Paste Wax Application

J

JohnC

New member
How do you apply paste wax with a PC?

In the Autopia guide to detailing, they recommend popping the wax out of the can and rubbing it into the pad (while holding it in your hand).

I think that could be dangerous, because you risk dropping the wax on the ground.

I've never used a PC before, always applied by hand.

Thoughts?
:)
 
JaredPointer said:
You could scoop some out with a butterknife and smear it on the pad.
Click to expand...

That's what I do, just make sure that the knife is clean. A little goes a long way with the PC.
 
JohnC said:
In the Autopia guide to detailing, they recommend popping the wax out of the can and rubbing it into the pad (while holding it in your hand).

I think that could be dangerous, because you risk dropping the wax on the ground.
Click to expand...

I highly recommend that you DON'T do that with a $60 jar of Souveran! :D

To be honest, I've yet to see much of advantage applying carnauba paste waxes with a PC........... epecially considering the extra trouble to make it happen. Now, there is something to be said for removing carnauba wax or sealants with an MF, or DFT bonnet and a PC! :bigups
 
With small opening jars of wax like P21s, Natty's etc. you're going to have to use a putty knife or something similar. With the bigger cans, such as Mother's, you can use the 4" pads (if you got 'em, of course). They fit right in there. A quick swipe and you're set.
I also think that applying beauty (non-cleaner) waxes by hand is enjoyable, not much extra work, and you tend to notice imperfections more than if you did everything by machine.
 
Re: Re: Paste Wax Application

Boss_429 said:
I highly recommend that you DON'T do that with a $60 jar of Souveran! :D

To be honest, I've yet to see much of advantage applying carnauba paste waxes with a PC........... epecially considering the extra trouble to make it happen. Now, there is something to be said for removing carnauba wax or sealants with an MF, or DFT bonnet and a PC! :bigups
Click to expand...

Boss, I like to apply #16 via PC because it gives an incredibly thin layer. As you know, with #16 a layer that is too thick can be a real bear to remove. I also find that I use less, on my car I can load the pad twice (very lightly) with a butter knife and complete application.

IMO waxes like TS or S100 are better apllied by hand.

I guess the end result is the same either way! :)
 
Maybe instead of using a paste wax, you might want to try a liquid wax. :dunno I had a can of Meg's #26 paste wax and that got used up, so I switched to Meg's #26 liquid wax just so I could apply with PC. In the end I will go back to paste wax once the liquid is gone. I know when I apply it by hand I have more control and I am sure that I get every area covered.
 
What I found that works ok for me is to warm up the can of wax in a sink of hot water. Just let it sit in there for about a min. Use you finger or a clean piece of plastic (knife, fork) and just insert into the wax. See if you can get the wax to spin in the container. If it spins, you should be able to pop it out some or out completely. If you decide to take out the wax totally, be sure to wear a glove to catch it with. Also a good idea to do this over a clean surface like a table with acloth on it. That way, if you do drop the wax, it will not be ruinied by dirt.

I know it sounds a little time cnsuming, but it does work, and allows you to apply the wax evenly on the pad.
 
Ever since I tried to do that same way instructed on Autopia, I then pop'd the whole jar of paste wax and kept that chunk of wax in a ziplock sandwich bag. I really thought I could grab that wax with the ziplock bag and rub it on the pad whenever I need to use it......
I ended melting the chunk of paste wax in the sandwich bag when I played around with it too much... So, what da heck, I did the same with the rest of TS wax and mixed it with the paste wax in the same bag. :P
I know, I know.... It was a spur of moment.
Now I'm using a plastic butterknife I got from Chicken Out and scooping out whatever I need onto the pad. And the jar of TS+PS mix works just like how it used to....
 
Butter knife idea sounds good, I'll give it a try.

Boss_429 said:
To be honest, I've yet to see much of advantage applying carnauba paste waxes with a PC........... epecially considering the extra trouble to make it happen. Now, there is something to be said for removing carnauba wax or sealants with an MF, or DFT bonnet and a PC! :bigups
Click to expand...
What about if you're in a detailing business? Is the speed difference worth it?
Also, I think applying by PC will save a lot of elbow grease (that's why I'm switching)
 
Here's what I did to my Souveran:

1. Hold the plastic can upside down and rap the can sharply. The Souveran came right out.
2. Place the wax in the lid of the can.
3. using the lid as a wax holder, swipe across the finishing pad a couple of times. Souveran *really* spreads far with a pad.
4. When finished, use the lid as the base and screw the can back on to the lid.

Store the Souveran upside down, so the next time you use it, simply unscrew the lid and the wax is ready to use.

Hope that helps
 
My preference is to apply topper waxes by PC after allowing sufficient cure time for the previous layer(s) of waxes. I can make my wax last much longer using the PC as I can achieve much thinner layers using the PC. It doesn't save a great deal of time but until I can get the hang of applying thinner layers by hand, I prefer the PC. The main difference I have noticed applying with PC vs. hand is the amount of difficulty required to remove the wax as the wax applied by hand is always a much thicker layer. The end results are generally equal. Just my two cents.
 
Big Leegr said:
If speed is most important, why not go to a liquid wax? Are you forced to use a paste?
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No, but I was under the impression that paste wax produces a better result than liquid.

I could be wrong though.
 
JohnC: I've used both paste Souveran and Liquid Souveran with a pc. In all fairness, they both do an excellent job with the pc (the liquid obviously being easier to apply to the finish pad). "In My Obversation"...subjective of course, I like the paste results just a tad better.

For my customer's cars, I typically use a liquid product for ease of application and speed (time=money).
 
it would be cool if the containers were like a deoderant stick or a chapstick container with the screw at the bottom!

this way you can push the wax out just enough to appyly it to the buffing pad ....pull it back down by turning the screw the other way and wala...
 
I've had some (Wenol, for example) that come in a tube like toothpaste. I thought that was convenient!
 
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