Blackfire Experiment

R

rstype

New member
Ever since the introduction of Blackfire, there have been several complaints from its cleaning ability. Geekysteve used it to polish off embedded brake dust and someone else found both the protectant and cleaner to have a high pH level. CMA seems to have heard these complaints and responded by tuning “the balance of the[se] chemicals.� Below is my mini-test to test how strong the Blackfire 2 solvents are in comparison to Blackfire 1.



I took out an old CD from my rack of old PC games. I got out a black Sharpie Permanent Marker and divided the CD into 4 sections:



372mvc-109s-med.jpg




On each section, I proceeded to apply 4 different products each with 3 squares of toilet paper.



1= Blackfire I

2= Blackfire II

3= Meguiar’s Gold Class Liquid

4= Meguiar’s #26 Paste



Here are the results after the application. I used EQUAL moderate pressure on all of the sections.



372mvc-110s-med.jpg


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As you can see, the Blackfire I (sec. 1) and Gold Class (sec. 3) took the permanent ink right off. The #26 Paste (sec. 4) removed some ink, but not as much as the other two. I believe that if I rubbed even harder, all the ink would have been polished out. Blackfire II (sec. 2) didn't touch the marker at all.



For my control I tried water and isopropyl alcohol (not shown). The water did nothing to the marker, even with lots of rubbing. The alcohol, on the other hand, quickly dissolved the marker after some rubbing.



The difference could actually be "felt" because when I was applying the "original" BF, it felt like the applicator was grinding into the CD, similar to the way it feels when applying an SMR to your paint. However, the "new" BF went on smoothly and had a much more slippery feeling to it. - Intermezzo
Click to expand...



My findings (while applying the two) were similar to what Intermezzo has described.



Final picture with the products buffed off:



372mvc-112s-med.jpg




Conclusion? You have to draw it yourself. I know for a fact that BF II is a lot less powerful than the original BF or GC. But I don't know if this makes BF I "harsh" on the clearcoat... so draw your own conclusions.



Thanks to Bolton (bjwebster) for sending out the Blackfire II sample. Congratulations to CMA for successfully "retuning the balance of polymers" in Blackfire. Expect to see a BF I vs. BF II durability comparo soon.



(Oh, and the CD I used? I used the original Blackfire to eliminate the rest of the "permanent" ink residue. Then I tried playing the game again and it worked!. BF I sure works excellent as a CD restorer.)
 
Cool test BW! :xyxthumbs Interesting results and consistent with known information not only on BF, but with the other 2 products as well. Thanks!



EDIT: Did you notice any marring from any of the products? Or all of them since you used toilet paper...? ;)
 
The CD was already marred from continuous use, and the toilet paper + products added even more. All 4 sections were equal in marring, so the "experiment" is better suited for testing chemical rather than physical cleaning properties.



If it was done with a soft microfiber towel and fresh CD, I assume the results would be similar to Steve and Tony's findings. This test was done mainly for my own... uhhh... knowledge (?) and also to get a hands-on feel.
 
Neat test!



Hope you dont mind, but I have now bookmarked this thread to show my wife YOUR pictures the next time she tells me I am anal about the appearance of my vehicle and the products that I allow to touch it.





:D
 
Very interesting test BW. I would suspect the ink removed by the Meguiars #26 is due to solvent content rather than actual mechanical abrasive.



I look forward to hearing reports of durability. In the past I have stayed away from BlackFire because of durability, hopefully now things have changed.



:xyxthumbs
 
Im not an avid Meg's user, but Im assuming the #28 and the Class liquid are "waxes" or sealants ? I'am, however, a avid BF I/II user, nearly exclusively......

For your BF testing, were you using the polish or paint protectants ? :nixweiss

Great test BTW
 
Thanks. I was using Blackfire I and II protectant. #26 and Gold Class are both waxes, "enriched with silicones and polymers."
 
So what does that really mean in terms of Black Fire2. Should it have taken the marker out? I am just not sure if the results of your experiment were good or bad or BF2?
 
dengsxr said:
So what does that really mean in terms of Black Fire2. Should it have taken the marker out? I am just not sure if the results of your experiment were good or bad or BF2?
Click to expand...



I'd say they were quite good. BF isn't supposed to have any cleaning power. The BF1 may have more solvents or something that removed the ink. This would make it more likely to not layer and would be a little harder on the paint (although I doubt it would be hard on it). So BF2 is so gentle and so low on solvents that it doesn't dent the permanent marker. This is a good thing.
 
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