New to Jeff's Werkstatt Products: How many coats of each

M

MRM1

New member
After doing a lot of reading - I almost went for the Klasse Twins, but finally decided to give JW products a try. The JW Twins seemed to be pretty easy to use from what I have read - or at least easier than KSG.



I have a Merlot Nissan Murano. Plan to do the following:

1. Clean and Clay

2. Megs Ultimate Compound - LC Orange Pad (got some cat scratches on top - may go so far as Megs #105 for these)

3. JW Prime - LC White Pad

4. AJT

5. Finish with Carnauba Jett (due to the dark red color of the Merlot)

6. Maintain/QD with Carnauba Gloss



Does this sound like a good plan? Please be gentle on a newb detailer.



I have read AJT looks great on Silvers, but Dark Reds need a Carnauba, so I chose Carnauba Jett as a LSP - will I regret this choice?



Questions:

1. How many coats of AJT should I apply for a nice wet/deep shine? How long to cure between coats.

2. How many coats of CJ? How long between coats?



Thanks for the Help, App Tips and Feedback on above.



Mike
 
Don't worry about layering, I don't think it makes enough difference (if any) to be worth the extra time and product. 2 thin coats to ensure even coverage works fine. You can do AJT back to back since the main goal is to make sure you don't miss any areas. Next time you wash the car, do the same with Carnauba Jett.



Too many people get caught up with layering/topping, etc. Focus on getting the paint as swirl and defect free as possible, that is really where a heavy time investment pays off. When it comes to LSPs, two applications to ensure full coverage will protect your hard work.
 
Thanks for your response ScottWax.



My paint is swirl Free and looks pretty well. I have some baked in FL bugs from the previous owner and some cat scratches on top to try and buff out, but basically in good shape.



It looks pretty good now with NXT 2.0 on it. But looking for a product that may last a bit longer and add a touch more protection.



So you are saying just 2 light coats of AJT and then use the Carnauba Jett as an LSP correct?



Mike
 
I would not rely on prime to clean up holograms/swirls from Ultimate Compound/orange pad, especially on a dark color. You need a real finishing polish, like 106FF or similar, then apply the Prime on a finishing or wax application pad (gold, black, red, blue...).



I'd do one layer of Prime, then one layer of AJT. I don't know that there's much to be gained by more layers, since the AJT is already the 2nd layer. If you then switch to Carnauba Jett, I'd do two of those to ensure good coverage. I'm very interested to hear if you see a difference after the CJ, please post back on this.



Since you're new to JW, my tip is to use very little product and buff it until it's totally gone. I use three drops of Prime Strong on a black 7.5" pad for a 2x2 area. More just leads to fouling up the pad, more dust, and residue on the paint that has to be buffed off. When you use the right amount and work it long enough, there's hardly anything to buff back off the paint. When using AJT, I've found it's better to spray one spray on the MF towel (shorter nap is good) and buff a panel until the MF towel is hardly damp anymore. This is longer than you might think, but seems to give a better gloss and makes sure you don't get sealant holograms. Same thing for AG and CG. CG has a lot of wax in it and really does a decent job of boosting the base coat.



I'm interested to see what you think of the Carnauba products. I use Werkstat acrylic products a lot, but have relatively little experience with Carnauba (never used CJ, but have Prime Carnauba and CG).
 
When you are using the Carnauba Jett, try to use a lightly damp microfiber applicator/towel to apply. Try not to work on too big an area at one go, half the door size will be good.

Spread CJ evenly with the damp MF towel, than buff out the residue with a dry MF towel immediately. Do not let the residue to dry fully otherwise you will have a hard time buffing them out and in case the residue dries fully, use the same damp MF towel goes over the area again and buff off immediately. Hope it helps ;)
 
Thanks for all the feed back.



Even though I did a detailed search before posting this thread, I found what seemed to be the "How-To" thread on JW after I posted this thread at the bottopm in the "Similar Threads" section. Sorry for the duplicate Questions.



wfedwar said:
I would not rely on prime to clean up holograms/swirls from Ultimate Compound/orange pad, especially on a dark color. You need a real finishing polish, like 106FF or similar, then apply the Prime on a finishing or wax application pad (gold, black, red, blue...).
Click to expand...

wfedwar, I see now that I am missing a "middle" process in between UC and Prime. Would Megs #205 or PBWs Black Hole Show Glaze for Dark Vehicles be about the same thing to use before Prime?



