A couple questions that never seem to be mentioned

golfdude

New member
I have been detailing cars for some time, yet I have always wandered a couple of things (I will try my best to explain what I am trying to say):



Why do we have to use polish and waxes the way we do (in terms of having to apply a product, then removing the product off with a towel, and then buffing the remaining residue)?



How does wax work (we know it improves the shine of a paint surface, but how)?



When we buff-off wax and polish, what ingredients are we removing, and what ingredients are we leaving on the paint surface?





If anyone knows where I am trying to go with these questions, please feel free to further your explanations! Thanks
 
Hm, here's my attempt:



1. Depending on the polish, when you apply the product to the surface, you are actually applying the "carrier" of the oils or abrasives that the polish contain. If you have ever felt a polish like SSR2.5, then you can tell it has a definite grittiness, so the goopy liquid that comes with it probably serves to help evenly distribute the abrasives, and to give some lubrication in working the product into the surface. Once you have done a few passes with the polish, the abrasives may or may not have disappeared, so the residue you wipe up is the remaining carrier. The same might apply to oily polishes (think Meguiar's #7), in that the carrier simply makes it much easier for the end user to evenly spread the oils across the paint.



2. Understanding how wax works means you've gotta go back to where it all beings with "wax derived from the leaves of a plant native to northeastern Brazil, the Carnauba Palm". Compared to waxes like Paraffin or Bees, it is pretty hard stuff, which makes it practical in situations where you need something that will need to protect (carnauba wax also goes into shiny hard candies too.. imagine how they rumble around in the bag but remain shiny). Each manufacturer will design their own wax with a certain percentage of Brazilian white or yellow carnauba (I assume white is the better of the two), and add their own ingredients to make it easier to work with, last longer, smell better, etc. When you apply a wax to your car, and buff off the residue, you are basically leaving a hard film on the paint that enhances the shine underneath. Remember that prep work does a better job of adding shine than slapping on a coat of wax (in most cases..?).



3. You can probably get the answer to this from the above 2. When you buff off a polish you are probably wiping off the residual carrier, while buffing off a wax is probably removing the wax that did not bond to the paint and simply dried due to air exposure.
 
xfire said:
Why do we have to use polish and waxes the way we do (in terms of having to apply a product, then removing the product off with a towel, and then buffing the remaining residue)?

because if we didn't our customers wouldn't pay us.
 
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