I can get by without the SunGun if I avoid hologram issues. So I really think you oughta get an incandescent trouble light with a high-wattage bulb and play around with it (I must've spent...oh who knows...many hours with mine before I got my technique pretty well sorted out).

but guys, bottom line.. is sun THE best for showing defects?

I like natural sunlight best for spotting holograms. The SunGun is pretty good but not as, uhm...Accumulator-proof.



The sad truth here is (well, at least the way I see it)...there's just no single "best". Most people will consider the sun to be the "one best" but it's not perfect. For one thing, you can't move it around to where you want it, and you can only move the vehicle in certain ways...just not the same as how you can manipulate other light sources. And there are flaws that are much easier to spot in other lighting than under natural sunlight. Plus there's that "blinding" effect that's common with highly polished light metallics.



BUT...there's also this approach- if it looks good to you under the kind of lighting that you want it too look good in, then it's looks OK and you can quit worrying about this inspection lighting stuff. BUT....if you still spot flaws you wish you'd corrected (say...under streetlights or at gas stations at night), then you still have some work to do with regard to getting the lighting sorted out.

 

[indiej]

That wasn't the post I was thinking of, but he's always good for reliable info. BUT... [repeat my inability to see much marring with my Brinkman].

good thing i dragged the link out of the quote. i also tested with a 1-LED and a ~15-LED flashlight. there will be ways to find swirls with them but only near the reflection of the source, not the large diameter, concentric swirls you wish (not) to see.

I'm always amazed by how experiences can differ so much on this subject :think: I can't see much of anything with ccfls ..



If I'm understanding you correctly, I do think your softwhite incandescent bulb was a bit on the dim side (not that brightness is the whole story)..though the 60w ones in my other garage show marring quite well on silver (all these examples work best in an otherwise dark environment).

the workplace is dark. i only have dim ccfl bulbs. i aim to use the least wattage. CCFL warm white is similar to incandescents in color. i haven't got the latter two yet and i'd definitely get them soon since incandescents work for you.

Between the halogens, incandescents, and the SunGun I don't miss *anything* on my silver vehicles..

great to know and thanks :thumbs_up:

 

[Barry Theal]

This thing blows my old sun gun away! I love it. Here are a fw shots of it in action. Keep in mind. The sun gun is designed for color matching. I got tired of how fast the battery would dye on it. It would also get hot and have to cool down. It a waste of money. I tried them Brinkmans and they don't see threw the oils in certain products. This thing rocks. Battry last forever. Its rechargable and lightweight. I love it.



Walmart.com: Black and Decker Rechargeable Spotlight: Camping



Here you can see the power when I was using it on this 2010 Acura TL

Here it is on a 1967 Plymoth Satilte Matching Numbers! Nice ride here.

Thing came out great with two coats of Migliore Presidenziale on it.

I highly recomend this light to anyone. I use it everyday and its going strong so far for about 2 months.

 

[solekeeper]

barry, that light almost looks TOO bright, no?

 

[JohnKleven]

I have both the 3M sun gun and the infratech CM5300? I think that's what it is called. I use the infratech more often, as it will work better than the sun gun when you are working close to the car. The 3M is great for standing a few feet away and inspecting, but can be too bright when you're up close. Also, the battery life isn't great on the sun gun.





John

 

[Barry Theal]

barry, that light almost looks TOO bright, no?

Its perfect it has a switch to dim it as well. Best bang for the buck period. i love it

 

[Accumulator]

Barry Theal & John Kleven- You guys aren't kidding about the short battery life with the SunGun, it's really pathetic.



Barry Theal- How does that B&D light do for spotting holograms, like the really faint ones you normally need natural sunlight to see? Yeah, my painter was surprised I use the SunGun for detailing inspections (he uses it for color matching), but it shows stuff I never see otherwise.



I spent ages getting my SunGun technique right...for the longest time I thought DaveKG was nuts when he raved about how much he liked his. It wouldn't surprise me if some other light was easier to use properly.



Heh heh, I think you're the only person besides yours truly who was disappointed by the Brinkman, seems everybody but us loves 'em.



Hey, that Plymouth is a lot like the '67 GTX I used to have! That must've been kinda fun to do.



Eh, on a classic MOPAR like that you shoulda used my Collinite or #16 instead of that fancy-pants Eye Tal Ian hoo-ha [stuff]...you young 'uns don't get it :nana:



John Kleven - Never heard of that Infratech cm5300. If I can't google it up I might need some more info. Same Q I asked Barry- does it show really faint holograms the way the SunGun can?