ScottWax, Saw in the JW How to Thread that 4 years ago you suggested cutting Carnauba Jett 50/50 with OCW. Is that similar to what Werkstatt has done with the creation of Carnauba Gloss (From the JW site: "Equal parts car wash and spray wax")?



Thanks for the Feed back. Hope to start this project next week when all prduct arrive. Just did the Murano with UC / Megs Cleaner polish / NXT 2.0 2 weeks ago. So needing to wait until that "wears off" a bit :)
 
wfedwar, you mentioned 106FF. Would any of these products suffice instead? Possible Best Choice for a dark Merlot Metallic color?



- PBW's Black Hole Show Car Glaze for Dark Vehicles

- PBW's Pro Polish

- OP II

- FK 303

- Megs #205

- Zymol Cleaner Wax (I have this one hand)

- Perhaps some recommended OTC finish polish I can get my hands on quickly



Thanks for the feed back.



Mike
 
Got my order of JW Acrylic Kit and extras today. Trying it out on a friends van hood.



Did the Carnauba Jett and Gloss over Prime on my daughters dark green trunk. This trunk Lid had been covered in cat straches when we bought the car last year.



What I did:

1. Wet sand with 1000 grit

2. Wet sand with 2000 grit

3. Polish with UC

4. Clean/Polish with Prime



Had some light scratching/swirling from the UC. As noted, prime did NOT repair this even with mulltiple apps. Will be ordering Optimum Polish II to correct and polish. But went ahead and apply AJT and Carnauba Jett.



Here are my observations:

1. AJT -went on easly. No problem

2. CJ - same easy app. Dark green got darker/richer/deeper. (but maybe it was an illusion brought on by the allure of the Carnauba sent ... very nice)

3. Used Carnauba Gloss as a finish



All products gave me no problem. Easy on / Easy off - WO/WO products.



Now She wants me to do the whole car.
 
Got a chance to do my daughters Dark green 1996 Saturn today. Only got as far at the top sections before it went dark. Will finish on Monday.



But some things I noticed:

1. applying prime with a foam pad by hand - no problem. Buffed of nicely

2. Applied 2 spray of AJT for 1/2 the hood ... BUT it seemed like it was dry before I got 1/2 the hood covered.



Is it just going on very thin, OR should I see a haze of AJT until I buff off a 1/2 hood size section. Seems 2 sprays was just not enough to cover good.



What am I doing wrong?
 
2 sprays of AJT for 1/2 the hood is more than enough IMO. Use it just like a quick detailer, try to make a spray across the panel (instead of spraying at a spot) than spread it around with a MF towel. Keep buffing until it is almost clear and than flip to the dry side of the MF towel to give it a final buff. That should pretty much do the job.
 
Then I am doing it right.



BTW, the final product is amazing.



This car (my daughter's car - see post #12) had been a "cat bed" when we bought it. The hood is/was covered in deep scratches. Along with several other scratched places and a few parts we re-painted.



So now I was using this beater of a car as a test bed for scratch removal, etc.



I first tried removing scratches with Megs Ulitmate Compound- not much change

So I do some test spots lightly sanding the scratches with 2000 grit - some better, but probably cut thru the clear coat.

Then got some M105 and tried this on those areas - results again were mixed, but time to move on.

Did most of the car in Megs Ulimate Compound



Got my 32 oz bottle of Optimum Polish II today (love that stuff)



Did one polish on the worst areas with OP II and an Orange LC pad

Did all the skyward parts (hood, top, trunk lid) with OP II and a White LC pad

Apply Acrylic prime to those areas by hand - buffed

Applyed 2 coats of AJT to those areas with the spray, polish - flip towel, buff method. (until the MF towel got damp with AJT, then I used a new MF Towel for buffing)

Did wheels with Optimum Tire Shine



Looks real "purdy" now. Scratches are still a touch visable on the hood. Totally gone on the trunk lid. Will try and post some pics tomorrow.
 
Have not gotten back around to my Merlot Murano with the full product line of JW as of yet, but got a chance to use Quick wash and Carnaube Gloss on it yesterday.



Not really impressed with the job the QW did for me. I can do a complete bucket and mit wash just as fast and the result is a cleaner car. But I got QW for doing inside the doors and lids, so that is what it will get used for.



