Hello all you detailing experts! I have a question that has no doubt been asked a million times, but what is the secret to getting a deep, wet gloss on a car, both for dark and light colors? What products and techniques work the best? I have done a bit of research, and the first combination I saw was Vanilla Moose topped with s100. Any thoughts?
What is the secret to getting a deep, wet look?
- Thread starter Spike73
- Start date
imported_agentf11
New member
Proper prep work.
I prefer Menzerna or 3m polishes and Zaino LSP but the real secret is in the proper prep work more so that any specific product. I also find that a good machine like the Flex 3401 or a good rotary also helps a lot.
I prefer Menzerna or 3m polishes and Zaino LSP but the real secret is in the proper prep work more so that any specific product. I also find that a good machine like the Flex 3401 or a good rotary also helps a lot.
Cleaning Fool
New member
Polish til your hands bleed. The secret is ball busting, work your tail off.
imported_Jakerooni
New member
Getting the surface as leveled out as possible. No scratches marring or contaminates. And then top it off with some amazing refelctive products. (lots of quality products to choose from just pick which you like best) But no matter how good the product unless the surface it properly prepped it will never look as good as it should.
good prep work.. with a quality finnishing polish (i like ultrafina and 205) ... after that you'll start to get different opinions... i personally think a super reflective (non plasticy sealant as a base... such as poorboys EX-P, or surf city nano seal. follow that with a good carnuba like s100 and you have a wet car. to take it a step further you could use a glaze... again you will get a different opinion from everyone you ask for a product combo for a certian look.
Dan
Well-known member
I agree with the above, its lots of prep work and polishing. Some LSPs do help. Last but not least a good paint job.
Thanks for all the advice. In your opinion, can you get any kind of quality job done on a car by hand, or does it have to be by machine? No doubt you've all seen the amazing pics by Scottwax here in the Autoipa gallery of the suburban and the p21s reflection he has. I am in awe of his work, and I have never seen a beautiful finish like that EVER. How does he do it?
And what is LSP?
And what is LSP?
JimmyCutlass
New member
My method: M105 on wool with Harbor Freight rotary, M105 on a W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 polishing pad on G110 DA, M205 on a W9207 Soft Buff 2.0 finishing pad. Top with Pinnacle Souveran.
Before:
After:
Edit: that picture does not have Souveran on it, it has M16. I have since applied Souveran on it and it did enhance the wetness a bit but not as much as one might think.
Before:
After:
Edit: that picture does not have Souveran on it, it has M16. I have since applied Souveran on it and it did enhance the wetness a bit but not as much as one might think.
JimmyCutlass
New member
Spike73 said:
Yeah, a machine is really necessary for maximum "wetness" and "depth". Grab a Porter Cable or the new G110v2 that is coming out next month and take advantage of all the Christmas sales.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Spike73- This stuff *can* be done by hand...people have been polishing all sorts of materials to perfection for centuries. But, yeah, for practical purposes you *will* need a machine to do it IRL.
Oh, and don't base *anything* on what you see on internet pics. Not Autopian C&Bs, not any others. Certainly don't base your expectations of what you can accomplish on such stuff. Even if the pics *are* 100% accurate representations- that's somebody else, working on a different vehicle, under different conditions.
[ Insert Accumulator's usual "Perils of Autopia" caveats here... ]
Oh, and don't base *anything* on what you see on internet pics. Not Autopian C&Bs, not any others. Certainly don't base your expectations of what you can accomplish on such stuff. Even if the pics *are* 100% accurate representations- that's somebody else, working on a different vehicle, under different conditions.
[ Insert Accumulator's usual "Perils of Autopia" caveats here... ]
That's so right, Accumulator. I just love those pics, though! I am falling deep into the trap of wanting to buy a ton of products and wanting to try a million different things. I'm going to narrow my desires down to 2 products that I want to try as an LSP: s100, or Collinite 845. It's starting to get out of hand! I've been bitten by the "detailing" bug!
:help:
:help:
Atlantic Euro
New member
Spike73 said:
I agree with all the comments above - you have to have a solid process, be very meticulous about preparing the surface and have the right tools. A Porter Cable is a great start since it is very effective and has a lot of safety buffer.
I'm a big fan of the jeweling step with a good glaze. Some glazes are just using a filler, but my GlossHaus glaze is essentially an ultra-fine polish applied with a light cut white polishing pad. It really sets up the paint for wax.
Also, I think layering polymer and carnuba waxes helps a lot also. A couple layers of each does a lot to show off all the preparation work.
Where in NC are you?
Accumulator
Well-known member
Spike73 said:
Between those two, I'd absolutely go with the 845.