Waxing Paintwork

[plainsman]

I picked up from previous posts the difference between waxing (protects) and polishing (slightly abrasive to clean). My question is has anyone any experience of using the waxing type and what product(s) would be recommended?

[BEngo]

I use Simoniz. Others use Craftmaster, though from its appearance that may be a wax polish rather than just a wax.

 

Turtle Wax, Autoglym resin are polishes.

 

The other product worth looking at is a glaze- a sort of liquid "wax". Farecla do one and Turtle Wax do one which both work well on my cars when/if ICBA- about once every five years! ISTRI did Jarrah once, some years back but it was a long job.

 

I have not tried Slick 50 or similar products.

 

N

[plainsman]

I use Simoniz. Others use Craftmaster, though from its appearance that may be a wax polish rather than just a wax.

 

Turtle Wax, Autoglym resin are polishes.

 

The other product worth looking at is a glaze- a sort of liquid "wax". Farecla do one and Turtle Wax do one which both work well on my cars when/if ICBA- about once every five years! ISTRI did Jarrah once, some years back but it was a long job.

 

I have not tried Slick 50 or similar products.

 

N

 

 

Yes I've used Craftmaster for years with good results. I have heard of Farecia - I'll look it up. Thanks for info

[Paul C]

I picked up from previous posts the difference between waxing (protects) and polishing (slightly abrasive to clean). My question is has anyone any experience of using the waxing type and what product(s) would be recommended?

 

As I understand it polishing and waxing aren't mutually exclusive variations of paint care, but two steps in a typical process, eg:

 

1. Wash thoroughly

2. Polish

3. Wax

 

By polishing before waxing, you are enhancing the appearance of the paintwork by removing small specs of dirt/other which can become engrained or attached to the paintwork layer, including the top layer of paint which may become dull due to oxidation (think, reds typically which are very weak and easily fade). Polishing evens out the finished appearance of the paint and restores its natural shine but doesn't in itself protect it. Waxing applies a thin layer of some kind of transparent material which protects via providing a surface which is more resistant to degradation and is easier to keep clean.

 

Turtle Wax is a brand name - they do a wide number of cleaning products, including polishes and waxes

Autoglym resin - its full name is Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Autoglym do a variety of waxes too.

Farecla is a brand name which does a wide variety of products, most notably they sell polishes which are more coarse than typically available from Autoglym etc, for example Farecla G3 (which has now developed into a range of products, including a wax, confusingly!) Using a coarse polish can save a lot of time when treating badly marked paintwork. Its more for major corrective work than a quick polish, though.

 

And of course its worth mentioning T-Cut, which has also now developed into a range of products but "original T-Cut" IMHO is still the ideal 'grade' of polish for most uses.

 

It is also very useful to know what type of paint system you're boat is painted in, before getting too enthusiastic with the polish.

[WotEver]

Slight amendment to above:

 

1. Wash

2. Polish

3. Wax

4. Apply glaze

 

Obviously 4 is optional but is common on concours quality cars and really helps keep to the dirt from sticking.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I use autoglym, with an eight stage process

 

• wash with loads of water
• shampoo (the only shampoo on the boat)
• rinse
• dry with chamois
• apply polish
• wipe off surplus
• apply spray wax
• wipe off surplus

 

I do the full works about once a year. The before and after are shown in this photo ...

 

Edited August 21, 2016 by Scholar Gypsy

[ditchcrawler]

I just go boating

[Paul C]

I just go boating

 

Great. This thread isn't for you then. But for some, they wish to protect their paintwork (which protects the underlying metalwork) and lengthen its useful lifespan; and also care about appearance.

[WotEver]

 

• dry with chamois

Do yourself a favour. Dump the chamois and invest in a heavy duty drying microfibre cloth such as this: http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/mobile/Product.aspx?id=361

 

Tony

 

And if you finished off with a glaze, such as Autoglym's Extra Gloss Protection then it'd last even longer.

 

Edited for tryping

Edited August 21, 2016 by WotEver

[peterboat]

Wax polish the boat 4 times a year it helps protect it and its nice to have a shiny boat some times

[cuthound]

As I understand it polishing and waxing aren't mutually exclusive variations of paint care, but two steps in a typical process, eg:

 

1. Wash thoroughly

2. Polish

3. Wax

 

By polishing before waxing, you are enhancing the appearance of the paintwork by removing small specs of dirt/other which can become engrained or attached to the paintwork layer, including the top layer of paint which may become dull due to oxidation (think, reds typically which are very weak and easily fade). Polishing evens out the finished appearance of the paint and restores its natural shine but doesn't in itself protect it. Waxing applies a thin layer of some kind of transparent material which protects via providing a surface which is more resistant to degradation and is easier to keep clean.

 

Turtle Wax is a brand name - they do a wide number of cleaning products, including polishes and waxes

Autoglym resin - its full name is Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Autoglym do a variety of waxes too.

Farecla is a brand name which does a wide variety of products, most notably they sell polishes which are more coarse than typically available from Autoglym etc, for example Farecla G3 (which has now developed into a range of products, including a wax, confusingly!) Using a coarse polish can save a lot of time when treating badly marked paintwork. Its more for major corrective work than a quick polish, though.

 

And of course its worth mentioning T-Cut, which has also now developed into a range of products but "original T-Cut" IMHO is still the ideal 'grade' of polish for most uses.

 

It is also very useful to know what type of paint system you're boat is painted in, before getting too enthusiastic with the polish.

A couple of years ago I used T-Cut on the boat. My original bottle worked fine, but when it ran out the replacement caused the paint to form hard round globules, so I stopped using it. They must have changed the formula.

