Best method to examine paint for micro-marring

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imported_beachwolverine

New member
As an amature here, I getting ready to polish my 2007 Lexus ES350 smokey granite mica. The car is one year old and has been very well cared for thanks to all I have learned here. It does have some minor spider-webbing and I want to get it to perfection.



My question is that when I first test with a mild polish/pad combo (followed by IPA wipe) to see if it removes all the defects (or if I need to go more aggressive), how can I be certain that I'm examining the paint correctly and being absolutely certain all defects are removed? This may seem obvious - look in bright sunlight, use a halogen light (I have one), but I'm concerned that with my inexperience I may think it looks perfect, yet be missing some faint marring. Do many of you use loupes to examine the paint? Would this be the most foolproof way? Is there a recommendation on a loupe or the "best" technique?



Thanks much.
 
I suppose you can get the 3m sun gun. Going up close with a loupe is a bit extreme because you have an entire car to inspect and if you need a loupe to see the imperfection then most likely you won't see it anyway. I find that a bright point source light reveals the most imperfections so a dark garage lit with only a single bright light bulb, hanging from a cord so you can move it, will let you see just about everything. Just hover around your car looking at the paint at different angles and the imperfections will reveal themselves as faint scratches around the reflection of the light. I reallly like a powerful 45 watt CFL spiral bulb very bright and compact.
 
IMO the Sun Gun is way overkill for someone just doing this as a hobby. Stick with cheap 500w halogens, or direct sunlight. The spotlight Holden_C04 posted is good too.



Just inspect the paint up close; if there's any marring, you'll see it. If you can't see anything after an IPA wipedown, well, I guess your paint is perfect. ;)
 
qwertydude said:
I reallly like a powerful 45 watt CFL spiral bulb very bright and compact.
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Funny you mentioned that as I picked up a couple of 65W CFLs the other day. They're much better at mimicking sunlight than halogens (6500K vs 3000K) and don't run so darned hot. My initial impression of them is they'll be great for this application. I haven't had too much of a chance to play with them as I got them yesterday and have been dealing with TS Edouard today.
 
I use multiple LED lights. Like those headlamps with super bright LEDs in them. I currently have one that runs 4 powerful white and 2 red ones. They haven't failed me yet. Its especially helpful when the Brinkmann doesn't work, in which my Lexus RX330 in Bamboo Pearl is its weakness. You are welcome to try that. The headlamp one by Energizer at Walmart isn't shabby. Its what I'm using right now ;)
 
I've also been using this 128 led beast, I've modded it's power supply it to run continuously without overheating and also made a special rechargeable battery pack that I can charge in 15 minutes, I get about 2 hours of continuous use with my custom battery. It's equivalent to about a standard car fog light in terms of light output hence the short battery life.



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Only 25 dollars online at dealextreme.com they also have a wide variety of other lights and lasers if you like all with 1 cent shipping. Of course my mods weren't free but done with stuff I already have on hand, so basically free for me.
 
Noting that I have halogens, a 3M SunGun, and a scad of high-power flashlights including LEDs (along with the shop's dozens of fluorescent tubes), the best inspection light IME is incandescent light in an otherwise dark shop. This are the only way I can simulate the unforgiving metal halides-at-night effect that use to uncover unpleasant surprises.



The SunGun is OK for some things, but I miss a *LOT* of marring if I rely on it for final inspections. Halogens are the same way. Incandescent light, in a dark shop, is utterly unforgiving IME and shows marring (espeically on metallics) that I don't see otherwise. I still need natural sunlight to spot light holograms, but other than that *nothing* escapes me under the incandescents...nothing.



I find illuminated maginfiers/loupes very handy (I prefer my 15x over my stronger/weaker ones), but not for spotting marring. Better for examining/evaluating the problem once you've spotted it.
 
The metal halides effect is caused by how concentrated the point source lights become at a distance. Probably the best way to simulate this is by getting the smallest yet brightest light you can. Possible hang a small but powerful car headlight overhead with no reflectors.
 
I find that a regular incandescent bulb will do the "distant point-source illumination" thing just fine :D Even a simple ceiling mounted bare bulb works OK, but it's a PIA to reposition the vehicle under it to see every surface. Hand held incandescent trouble lights are ~$20 at Lowe's.
 
beachwolverine said:
.... Do many of you use loupes to examine the paint? ....
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All the time, but they’re usually better suited for figuring out the nature of marring than picking it out in the first place. Their field of view is very narrow.







PC.
 
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