Y/A How to make Silver "POP"

LeMarque

LeMarque

New member
Well, I'll use this post to kind of introduce myself while asking the first of (probably) many questions.



I've lurked this forum for some time now and there was a response to a thread where-in the poster added something to the effect of 'I thought we were ARTISTS on this forum'.



That comment struck a deep chord with me.



I'm coming out of semi-retirement (hint at my age) having spent two decades running auto repair shops and more recently some IT stuff.



Anyway, I regret ever having left the the auto business (the smell, sites, sounds) and have come to the decision to open a small detail shop. My hope is to gain a reputation so that eventually my clientele will be exotics, garage queens and those folks who appreciate the time and attention, as well as my dedication to provide the very best.



I've committed to one training session so far (sometime in Nov/Dec) and may seek additional specialized training in the near future. I realize that initially I'll have to offer 'express detail' services, but my aspiration is paint correction/concours end results.



Now I realize, and have some experience, in the fact that a good eye, paint prep and the like, is a perquisite to achieving jewel like results.



All that said, I'm still very much a n00b and so my first question has to do with what appears to be the most popular color of the daily drivers in my neck of the woods - Silver, Silver/Grey.



I have lurked the popular detailing forums for hours and hours on end and searched and tried to decipher why one 2 step or 3 step process yields better or worse results. My uneducated conclusion is that when you have top dedicated chemists developing pads and chemicals, the end result, as far as what one individual 'artist' uses to achieve a Jewell finish, is a process of trial and error in their experimenting with combinations of the materials they choose to experiment with, and then staying with and refining their technique.



The proceeding pseudo-philosophy of mine pre-supposes universal raves (or rants) from those in the know.



And I also like this recent post... 'Make no mistake about it- most of the problem is not necessarily the liquids or paste products we are using right now, but rather our procedures while using the products (pad type and size, backing plate rotation, machine OPM setting, applied pressure, amount of product used during polishing, and pad cleanliness.)...It means that most of us have room to grow in terms of how to extract maximum performance from what's already available.'



OK. OK



I got a cookbook from my 16 year old daughter for my birthday - no really! 'Cause I do a good share of the cooking. But sheesh. Every recipe had a gazillion ingredients; each had to be prepared in a certain manner then allowed to rest while some other ingredients were ... well, you get my drift. And I've read threads about mixing products and certain sealants that need to cure, two coats of different LSP, etc., etc.! I've read Colinite, DuraGloss, Megs M26



<thud>



I'm currently helping the son of one of my best friends get his BMW repair shop up and running here in the Desert South West, and rather then just use what I believe to be the go to product for most detail shops, Megs D151, I'd like to detail a few of his customers cars before I head off to training and I'd appreciate any recommendations for a process to make Silver/SilverGrey POP.



I know I probably could've just posted that last sentence and I'm never this long winded, but now you know a bit about me. I don't know if that's bad or good, but Damn the Torpedoes ...
 
I've used Pinnacle Souveran on Silver and it sure did look wet, I've also user Chem. guys butter wax on silver and it looked good. Getting the pop is all about the polishing though, the LSP is just icing on the cake.
 
After proper polishing, Opti-Seal topped with Optimum Car Wax.



2008_Nissan_350Z_frontend1.jpg
 
Do a good polish, then top with BlackFire Wet Diamond and Wet Glaze 2.0. WG2.0 is the only thing I've used that make White and Dilver "pop."



Jim
 
From what I've seen, it seems like after a good prep and paint correction, anything you put on it afterwards will look the same. The only time I actually see a difference in products make a car "pop" is when the car hasn't been corrected and the "pop" is artificially creating a better look than the paint had before application.
 
Lots of choices.



Here is HD NitroSeal on my dark silver Cayman S

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And Zaino Z2 on my light silver Audi S4

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And HD Poxy on my silve-blue Carrera

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Most people never get silver truly corrected as it can be *VERY* difficult to see minor marring; I spend about as much time inspecting my silver vehicles as I do correcting them (and consider that that means when we're talking Audis :eek: ). And once you get the marring out, there's still the burnishing/jeweling step, which probably won't yield any diffs dramatic enough to be visible under most shop conditions but will make a difference in the vehicle's overall appearance.



Yeah, the LSP is merely a subtle icing on the cake, but it can make a (subjective) difference.



And of course you then have to wash it in such a way that you don't reintroduce any of that marring, including the "too fine to readily see" flaws that will mute the "pop" by refracting light.
 
I've had 3 silver cars in the family in the last few years. I really loved the look of 845 on Silver. Very reflective. It's got the added benefit of being pretty bullet proof as well. I'll be trying HD Poxy next. But as the others have said - the end result is mostly about the prep - not the LSP.
 
Like Brad, I have been very pleased with the HD Poxy and use it on my personal silver car as well. Echoing the good advice that you have already received, prep is everything. Get the surface as pure as possible and the metallic flakes in the silver will simply glow in the sun.



311946_283439181684413_283436301684701_1119576_1838104687_n.jpg


311302_283439215017743_283436301684701_1119577_1634576784_n.jpg
 
[quote name='Brad B.']Lots of choices.



