Junkman Discusses Sealant/Wax Applications - Including the Hype!

[Junkman2008]

In this video, I go into a detailed discussion about sealants, the application of the sealant that I'm using and the hype associated with waxes and their claim to make your paint shine. Wax is a protectant. That is the only thing that I use wax for. I get all the shine that I'm going to get out of my paint from polishing it. In this video, I start with my paint perfectly polished and then I add the sealant. As you will see, there will be no difference with the before and after shots once I'm done. This proves my point. Polishing creates the shine in your paint and wax protects the shine you get from polishing.

Sit back and be amazed as everything you've heard about waxes gets debunked.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiIEHn-9qo8


The Junkman

 

[eucharistos]

as usual

thanks

 

[BlknBlu]

I sat thru 45 minutes of this. Where is my gift and how much does it cost.



Junkman, another great video, I learned a lot.

Bruce

 

[Junkman2008]

I sat thru 45 minutes of this. Where is my gift and how much does it cost.



Junkman, another great video, I learned a lot.

Bruce

LOL! That was a good one!

 

[Lespauldude]

Yet another Emmy-winning performance by the Saint of Paint!! Great job AJ. Of all of your video's (that I have seen), this one in particular explains the
concept of what SHINE actually is and what WAX actually does.

 

[Junkman2008]

The "Saint of Paint"! LOL! You all are in rare form this week!

 

[Jerome Sparich]

EDIT:

Why use the Z6? Wouldn't the use of it over the Sealant you are using slow the "curing process" that the sealant requires?
Does the Z6 not leave some kind of "coverage, or is it like water and just "wipes" right off? If that is the case, why not just use some water in a spray bottle?





J-man, you said to use a nickel sized amount for a 2'x2'area, correct? Then used half that amount for a 1'x1' area. Since 1'x1' is a 1/4 of the surface area of 2'x2', wouldn't you want a 1/4 amount or product, not 1/2? That is unless I am wrong, which could be as I have been up for over 30hrs straight now.

That bottle will now last you even longer.

 

[Junkman2008]

EDIT:

Why use the Z6? Wouldn't the use of it over the Sealant you are using slow the "curing process" that the sealant requires?
Does the Z6 not leave some kind of "coverage, or is it like water and just "wipes" right off? If that is the case, why not just use some water in a spray bottle?

Z6 is nothing more than a quick detailer. The instructions called for HT's quick detailer to wipe the car down with. In reality, any quick detailer will do and I like Z6. That's what I had so that's what I used. It is not going to interfere with the curing process. If you could touch my paint where I applied the sealant, you would feel a drastic difference compared to the adjacent areas.

J-man, you said to use a nickel sized amount for a 2'x2'area, correct? Then used half that amount for a 1'x1' area. Since 1'x1' is a 1/4 of the surface area of 2'x2', wouldn't you want a 1/4 amount or product, not 1/2? That is unless I am wrong, which could be as I have been up for over 30hrs straight now.

That bottle will now last you even longer.

Yea, I left the term "square" completely out of my math equation. That wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ROCKET62]

So I'm a bit confused as I was doing some research on your claim about Midnight Express being a sealant and waiting 36 hours for it to cure? From the manufacturers website, " HT-421 Midnight Express is a black carnauba wax formulated especially for dark clear coated vehichles, blended with polymers, ultra fine abrasives, and gloss intensifying additives. Not Body Shop Safe. 42104 = Quart 42101 - Gallon". They also do have true sealants on their website - HT-62 & HT-19. http://hitempinc.com/id72.html

Also - note the fact that the Midnight Express says that it does have ultra fine abrasives - so there is some polish effect - no?

My take on the sealant / wax combination seems to be similar to your thought that a sealant bonds to the clear coat (and as you point out - must be on a perfect finish for maximum shine) and then the wax is applied over the sealant. The advantage of wax as I see it is that it does fill some of the minor imperfections in the finish. And again, in my opinion, the quality and clarity of the wax, is what makes the difference. I happen to love Pinnacle wax as in my hands there was a noticeable difference between it and the other waxes out there. I tried Turbowax and to me it gave a good shine, but not great. I almost looked at the Turbowax as a sealant - as when I applied Pinnacle over it - the shine just popped!

