Heat and Sunlight Acceptibility

M

My5ABaby

New member
Alright, so it's bad to work in sunlight and on hot surfaces. I don't have a lot of shade, if any, so currently my time to work on the car is constrained to right when the sun's going down which isn't a long period of time especially if I'm wanting to do more than just wash. The days are getting cooler so my paint isn't as hot as it was in the summer, but the suns still a hassle.



My questions being, is it alright to work in sunlight as long as the surface isn't hot? And how hot is too hot?



I'm wanting to do a polish and wax (476) before winter. I managed to wash and clay it last weekend but it was a very quick job and I was doing the claying well after the sun went down. While cleaning up my supplies I had a hard time even finding everything (rural area so no light pollution). I wish I had a garage, or even a carport. That would be wonderful. Until then... :(
 
In terms of sun, I think a lot of it depends on the product(s) you are using. I just pruchased some Duragloss 111, and it states on the product that it can be applied in sunlight. Regarding the surface temperature, some of the experts around here will have to chime in with actual temperature ranges, but I typically just feel the surface, and make the best judgement I can.



Last night, I quick detailed and applied a LSP (2nd coat) to a car that I polished and waxed Saturday. The owner drove it a couple of miles before bringing it over fot me to apply the final coat of LSP, so the car was a little warm - not hot, just a little warm. I let the car sit for a while in my garage to cool off. When I applied the LSP, I did the hood last, since this was the warmest panel on the car - that bought me a little more time for the hood to cool down while I applied product to the rest of the car. I ended up getting good results.
 
Yea, since you have to work in the sun, it's best to find products that are sun friendly. 476S is okay on warm panels, but if you get to hot panels, there may be some hazing issues. However, applying extremely thinly usually resolves hazing issues.



With polish, Poorboys and Optimum are two lineups of polishes which are sun friendly and would be suitable for your needs.
 
Perhaps look into obtaining a large tarp/tent? Some may be designed for beach use, but typical costs are below $100. I've seen these for sale at various warehouse locations like costco, maybe walmart or home despot or whatever -- good luck!
 
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