My preference is for a polymer and then a wax, purely for 'looks'. The bright shine of a polymer sealant I often criticize as being ?sterile? (a flat silvery-white reflection) good reflective properties but without ?depth?. My Father and I entered / were both judges of Concours d'Elegance and I'm used to following their criteria
The aesthetics- of a vehicles appearance is very subjective to say the least, the only best wax or sealant that really matters is what looks 'best' to you. In the final analysis it all come down to; 85% preparation, 5% product, 7% application method and the balance is pure emotion
Colour, Depth and Clarity - [: Reflectivity is the fraction of incident radiation reflected by a surface. In full generality it must be treated as a directional property that is a function of the reflected direction]
Are the three factors Concours d'Elegance judges look for when scrutinizing paint film surfaces. So much depends on proper surface preparation, a clean and level surface, and product clarity, which allow the natural properties of the paint to show through, as without transparency the true colours of the paint surface cannot be seen. Waxing a surface that has not been properly cleaned will only result in a shiny layer over dull, dirty paint - not the deep smooth, optically perfect crystalline shine that is obtainable
Shine ? a perfectly ?flat? levelled surface is obtained by polishing the paint surface. Shine an easily understood concept of light reflection / refraction (in simple terms the light reflectance from a mirror) I wanted to expand that concept so that the shine would be optically perfect as well as multi-dimensional.
Colour and Clarity - Waxing a surface that has not been properly cleaned will only result in a shiny layer over dull, dirty paint - not the deep smooth, optically perfect crystalline shine that is obtainable. Without clarity the true colour of the paint cannot be seen, on a muted version of its colour.
The fact that Carnauba wax isn?t perfectly clear is an advantage on some solid colours as it artificially deepens or darkens the colour. There is an issue with metallics as many Carnauba waxes tend to mute metallic flakes.
Gloss - the oils that are formulated in Carnauba waxes provide gloss, which causes jetting (a ?wetting? of the surface) this distorts the light reflectance, giving the surface the ?look? of depth or liquidity, like a mirror in shallow water reflecting a three-dimensional deep, rich colour
Depth ? (iridescence) occurs due to the internal reflection of light within a transparent film or layer of material, where the thickness of the film or layer is of the order of the wavelength of the incident light. Where the wavelength of the light matches or is a low multiple of the path length through the layer it will re-emerge from the layer after a single reflection but where the wavelength is different to the path length it will be re-reflected within the layer until it emerges after several internal reflections. Changing your viewpoint changes the path length through the layer and this means that a different wavelength or colour of light will seem to be reflected.
Jetting ? sometimes called optical depth comes from an applied product that is two-dimensional, so that light is reflected from both a high and low source, the light waves are distorted (diffuse reflection) which creates a three dimensional illusion of depth to produce jetting (a rippling effect, the so-called ?wet-look) The oils that are formulated in Carnauba waxes provide gloss, this distorts the light reflectance, giving the surface the ?look? of liquidity, like a mirror in shallow water reflecting a three-dimensional deep colour, in contrast, bees wax, paraffin wax, and some synthetic waxes tend to occlude the surface
Optimising light refraction
Apply product in ?direction of airflow? to vertical surfaces roof to floor and then left to right, on horizontal surfaces bumper to trunk and then left to right, over-lapping panels to ensure complete coverage. Then apply in direction of airflow, horizontal surfaces hood to trunk, vertical surfaces front to back. This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimising light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle. IMO Zymol?s Vintage is the most optically clear Carnauba wax I?ve used, applied with bare hands; it?s got to be seen to be believed
An extract from one of a series of in-depth detailing articles ? TOGWT ? Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved.
