Which wax? (long)

[Daniel Wood <dwood@efn.org>]

Re:  The "Which wax" thread...

Well, I fell for it...bought *2* cases of the Blue Coral "Touchless" 
acrylic coating advertised on TV.

Tried it on the van hood [only] this week and learned a few things (like 
"Geez...We gotta get this guy an Audi").  Perhaps you can benefit from my 
experience:

The van's an '81 Ford with white and metallic brown paint that was pretty 
badly weathered.  It's an E-150, so it's just too big a project to go at it 
regularly with "real" wax.  Ergo, the "Touchless."

The bottles are pretty small at 8 oz (supposedly enough to do one entire 
car in only 20 minutes; I figured vans'd take two...at least), and the 
liquid is *really* liquid.

Despite the directions, I found it's a mistake to *pour* it on flat 
surfaces and spread it out with the included sponge.  It either runs when 
you push into a puddle or thins out till you get a "rainbow" effect when 
it dries.  Far better to pour a small amount across the width of the 
sponge and stroke it on lengthwise from there, overlapping about 1/3 
stroke each time. When it starts to thin out, either squeeze out a little 
more from the sponge or pour more on the sponge.  The sponge should 
squeak a bit, but don't press too hard or it'll thin-out too much.

It doesn't pay to do segments of a panel, even at "bend" lines; you'll 
either see the "breaks" or get runs.  Rather, start at the rear and stroke 
rearward, then "pull" forward the length of the panel to get the best leveling 
and most even coverage.  Peer at the panel from several angles and 
re-cover thin spots ASAP.  Fluorescent lighting really helps you spot 
uneven coverage.

I'd also suggest prepping the panels to be coated like you might for 
paint.  Remove any chrome trim or lettering and reinstall it when the 
stuff dries.  I don't have a clue how you'd ever keep the liquid from 
piling-up and running around protrusions otherwise.  I'd suggest a wet 
terry towel and Palmolive Dishwashing soap for Sensitive Hands (the clear 
liquid) as an initial prep, since its low in phosphates and removes an 
amazing amount of oxidation while minimizing streaking.  Plus, it rinses 
clean.

Also, the directions warn against using "Touchless" on fiberglass.  I dunno 
about vinyl trim-tape, but I think I'll avoid it.

After the panel is thoroughly dry (did I mention I'd do only one panel at 
a time?), go over it with a non-oily tack rag and try to do the coating 
indoors (i.e. a garage).  Otherwise, an unbelievable amount of stuff gets 
stuck to the coating before it dries (takes about 30 minutes to an hour 
to dry-to-touch, depending on humidity).  After all, you don't want to 
immortalize kitty fur and pollen in the automotive equivalent of amber. I 
removed the hood and took it indoors (Man! That stuff smells, so be sure 
you have good venner...vennil...er, ventilation).

If, despite all this, things go haywire, use some mineral spirits/stoddard's 
solvent on a clean terry cloth and wipe in circular motions until you see 
the surface start to "craze" (it'll look like varnish after paint remover 
hits it).  Immediately level the surface by wiping lengthwise in 
overlapping strokes with the special sponge that comes with the kit (and 
clean it with more mineral spirits, pressing dry on paper towels...otherwise 
the sponge'll tear).  The paint surface will look pretty bad after the 
mineral spirits, resembling the "fisheyes" that come from painting over 
oil-contaminated surfaces.  If you're ready to give up at this point, a 
regular cleaner wax will pretty well restore things to where they were.  
If you decide to forge on, hit the panel with another dose of the 
detergent, rinse thoroughly, and wait until it's all dry before starting 
the coating process again.

That said, the results turned-out amazingly well, and may be just the 
ticket for others who want to do something to help the appearance of 
aged, chalked paint.  The final appearance looks like a fresh clearcoat 
and beads water beautifully.  Heck, it even shines and has a deep, rich 
color again (for those who want a preview on their own paint, moisten a 
fingertip with spit and rub it into the paint.  See how it looks while it's 
wet?  That's pretty much how it'll look if you coat it with "Touchless," 
only the acrylic will be glossier).  I was just out looking at it in the 
sunshine, and I don't see any swirl marks or rainbows, so I s'pose I'll try 
another panel and another....  It doesn't hide any outright paint flaws, 
though.  One place where a bird dropping had been for some time is still 
a little discolored, but better than before.

I don't know what'll happen if it gets a good, hard stone hit.  'Spose 
it'll "craze" and "crackle" away from the impact site?  Recoating is 
possible, and old branch and cat-crampon scratches disappeared, so that's 
good.  I don't see any reason why one *couldn't* hit it with a clear-coat 
approved polish or carnauba wax after its fully cured (still feels a 
little "green" to me, so I'll wait a few months before trying the wax).

I agree with the other listmembers' postings:  Use wax or conventional 
polishes regularly to keep paint in good shape.  But, if you've got a 
beater with a lot of bad paint, this stuff may be worth a try.  I'll keep 
you advised as to how it's holding up (it may eventually yellow like old 
floor wax on the white-painted panels after a Summer's sun hits it).

Anybody else tried this stuff?  Lemme know how it worked before I go mad 
and coat the rest of the truck.

BTW:  On the bra issue, those little deflectors weren't designed for that 
purpose per se, though that's a nice side effect.  Their primary purpose 
is to keep the rear edge of the bra from flapping at speed.

Good motoring to all,

Dan.