Thanks for the add on Todd. I do realise that many products do contain solvents which will genuinely lead to a level of swelling, something which is not a genuine concern. In the case of IX, according to the 'swelling' mechanism this swelling would be implied to be much more significant. For example, in the UK, tar removers are a routine part of a detail. These products are typically a 100% active blend of mineral spirits/white spirits/kerosene/xylene/toluene - solvents which product rather significant amounts of paint swell. They are also products which have zero effectiveness against iron. Thus one must assume that if swelling can 'release iron', the swelling produced by these types of products is simple insufficient. By extension, if the IX mechanism was indeed through paint swelling, IX must swell the paint very notably more than these aggressive solvents. It is with this that my expression of concern was targeted (as you probably appreciate, I was trying to minimise the length of response so omitted this originally!).
All the best
If I understand how Iron X works correctly, it technically does not release the Iron by swelling the paint. The whole "pore" explanation I used was so that it can be easily understood by all, and I use it to explain to my clients that way to help them know what I am doing.
Scientifically speaking, Iron particulates, over time, will slowly etch the paint. This is on a very small level and completely naked to the human eye unlike an etching made by letting bird droppings or bugs sit on the paint for a long time.
Here is a pic to demonstrate.
Claying will only remove the top level of this contamination, but still allow the iron that has etched its way down to still slowly continue and cause problems later on in the cars life.
When Iron X is used, it finds its way into the etchings and removes the iron particulates that have worked their way below the surface. By doing this, you are removing deep embedded particles that could slowly corrode the surface over an extended time.
That is why Iron X, along with a clay treatment is a full two step process to completely removing such harmful particles. In my opinion, this is required to achieve the proper treatment of paint surfaces for the care and longevity of our beloved cars.
While it does swell the paint to some extent, like Todd explained, it is not on the levels as some pre treatments like Autosmart Tardis. Since Iron X does not use only swelling to function properly, that is the reason why you do not see a solvent (such as Tardis) removing Iron particles.
So yes, while some swelling does occur, it is the reaction of the Iron X to the Iron particles, which then liquifies the sintered iron embedded in the paint and then allows it to be removed by a strong stream of water. This is how Iron X properly works.
It is just so much easier to describe it with the "pores" explanation.
Where Iron X snow foam comes in, is that it is an multi product to help speed up the washing / decontamination stage.
The foam allows you to dilute it or use it straight in a foam lance. You can use it undiluted as a very thick pre-wash and iron remover (slightly less powerful then the spray) or you can dilute it a bit for cars that do not need such a strong iron remover. (for example brand new cars)
Since it is a foam, this knocks out a few steps for you during the wash phase (pre cleaning, and iron removal in one step instead of two or three) and allows you to move on to correcting the paint a bit quicker.
