Todd@RUPES
Just a regular guy
Beyond BlackICE- Inside information about BLACKFIRE's new super wax....
Foreward: I received numerous PM's and emails about BLACKFIRE's latest wax- BLACKFIRE BlackICE Hybrid Montan Sealant Wax. I have generalized many of the questions to provide a broad article that should answer many questions about this outstanding wax.
Montan wax is a mineral wax that is extracted from lignite (a soft-brown coal). In its natural form, montan wax ranges in color from a dirty yellow to dark brown. Standard montan wax is used in some car waxes as it provides a glossy finish, intense water beading, and good durability. Montan can only be sourced from three remote areas across Earth. The montan wax used in BlackICE is sourced from the Alsdorf municipality in Western Germany.
The goal with BlackICE was to create a wax that offered a deep, wet shine with significant durability. It meant that we had to break some traditions when it came to premium car waxes in order to move forward. BlackICE features a blend of color-charged montan wax. It took 23 months to develop this wax. Over that course of time, many different products were developed, tested, scratched, re-blended, and tested again. It was a painstaking process that bordered on obsession.
Ultimately the follow design criteria was laid out. There was no specifications on ingredients, liquid vs. paste, style, or additional
BlackICE was initially called Project LSP, then as the months went by (and the obsession grew) it became Project X (X= number of months). Project 8 became Project 9 then Project 10.... and so on and so on. Increasing the polymer load (added later in development) caused streaking in high-humidity, which required a new, faster drying solvent, which made the carnauba content dry too quickly... Ultimately, 100s of formulas and months of testing led to the creation of a hybrid montan wax, just in time for Project 12's birthday. Over the next 11 months Project 12-23 saw several revisions, a lot of testing, and a new way to process, refine, and prepare montan wax.
The result was a combination of BLACKFIRE's Ivory Carnauba, Wet Diamond Polymers, and a new type of refined montan wax- BLACKFIRE's Color-Charged Montan. As the project matured, BLACKFIRE's engineers worked on a color-charging process to enhance the paint darkening affect. Color charging changes the color of the wax without the use of dyes or blending with chemicals. It is a costly process that was pioneered to create a wax that will appreciate dark colored cars as much as you do.
BLACKFIRE BlackICE does not have a lot of oils (the traditional way to make carnauba shine) so the look will not evaporate on a hot day. When you lift up a jar of BlackICE you are feeling the heft of active ingredients. The result is strong environmental protection, insane water beading, and liquid deep shine that lasts.
The end result is a hybrid blend of the finest ingredients available. It is a wax that saturates dark colored vehicles with a liquid shine that ripples underneath the body lines. The characteristic wet shine will last for months -not days or weeks- if applied to prepared paint. Our testing in Florida sun showed 4-7 months of durability with almost no degradation in water beading and shine. BlackICE is a wax, born of creative thinking, passion, and a willingness to break tradition, that makes no excuses.
Foreward: I received numerous PM's and emails about BLACKFIRE's latest wax- BLACKFIRE BlackICE Hybrid Montan Sealant Wax. I have generalized many of the questions to provide a broad article that should answer many questions about this outstanding wax.
Montan wax is a mineral wax that is extracted from lignite (a soft-brown coal). In its natural form, montan wax ranges in color from a dirty yellow to dark brown. Standard montan wax is used in some car waxes as it provides a glossy finish, intense water beading, and good durability. Montan can only be sourced from three remote areas across Earth. The montan wax used in BlackICE is sourced from the Alsdorf municipality in Western Germany.
The goal with BlackICE was to create a wax that offered a deep, wet shine with significant durability. It meant that we had to break some traditions when it came to premium car waxes in order to move forward. BlackICE features a blend of color-charged montan wax. It took 23 months to develop this wax. Over that course of time, many different products were developed, tested, scratched, re-blended, and tested again. It was a painstaking process that bordered on obsession.
Ultimately the follow design criteria was laid out. There was no specifications on ingredients, liquid vs. paste, style, or additional
- Had to look as good, if not better, then any available wax on dark colored paint.
- Had to maintain that look for a significant (measured in months) amount of time in any climate.
- Had to last significantly longer then premium carnauba waxes
- Had to remain effortless in application and removal
- Utilize the finest ingredients available to achieve the above goals.
BlackICE was initially called Project LSP, then as the months went by (and the obsession grew) it became Project X (X= number of months). Project 8 became Project 9 then Project 10.... and so on and so on. Increasing the polymer load (added later in development) caused streaking in high-humidity, which required a new, faster drying solvent, which made the carnauba content dry too quickly... Ultimately, 100s of formulas and months of testing led to the creation of a hybrid montan wax, just in time for Project 12's birthday. Over the next 11 months Project 12-23 saw several revisions, a lot of testing, and a new way to process, refine, and prepare montan wax.
The result was a combination of BLACKFIRE's Ivory Carnauba, Wet Diamond Polymers, and a new type of refined montan wax- BLACKFIRE's Color-Charged Montan. As the project matured, BLACKFIRE's engineers worked on a color-charging process to enhance the paint darkening affect. Color charging changes the color of the wax without the use of dyes or blending with chemicals. It is a costly process that was pioneered to create a wax that will appreciate dark colored cars as much as you do.
BLACKFIRE BlackICE does not have a lot of oils (the traditional way to make carnauba shine) so the look will not evaporate on a hot day. When you lift up a jar of BlackICE you are feeling the heft of active ingredients. The result is strong environmental protection, insane water beading, and liquid deep shine that lasts.
The end result is a hybrid blend of the finest ingredients available. It is a wax that saturates dark colored vehicles with a liquid shine that ripples underneath the body lines. The characteristic wet shine will last for months -not days or weeks- if applied to prepared paint. Our testing in Florida sun showed 4-7 months of durability with almost no degradation in water beading and shine. BlackICE is a wax, born of creative thinking, passion, and a willingness to break tradition, that makes no excuses.
