Let wax dry longer = better results?

Accumulator, that's really interesting test results from the WOWO vs. haze. I wouldn't have thought there would be a difference, but I stand corrected.
 
IMO people oughta experiment for themselves with this, and I'd enjoy hearing about the results even if they differ from *my* experiences.



wannafbody- Heh heh, waxes might not crosslink, but I can tell ya that #16 on the A8 was *on* there. I was wondering if I'd need to get really aggressive to remove it. I was using Sonus green (after just a QD-dampened MF did nothing) and it took a long time. But that baked-on-by-Memphis-sun situation was kinda extreme...



Otherwise, I think we might be more in agreement than it might first appear...."flashing off" is mighty close to "drying" ;)



Some of my experiments with 476S (on black painted steel wheels) did lead me to believe that it truly bonds with the surface though. I was paying special attention to stamped lettering where the wax would get into the depressions, dry and be a PIA to get out. I tried a lot of different things, including like-dissolves-like, QDs, etc. and found it kinda interesting (and frustrating, never *did* get it all out!).



I've had the same experience with deeply textured paint too (including getting various waxes trapped in the cracked lacquer on the Jag..what a PIA *that* is). Anyhow, play around with it some time. I too have read the "wax just sits on the surface" arguments, but my experiences didn't confirm that in my eyes.



Other ~random thoughts:



I hear that Victoria (IIRC, might be Swissol instead :think: ) truly *will* be just about impossible to buff off if you let it dry too long. That was from somebody here who'd tried it.



Some waxes like Zymol's Estate Glazes tend to "bloom" over the first three hours or so following application...not sure how that factors in here but I suspect that it does somehow :nixweiss
 
I can say from experience from spit shining in the military that shoe polish builds when the solvent has evaporated from the wax before you start polishing. The same principle applies to carnuaba base waxes as the solvent is normally a petroleum based product. Waiting too long will make removal a bit difficult, but the coating is thicker.
 
So from that one would assume the proper way to wax is one big fully dried basecoat with progressively lighter top coats.



Not that I intend to but i always end up losing track of what has been waxed or getting wax happy and re-waxing areas again, although i've gotten used to waxing by feel (correctly waxed = slippery, badly waxed = rubbery)
 
I don't believe slickness is an accurate assessment of whether the wax is still on the surface.



The basecoat doesn't have to necessary have to be "big". It has to be uniform. Even if you apply a thick layer of wax, it's going to be wiped off anyways, because only so much wax can stick to the paint surface.
 
vortex-5 said:
i always end up losing track of what has been waxed ..
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I keep notes about stuff like that so I don't have to trust my memory. That also comes in handy when people ask how long something lasted for me.



mikebai1990 said:
Even if you apply a thick layer of wax, it's going to be wiped off anyways, because only so much wax can stick to the paint surface.
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Yeah, IMO so little wax ends up being left behind that there are no "heavy" or "light" applications...if you put on enough to attain uniform coverage and you buff off the excess, you're gonna have the same (miniscule) amount of wax left behind either way.

mikebai1990 said:
I don't believe slickness is an accurate assessment of whether the wax is still on the surface.
Click to expand...



I dunno...I'll agree that when slickness first drops off the LSP is almost certainly still there, but whether it's still doing the job can be a different story (and one that's subjective; one person might not care while another will think it's very important).



When the surface starts to feel less slick, the LSP is at least compromised to some extent, whether it's still there or not, as the surface will no longer shed dirt as readily and thus IMO the finish has started down the road to needing redone. I value slickness so highly that it's probably my primary criteria when evaluating the condition of my LSP. Heh heh, I'd sure never let things go so long that I'd notice a dropoff in appearance ;)



As soon as *any* criteria that I value starts to drop off, IMO it's time to rewax, whether the product is still physically present or not; it's no longer doing the job I ask of it.
 
Hm.. I see your point, Accumulator. I don't know if this is a good justification of my point, but here goes: ONR leaves a pretty slick surface on the paint (I'm comparing to something like Meguiars GC), and it feels like it's been waxed. However, it only adds very little protection to the paint. Okay.. now that I think about it, this argument isn't too good :)



But with Collinite, it seems like the surface is very slick in the first week or so, but after multiple washes, the water still beads extremely well, but it's not nearly as slick as it was when it was applied. Yet, the protection still has months before it gets degraded.
 
mikebai1990- Ah, I'd forgotten your weird Collinite experiences! My 476S stays slick a good long time.



And heh heh, I'll admit that I didn't rewax the Blazer as soon as it lost a little slickness anyhow.



But *generally*, and I'd better add *IMO/IME* the slickness and beading seem closely intertwined.



I wonder if my use of Griot's Car Wash (and/or my softened water) might explain our differing Collinite experiences :nixweiss



I also wonder if the leaves-something-behind QDs I often use after a wash give just enough additional sacrificial layr that it helps my Collinite hold up that much better :nixweiss



What you experience with Collinite sounds similar to what I get with UPP on the S8. I end up redoing it *long* before the UPP is dead just because the slickness drops off so fast...had the same experience with BlackFire too. I did some experiments on single stage that confirmed (IMO) that these products protected a lot longer than they stayed slick, but without the slickness I worry about wash-induced marring. Sounds like you and I might be in greater agreement that it first appeared :D
 
Haha.. Wow, you remember my Collinite experience, impressive :) I'm looking to switch around and try out Duragloss soon (I got my order a few days ago), and I'm hoping to see if it makes any difference. I've also switched to ONR washes recently, and I'm seeing whether that will help with durability.
 
Leaving *some* LSPs on too long *could* result in unnecessary dusting, thus causing a swirling condition. Not the case for all LSPs. 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
 
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