Measuring Shine

MattZ28

MattZ28

New member
OK, so I'm a member on a south Florida racing forum, and some guy on there is a "professional" detailer. He seems to like NXT alot. In one of his posts, he said the following:



You need to back that statement up. In the most recent wax test, NXT lost 1.38% of its shine after 12 washings...not to bad if you ask me.
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I then asked how they measured shine in percentages such as 1.38%.



I havent the slightest how they did it. Zaino did well too though at 5.??% percent decrease.
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I then asked for a link due to skepticism.



sorry matt, just quoting autopia members...i know ur a member there...give it a search :)
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I'd really like to know if it's possible to measure how much a sealant wears off in shine percentages. Is this possible or is this guy messing with me?
 
They must have some really sharp eyes, haha. This is interesting, I would like to hear a response to this as well.
 
MattZ28 said:
I'd really like to know if it's possible to measure how much a sealant wears off in shine percentages. Is this possible or is this guy messing with me?
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They have gloss meters. They cost a lot though. They are used in a variety of industries for quality control like ceramic tiles, vinyl, paper, etc.
 
They are most likley using a Gloss meter. I work at a company that manufactures Industrial coatings, and it is pretty standard practice on all our coatings. Generally, they take measurements at 20, 60, and 85 degrees, but for automotive, I don't really know. You would be suprised how fast some coatings can loose their gloss. Without proper UV absorbers, and an inappropiate resin system, gloss can drop off in a few days!!
 
I’ve developed a reflectivity comparison system that is inexpensive and meets the needs for the typical OCD detailer.



Buy a medium sized hand-held glass mirror. Touch the surface with a pencil point and you will see two reflections; the primary reflection from the silvering on the back of the glass, and the much weaker secondary reflection from the surface of the glass.



Thoroughly clean the mirror with a glass cleaner and old newspaper. Apply one product to the left one third of the mirror and another product to the right third of the mirror. Compare the secondary reflections from all three areas. Add layers of product to both sides and do another comparison. Also check for dimming of the primary reflection.



You can also use this method to check for reflectivity loss over time. Put the test product on one side of the mirror and expose it to the sun for a few days, then apply the same product to the other side of the mirror and do a comparison of the secondary reflections.



It is also a good way to determine how many layers of a product are needed to attain maximum reflectivity. Makes me really sorry that I bothered with applying over thirty layers of Zaino!
 
travisdecpn said:
haha, fair enough. Do you use one regularly, you seem to have some experience with these meters?
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nope, I researched them in the past. One day I'll get one if I suddenly come into a bunch of money. LOL And one wax-test I have they used a Gloss Meter in it.
 
Nick T., seek help.















j/k! Share your findings with us! I think you may be the closest one yet to achieve autopia nirvana!
 
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