 

[Junkman2008]

So I'm a bit confused as I was doing some research on your claim about Midnight Express being a sealant and waiting 36 hours for it to cure? From the manufacturers website, " HT-421 Midnight Express is a black carnauba wax formulated especially for dark clear coated vehichles, blended with polymers, ultra fine abrasives, and gloss intensifying additives. Not Body Shop Safe. 42104 = Quart 42101 - Gallon". They also do have true sealants on their website - HT-62 & HT-19. http://hitempinc.com/id72.html

Also - note the fact that the Midnight Express says that it does have ultra fine abrasives - so there is some polish effect - no?

My take on the sealant / wax combination seems to be similar to your thought that a sealant bonds to the clear coat (and as you point out - must be on a perfect finish for maximum shine) and then the wax is applied over the sealant. The advantage of wax as I see it is that it does fill some of the minor imperfections in the finish. And again, in my opinion, the quality and clarity of the wax, is what makes the difference. I happen to love Pinnacle wax as in my hands there was a noticeable difference between it and the other waxes out there. I tried Turbowax and to me it gave a good shine, but not great. I almost looked at the Turbowax as a sealant - as when I applied Pinnacle over it - the shine just popped!

Okay, I don't understand where you are confused with what I said. I read the label right off the bottle. I didn't say what the product does does from memory, I read it off the bottle. In the video, I stated that if your paint is not perfect, using a product like Midnight Express can make your paint look shinier by filling in the imperfection in your paint. If you diminish the scatter bomb effect of swirled up paint, the paint will look shinier. That's not how someone who knows what they are doing is going to make their paint perfect but a whole lot of people do that. I am definitely NOT one of them.

 

[ROCKET62]

I guess I was questioning whether you consider Midnight Express a sealant or a wax (or do you think it matters what you use whether it be a sealant or a wax) - assuming a good finish on the paint prior to applying?

 

[Junkman2008]

Okay, that's a question I can answer. Midnight Express is a sealant. It says so right on the bottle. However, sealants are a TYPE of wax in that they protect the paint just as a wax does, it just last longer. Sorta like the Viper and the Magnum are both Chrysler cars, but one can get you laid and the other you can get laid in.

 

[ROCKET62]

So are there sealants that are not types of wax? Do these make any sense? For example Hi-Temp lists two products on their websites (HT-62, HT-19) labeled sealants (and the Midnight Express as wax - I know you read your bottle - I just am going off their website.) Meguires has two products the 20 and 21 that are labeled sealants - the 20 being a polymer sealant, and the 21 being a synthetic sealant. Now I know that Autogeek is in the business to sell more products - and they seem to tout a wax like Pinnacle over a sealant like Klasse or Wofgang for the ultimate shine?

 

[Junkman2008]

So are there sealants that are not types of wax? Do these make any sense? For example Hi-Temp lists two products on their websites (HT-62, HT-19) labeled sealants (and the Midnight Express as wax - I know you read your bottle - I just am going off their website.) Meguires has two products the 20 and 21 that are labeled sealants - the 20 being a polymer sealant, and the 21 being a synthetic sealant. Now I know that Autogeek is in the business to sell more products - and they seem to tout a wax like Pinnacle over a sealant like Klasse or Wofgang for the ultimate shine?

You're getting too caught up in this. A sealant is a type of wax. A carnuba paste is a type of wax. Wax is used to protect your paint. Sealants last the longest, followed by carnuba paste. Everything else follows those two types. Pick the one you want and use it. You can always apply it again if you think that it is running thin. There's no need to get caught up in all the hype of this wax and that wax, just understand what a wax does and how long each type of wax will last. Apply it, and then go drive your car like it was meant to be driven.

 

[Steve-Indy]

This is for Rocket62:

"Zaino Z-CS Clear Seal is finally here after years in development. From conception to realization, the principal and design emphasis of Zaino Z-CS Clear Seal was quite fundamental - an advanced total synthetic polymer protectant that is simply wiped on, and that's it! Yes, achieve Zaino award winning gloss and protective durability in ONE simple wipe on step. Wipe on, and walk away, you're done. No buffing. No final wipe down. Simplicity at it's best. Just apply & let dry."

Rocket62, while I really enjoy seeing a well detailed Viper, I personally would rather spend my time on anything but the painted surfaces...so, when one of our Vipers needs a little appearance attention, this is what I use.