Here is HD NitroSeal on my dark silver Cayman S





And Zaino Z2 on my light silver Audi S4





And HD Poxy on my silve-blue Carrera



OK, be that way:drool:



Today a guy drove into the shop with a 5 series BMW that he uses to drive around on his 640 acre ranch instead of using his pickup. It was scratched front to back by cholla cactus and the roof line just in front of the moon roof has clear coat failure. Needs a couple of wiring harness to replace the ones the mice ate. Perfect car to practice on 'cause I really can't see how I can damage it; all things considered. I'll post some pics.
 
Accumulator said:
And of course you then have to wash it in such a way that you don't reintroduce any of that marring, including the "too fine to readily see" flaws that will mute the "pop" by refracting light.
Click to expand...



You mean I also have to wash it!
 
Well, see. I've spent hours searching on the products mentioned. 3D has me reaching for my wallet. The Nitro Seal fits the demographics of the Sun and snow (and fires) we get here in NM.



Now to post in the thread about the new Optimum MF pads and chems. Haven't seen this much excitement since Apple's new iPhone.
 
Silver is a very ungrateful color. We can try very hard, but oh it surely is a b!tch to make stand out. If the finish is dull, the results are noticeable. If the finish is decent, takes some effort to achieve the "wow" effect. What is undeniable, however, is that a decent polish followed up by a decent LSP will look better than the best LSP by itself, but we already knew it.



I just did a car for a friend who is selling it. I spent only 5 hours on the paint, but I was very pleased on the results:



1) Conventional wash, Zymol blue car wash

2) Clay bar, mothers clay with 3D final touch 1:1 as lube

3) Polish, Turtle wax premium rubbing compound via rotary on a green polish pad at 1800 rpm. I chose the TWPRC over HD UNO as the turtle works faster, doesn't give up too much to UNO on shine, and on silver/white the turtle finishes LSP ready. Not shooting for defect-free, just 80-85% of swirls gone and gloss enhancing, as I was against the clock.

4) Dilema: Mothers FX synway or Collinite 845IW? The 845 is better overall, but FX is shinnier. I picked FX for maximum visual impression.



I know everyone who saw the car was impressed. The owner, however, was not as impressed as I had hoped. Yeah, she said it was shiny and looked very nice, but it didn't cause the same visual impact on her as, get this, just a wash with HD FREE! The wash with HD FREE after a tunnel-o-swirls wash was a leap in looks, and those who have used it know that is leaves a QD-like finish in shine, gloss and slickness. The leap from HD FREE from tunnel was more impacting to her than a 3 steps correction after HD free. Well, at least I took good pictures, but those untrained eyes ;)









Click on the picture to make it bigger :)
 
AlexRuiz said:
Silver is a very ungrateful color. We can try very hard, but oh it surely is a b!tch to make stand out. If the finish is dull, the results are noticeable. If the finish is decent, takes some effort to achieve the "wow" effect. What is undeniable, however, is that a decent polish followed up by a decent LSP will look better than the best LSP by itself, but we already knew it.



I just did a car for a friend who is selling it. I spent only 5 hours on the paint, but I was very pleased on the results:



1) Conventional wash, Zymol blue car wash

2) Clay bar, mothers clay with 3D final touch 1:1 as lube

3) Polish, Turtle wax premium rubbing compound via rotary on a green polish pad at 1800 rpm. I chose the TWPRC over HD UNO as the turtle works faster, doesn't give up too much to UNO on shine, and on silver/white the turtle finishes LSP ready. Not shooting for defect-free, just 80-85% of swirls gone and gloss enhancing, as I was against the clock.

4) Dilema: Mothers FX synway or Collinite 845IW? The 845 is better overall, but FX is shinnier. I picked FX for maximum visual impression.



I know everyone who saw the car was impressed. The owner, however, was not as impressed as I had hoped. Yeah, she said it was shiny and looked very nice, but it didn't cause the same visual impact on her as, get this, just a wash with HD FREE! The wash with HD FREE after a tunnel-o-swirls wash was a leap in looks, and those who have used it know that is leaves a QD-like finish in shine, gloss and slickness. The leap from HD FREE from tunnel was more impacting to her than a 3 steps correction after HD free. Well, at least I took good pictures, but those untrained eyes ;)









Click on the picture to make it bigger :)
Click to expand...



Well it seems everyone has settled on their own experience/technique/products. Would have been interesting to see before pics as well. Perhaps the overcast weather dulled the wow affect?



I don't follow "The leap from HD FREE from tunnel..." How does she know? Did she do this?
 
I know its been a while and I was going to post some pics, but for some reason the site won't accept a link to ph0tobucket; oh well...
 
LeMarque said:
Well it seems everyone has settled on their own experience/technique/products. Would have been interesting to see before pics as well. Perhaps the overcast weather dulled the wow affect?



I don't follow "The leap from HD FREE from tunnel..." How does she know? Did she do this?
Click to expand...



I did the HD FREE right before her eyes. She had already taken the car to the tunnel of swirls. The paint was decently glossy. I have a before picture, and as "before" I mean after re-washing with HD Free. I don't have a true "before" meaning prior to the HD free, but HD Free did a fantastic job on making it look way nicer than tunnel wash. It took me 10 minutes, but she noticed immediately how much nicer after HD free the car looked.



Let me post different angles of the car to show the "pop". That is part of the problem with silver, that you need the right angle to see the effect ;)





Alex
 
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