After a wash down with QW, I applied a quick layer of Carnauba Gloss. This went on top of my last full "detail" that consisted of Wash, UC, Megs Cleaner wax, and Lsp with NXT 2.0 Liquid. This was done 2 weeks ago. Thought I would just play around with the Carnauba Gloss for kicks to see what would happen.



End results for me are mixed. I thought I buffed it fairly well, but looking at it at night under parking lot lighting revealed a lot of Carnauba Haze. Guess this stuff takes more buffing than I realized. I hope to do a full top-to-bottom "detail" starting with a wash and IPA wipe, then OPII and full JW Acrylics in a week or so. Then (as Scottwax suggested) I will wait a week, wash agian and try 2 coats of Carnauba Jett and see how much different it looks.
 
BTW, excellent Customer Service from the Werstat team. When I received my order early last week it was short one bottle of CG. I sent JW an email and within the hour got a response back noting they would ship another out. Well they must have 2 dayed it or something. It was here by Thursday.



Great CS at JW !!!
 
MRM1 said:
Thought I would just play around with the Carnauba Gloss for kicks to see what would happen.



End results for me are mixed. I thought I buffed it fairly well, but looking at it at night under parking lot lighting revealed a lot of Carnauba Haze. Guess this stuff takes more buffing than I realized.
Click to expand...



I've seen the same thing. I've found that Werkstat products in general are pretty concentrated and it's usually best to put a single spray on the MF towel, then buff, flip, buff. That's how I do AJT also.
 
Yeah wfedwar, I think I am moving in your application direction with the JW products. It just seems that if I use the "one spray to MF towel" method, it is hard to tell if I am actually putting any product on at all. There is hardley a haze when I did that. Is that Typical?
 
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS COACHED ME ALONG SO FAR IN THIS THREAD :thx



Ok, Sorry no pics as of yet. My grandson lost my camera. Got a new camera last week and got out this AM and cleaned up both cars.



This Car is my third attempt at anything that could be called a "detail".



1st Car is a 2005 Silver Hyundai Sonata. I am presently working on some scratches touch-up paint, but got the car polished, AIO'd and Sealed 8 days ago. Today I washed and hit it with the JW detail Spray. Here is the Product List.



8 Days ago:

- Washed with Turtle Wax wash

- Clayed with Megs Clay and Detail Spray

- OP II with an Orange LC (I modified a BnD 6" 4500 rpm DA Buffer to take hook n loop LC pads)

- JW Acrylic Prime with LC white

- 2 coats of AJT with Microfiber

- Black dressed with FK 108

- Tires with Megs Hot Shine

- Plexus on all Lenses



Today

- Wash with same

- 2 coats JW Acrylic Gloss



As many have noted, The JW Products on Siliver look really nice. Very wet, High gloss, Hi reflection



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Next is the 2006 Merlot Nissan Murano. I have not yet had the chance to JW it from the bottom up, but I have about 3 coats of Carnauba Jett on it at present. I did not strip it and start with prime because I had just did a complete work up on it about 4 weeks ago, so I am waiting to do a full JW on it probably the first of Nov.



But here is the look with CJ as an LSP. I like it pretty well.



What was done before the CJ:

4 weeks ago

- Clay

- Megs UC

- Megs Cleaner Wax Polish

- NXT 2.0 Liquid



Last Week:

- Washed and LSP with 3 coats of CJ

- Wheels cleaned and Waxed with NXT

- Black Dressed with FK 108

- Tires Dressed with Optimum Tire Shine



Today:

- Washed and Dryed



You can see from the sun close up that I still need to do a bit more for the Halos. But I did this car before I had a OP II on hand so I jumped right from UC to Megs Cleaner wax. I think it will be better when I can do it again.



As to the JC. I like it very much on this dark red SUV. It looks slick and Glossy, but has a warm glow to it. Had no problem with application and haze. Just used 2 MF towels. On to apply the CJ and the other to take it off.



This Pick came out a little Blue (warm color not very apparent)

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Here you can see, the Optimum Tire Shine from last week did not last the week.

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Still a "Blue" pic, but a slick view :D

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True to life color and shine

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Still got some work to do, but hey ... all I have is a modified BnD buffer so far :)

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