Help applying meg's #16

2StepsAhead

New member
Ok recently polished my G8 really quick and applied Meg's #16 by hand but I did it with the car relatively warm (black paint) and it left hologramming...thought it was the polishing perhaps but I ipa'ed it and the holograms started disappearing.



Im thinking maybe I would have better luck with my PC? The only non-polishing pad I own is a 6.5 in LC flat grey pad...any tips? Should I scoop some out of the tin and spread it on the pad and go to work? Lower speeds/higher speeds? I never really had this problem with any of my other waxes so any help would help.
 
the car was to hot or you are using too much





either way a wash will take care of it

I like to wax by hand as I can put it on thinner then with a PC

if you want to use the PC a plastic putty knife from lowes (about $1)

works will
 
I'm thinking you may have applied M16 too thick. M16 is well known as as a wax that needs to be applied THIN, whisper thin. (Check out this MOL thread.)



Perhaps Accumulator will chime in here and share with us his #16 application wisdom. :)
 
akimel said:
Perhaps Accumulator will chime in here...



Yeah, it was almost certainly applied too thick and to a surface that was too warm.



No way I'd apply #16 to a warm surface, too great a chance that it'll start to evaporate before it's evenly/thinly applied. Once you start applying #16 to a surface, you spread it out over an ever-increasing area so it's nice and thin, and that'd be tough if it flashes too fast. The ?carrier agents?/?solvents? (or whatever it is that flashes off) need to stick around long enough for the wax to get spread out evenly.



Unlike BigJimZ28, I like applying #16 via machine, but it might make it harder to apply it thinly enough. There's a bit of a trick/learning curve to doing #16 via machine and it mostly revolves around not using too much and not flashing the product too quickly.



That "scoop some out..." expression makes me kinda :scared: as it's hard to avoid getting too much on the pad. I rub the pad (machine pad or hand applicator) across the wax quickly so it melts. #16 is "the paste wax that turns liquid" and it hardly takes *any* to saturate the pad sufficiently. Once you get some on the pad, rub the pad together so it's evenly distributed and then try to scrape as much back out of the pad as possible. This last step is crucial IMO, you really do need to get rid of the excess wax and you *will* have some.



With the pad/applicator primed, you should have enough on there to do a least a whole hood no matter how big the vehicle is. On a normal-size car you should be able to do a few panels before you need (a tiny bit) more wax. And again, remember to squeeze/scrape the excess out before you resume applying.



Example of how little it takes: when the can is "empty" (scare-quotes intentional), with just a tiny bit left in the recess of the outer rim at the bottom, that tiny bit (about, oh..maybe a little more than thumb-nail size amount) is plenty to do the whole A8.
 
I know this is a litle OT , sorry , but is #16 similar to like 1000P where it is a synthetic wax and not a carnuba .
 
Fallguy said:
I know this is a litle OT , sorry , but is #16 similar to like 1000P where it is a synthetic wax and not a carnuba .



Quick answer: No. #16 is an old school carnauba wax (heavy on the solvents) that has been around for almost 60 years.
 
My #16 is a lot softer than 1000P and it's very easy to get far too much on the applicator, therefore you have to scrape it back from the app just like Accumulator described.



Then the thin coats can go on...



When you do it properly, you end up with an almost *empty* applicator, which is relatively dry and practically free of residue.
 
Bence said:
..When you do it properly, you end up with an almost *empty* applicator, which is relatively dry and practically free of residue.



Very good point!



I actually have to "test" my applicator to see if it still has wax on it; I'll think it needs more wax, but before I reach for the can I'll try wiping the applicator across something like a taillight or piece of chrome trim. Often as not, the "dry" applicator isn't dry after all but still deposits wax, showing that I don't need more yet.



At the end of the job I test myself to see how well I waxed- if there's much wax to clean out of the applicator I messed up. If you can squeeze a *lot* out (using hot water and Dawn/etc. to clean it) then you *really* messed up. Heh heh, as long as you're only doing cars for your own family (say...three or four vehicles that're driven year-round and kept well-waxed) a can of #16 oughta last for at least five years even if you're wasteful with it; mine last me longer than that.
 
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