Nicely detailed PCars...
 

damn, those are very clean, i wish mine would look like that :(

Notice the camera angles and lighting favor the AFTER pics?

That kind of stuff irks me...

Foot deep shine
 

What do you guys believe is the best polish/wax and method of getting the deepest shine? What would be the step-by-step process for getting a 1 foot deep shine?

those 'pool of water' shines are usually achieved through layering of pure carnaubas. But its useless unless you spend a lengthy amount of time removing all the swirls with something like Menzerna Intensive Polish or Optimum Compound with the use an orbital polisher. Clay bar the paint. Once the surface is blemish free (you can use inexpensive flood lamps to check) use a good polish like Zaino, Werkstatt Prime or Klasse All in One to cleanse the paint of any other deposits. You can then seal (I'm starting to wonder if this step is really necessary in a layering project or a car that is frequently detailed) and begin your layering. Pinnacle Souveran is among the more popular carnauabs for layering but its about $70 a jar. On a dark car you'll get a similar effect with Poorboys Natty's Blue for less than half. S100 is also great at low cost and you can get it at any motorcycle shop. Allow each layer of carnauba to cure a few hours and maybe seal each Carnauab layer with something like FK1 FX100 which is one of the few products out there that does this well. You have to allow each layer to harden otherwise you will end up removing the previous layer.

I once did 30 coats over the course of a month but instead of using Carnauba I layered with an acrylic sealant. Instead of pool of water deep I got more of candy apple appearance.

boxsterz wrote:
> Notice the camera angles and lighting favor the AFTER pics?

Yea, that's also what struck me.

-- peer

I don't know how that could be.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4...strrearmar.jpg

vs.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4...strreadlid.jpg

The sun is reflecting off the car directly into the lens. How is one any different than the other? The scratches in the first should be visible in the second assuming the cars are the same.

berj,

Perhaps you're overthinking it. It works the same way as a piece of glass catching a glint of sun sparkles, yet viewed from a VERY slightly different angle, you don't see it. Same thing.

The before photo is more dead on, the after photos are sited at a steeper angle.

^ true.... but its still too much exposure in pic #2 to mask the swirls. If they wer still there you would see them, this happens at night under street lamps as well.
Black in particular is just plain awful at escaping the camera unless it overcast or its dusk.




http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f42/uZa/GT3Int-1.jpg

^ man how nice is that? :cheers:

I like that carbon fiber console and silver shifter boot trim! The stiching ain't bad either.

No, I don't buy it. I had a black car which I painted myself (talk about body work hell), and it was like black glass. The slightest angle makes all the difference, which begs the question why this detailer feels the need to use the most favorable shots if his work is so good. Why not have objective same position, same exposure shots? Notice also the interior shots are brighter, so it looks cleaner. Common photo trickery...

Clean cars
 

I love a clean car. I believe some of it is how the picture is taken though. I was at a car detailer yesterday and I noticed he had the customers inspect the cars in a florescent light area. Out in the natural day light some of the deep color looked washed away.

That is the exact reason why you want a good set of halogen lights for detailing. There is no way to truly see what the defects in the paint are, even in bright sunlight. I have a 1000w set, they are hot but show every flaw.

I had a light colored suv and thought my paint was in great shape until I saw it under the halogens. That convinced me I needed to invest in the Porter Cable!