 

This year I used Farecla G3, on the advice of Dave Moore. A far superior product IMHO.

[PeterDHS]

I have always avoided waxes etc in the belief (probably wrongly) that they would be a pain to remove prior to re-painting or touching-up. I'm not talking about a 'strip back to bare metal repaint here, just a tidy up and stop the rust job.

With apologies for the slight hijack of the subject, what are the issues around removing waxes and glazes ?

[cuthound]

I have always avoided waxes etc in the belief (probably wrongly) that they would be a pain to remove prior to re-painting or touching-up. I'm not talking about a 'strip back to bare metal repaint here, just a tidy up and stop the rust job.

With apologies for the slight hijack of the subject, what are the issues around removing waxes and glazes ?

None, just wipe over the area to be repainted with a panel wipe, or possibly a cloth soaked in white spirit.

[nicknorman]

On the subject of chamois / drying, I use one of those karcher window vacs. Really quick and removes 99.9% of the water, no streaks if you use it properly. It's also really good for the windows too!

[cuthound]

On the subject of chamois / drying, I use one of those karcher window vacs. Really quick and removes 99.9% of the water, no streaks if you use it properly. It's also really good for the windows too!

I have one of those, but use a microfiber towel for the boat's paintwork.

 

I'll give the window vac a try!

 

Edited for autokorrect induced gobbledygook.

Edited August 22, 2016 by cuthound

[WotEver]

None, just wipe over the area to be repainted with a panel wipe, or possibly a cloth soaked in white spirit.

Fine for 'real' wax but if you've used anything with silicon in it (like Mer) you have to be really REALLY thorough with the wiping. Silicon is the spawn of the devil and can destroy a pant finish.

 

Tony

On the subject of chamois / drying, I use one of those karcher window vacs. Really quick and removes 99.9% of the water, no streaks if you use it properly. It's also really good for the windows too!

Unlike a quality microfibre towel that vac (or a 'blade' - same difference) will put long microscopic scratches into the paintwork.

 

Tony

[mrsmelly]

I just go boating

 

Me too. Life is mooocho too short to ever polish a boat or anything else for that matter. I find with our fab uk wevver that the rain washes the muck off on a fairly regular basis. Sadly I have even seen people polishing boats when the pubs are open or their is chance to use the time for a barbecue or other such leisure activity. Quite sad realy.

 

Tim

[mark99]

On the subject of chamois / drying, I use one of those karcher window vacs. Really quick and removes 99.9% of the water, no streaks if you use it properly. It's also really good for the windows too!

 

Good idea.

[mark99]

If your paints really knackered like some reds and purples, use Farc. G3, panel wipe and craftmaster clear anti UV varnish. You don't have to wax thereafter as it's varnished needs just a occaisional washdown. ....... however you are comitted to keeping the varnish recoated but, with a roller and brush it's a quick job.

 

Link to thread here:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=84114&hl=

 

I don't get the "I just go boating" comments as the is loads of spare time when boating like just before Bfast or after cruising where with a little bit of effort and a little bit of time you can have your boat washed down and looking great. I think it's just a way of justifying laziness or having a cruddy bote.

 

If there is so little time when boating, stop logging in and wasting bandwidth typing posts that have 'owt to do with subject.

Edited August 23, 2016 by mark99

[WotEver]

 

Me too. Life is mooocho too short to ever polish a boat or anything else for that matter. I find with our fab uk wevver that the rain washes the muck off on a fairly regular basis. Sadly I have even seen people polishing boats when the pubs are open or their is chance to use the time for a barbecue or other such leisure activity. Quite sad realy.

 

Tim

Not sad, just different. I grew out of spending my life in pubs.

[mark99]

And whilst I'm at it...... what about working boatmen? Doing very long days but still found time to clean their boats. I do wonder when taking pride in your boat fell out of fashion for some.

Edited August 23, 2016 by mark99

[mrsmelly]

And whilst I'm at it...... what about working boatmen? Doing very long days but still found time to clean their boats. I do wonder when taking pride in your boat fell out of fashion for some.

 

It never " Fell out of fashion " for me I have never wasted my time with polish. Much the same when I c peeps washing their cars by hand there are a bunch of great guys that do a great job for six squid at our local supermarket so the day I wash my car is a long long way off

 

Tim

[Naughty Cal]

 

It never " Fell out of fashion " for me I have never wasted my time with polish. Much the same when I c peeps washing their cars by hand there are a bunch of great guys that do a great job for six squid at our local supermarket so the day I wash my car is a long long way off

 

Tim

They also provide many scratches for that £6 from the clothes that have been thrown around on the floor!

[Paul C]

 

Me too. Life is mooocho too short to ever polish a boat or anything else for that matter. I find with our fab uk wevver that the rain washes the muck off on a fairly regular basis. Sadly I have even seen people polishing boats when the pubs are open or their is chance to use the time for a barbecue or other such leisure activity. Quite sad realy.

 

Tim

 

There's plenty of things which can get onto paintwork which WON'T be removed by rainwater, for example bird droppings and tree sap. Both are quite agressive on paintwork, the longer they are left the more difficult they are to remove by washing so will either leave a stain, or need polishing to remove. If paintwork is regularly cleaned then it only needs very occasional polishing which isn't an issue, but neglected paintwork needs more agressive polishing to restore to a reasonable finish (or more expensive corrective work). And a poor quality/neglected finish says to me "I don't care about the boat". Quite sad really.

[mrsmelly]

They also provide many scratches for that £6 from the clothes that have been thrown around on the floor!

 

Who cares, thats why I always buy bangers with plent scratches on anyway

 

Tim