 

[ROCKET62]

So maybe we are mincing words here - so to set a baseline (from my perspective) - not even saying that my definitions are right - just saying what I think when someone uses the terms:

Polish - contains abrasives/micro-abrasives to remove imperfections in the finish.
Glaze - has fillers to help fill in imperfections in the surface.
Sealant - designed to bond to the surface. May or may not contain carnauba wax.
Wax - truest definition would be Carnuba Wax - typically in a paste format. Additives are used to help make the wax easier to apply to the surface. Advantage of carnauba wax is that it fills in minor imperfections to hide them (until it wears/washes away.)
Liquid Wax - carnuba wax combined with polymers/sealants
AIO - All In One - contains some combination of the above

Here was a flowchart from Autogeek:

You must be registered for see images attach

My questions to Junkman were based on him calling the Midnight Express a sealant. In looking at the companies website - it really looks more like an AIO - as it has micro-abrasives to polish, polymers to seal the paint, gloss additives to fill any imperfections, and carnuba wax for shine.

Steve-Indy - It's been a while since I've used Zaino. I did use it for a while until I had the opportunity to use Pinnacle Souveran Wax. In my opinion from a pure shine and that **** wet look - nothing compared to how my Viper looked after using Pinnacle. Again - from my perspective - Zaino, in the truest sense of the word, is a "sealant" in that it does not contain any wax - but still provides a high level of shine. I have also tried Turbowax - which was a sealant, (not sure if it contained carnauba) and while the shine was very good, it did not have the "pop" or depth that I feel like I get with Pinnacle. I did apply Pinnacle over Turbowax and the results were amazing.

The challenge with just using Pinnacle, or any pure carnauba wax is that it does not have the longevity and does not bond to the finish like a sealant does - so in theory - would not provide the level of protection like a sealant. Heck you could use peanut butter on your paint and call it a sealant or protectant - but it certainly would not be a wax. Bugs, dirt, and washing your Viper removes the carnauba wax - so lessens the amount of protection it provides.

And btw Steve - I do actually drive my Viper putting on some 5000 miles in the last 3 months - so I am searching for the product(s) that will be easy to use, provide a high level of protection, be easy to maintain, and shine like crazy. My Viper was just completed this summer - so my paint is in very good condition. I probably should polish it prior to my final steps below - just to remove the minor imperfections that 5000 miles causes.

So here is what I plan to use that I believe will provide a good degree of protection, shine like crazy, and give me that show car "POP" I am looking for. As my sealant - Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. Applied over the Blackfire Sealant - Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax.

Just my $0.02.

ROCKET

Junkman - off topic - but why the departure from Adams?

 

[Slithr]

General Question: Does Sealant, and Wax provide any protection against swirls in the paint? Or, if my wash cloth has anything on it that will swirl the paint, additional coats of sealant and wax won't help a bit?

 

[Junkman2008]

So maybe we are mincing words here - so to set a baseline (from my perspective) - not even saying that my definitions are right - just saying what I think when someone uses the terms:

Polish - contains abrasives/micro-abrasives to remove imperfections in the finish.
Glaze - has fillers to help fill in imperfections in the surface.
Sealant - designed to bond to the surface. May or may not contain carnauba wax.
Wax - truest definition would be Carnuba Wax - typically in a paste format. Additives are used to help make the wax easier to apply to the surface. Advantage of carnauba wax is that it fills in minor imperfections to hide them (until it wears/washes away.)
Liquid Wax - carnuba wax combined with polymers/sealants
AIO - All In One - contains some combination of the above.

I will agree with all this except the part about all carnuba waxes having fillers. That I am not sure of so I can't agree or disagree with it.

My questions to Junkman were based on him calling the Midnight Express a sealant. In looking at the companies website - it really looks more like an AIO - as it has micro-abrasives to polish, polymers to seal the paint, gloss additives to fill any imperfections, and carnuba wax for shine.

Going by what the website says, I would agree with you 100% and stand corrected.

Junkman - off topic - but why the departure from Adams?

That was their decision. We have different ways of doing things and some of my ways were not some of theirs. For one, they are in business to make money. I do this for the love of shiny paint. It's way more work than I care to do for money.

 

[Junkman2008]

General Question: Does Sealant, and Wax provide any protection against swirls in the paint? Or, if my wash cloth has anything on it that will swirl the paint, additional coats of sealant and wax won't help a bit?

Well think about what you are asking. Which is harder, clear coat that last for years, or a sealant/wax that can be washed off with Dawn dish washing liquid? If it scratches your clear coat, your choice of wax no matter how many coats doesn't stand a chance.

 

[2003 Viper]

I wish I lived closer to you AJ, we would have so much fun detailing my Viper!

BLK 1

 

[Junkman2008]

I wish I lived closer to you AJ, we would have so much fun detailing my Viper!

BLK 1

You should MOVE.