carnuba over wax

[buddiiee]

Ok, quick question for all you wax experimenters. The current rule of thumb is, is that carnubas offer a touch deeper shine than the synthetics, but dont last as long. To get the best of both worlds, you should do a synthetic first, then a carnuba over it. Now, is this process a slight sacrifice in depth, for an increase in durability? Is this a 'compromise' at all? I guess what Im trying to ask is, are you losing any depth or shine or gloss or swirl hiding capabilities by putting the synthetic down? Do people do this just because they need this level of protection, but still want a little more depth though? Dont the natural waxes of carnuba hide more scratches than the synth does? I'm asking because I have a black car, and there's some swirl marks in her. Plus, I prefer the deepest, shiniest shine I can get. Protection isnt an issue, as the garage door doesnt even OPEN if I can count more than 2 clouds in the sky at any one time. This car gets driven about 10 times a month period.

I also read here, that the synthetic waxes offer bit more shine, and the naturals offer more glow and depth. I sorta took it like, the synth's just shine whats already there. They dont really hide much. They appear as if theyre just adding a hard clear coat. I want that as well. But I want deptch as well lol. (i guess I want it all) So what about this theory. Would a coat of 3m's imperial hand glaze under a coat of good paint sealant be the best bet for me? Or should I just throw two coats of good carnuba and call it a day. would glazing under carnuba be of any benefit to me at all?

[Surfer]

Synthetic waxes are in between the looks of a sealant and good carnauba wax, putting a regular wax over a synthetic one like Liquid Souveran is perfectly fine. I've never noticed a wax that fills, there's some that claim to have heavy fillers but I've never used them. Nattys Blue says it will fill somewhat but have never noticed anything.

[Rsurfer]

If you are so anal about your car, why don't you get those swirls out before sealing or waxing! On a black car you can't beat Souveran Paste.

[Torsion Tool]

Personally use Klasse sealant topped with Souveran, SSII or Collinite (for the winter). Only a handful of people could distinguish the chatacteristics of sealant vs waxes, so the default for me is protection over appearance, especially in the winter. Choose your glaze carefully or you might experience bonding/durability issues if using a sealant over it. There are many popular combos so do a thread search. Especially check Duragloss, Wolfgang, Optimum, Klasse and Collinite. Better yet, get them all and experiment for a few months and years. Many of us do just that.

[killrwheels@autogeek]

I think generally it comes down to look and personal preference. I find a synthetic like Four Star UPP w/ polycharged additive is all thats needed to meet the look of sealant/wax topper. I know alot of others that will always use wax alone, as they want a super wet look and willing to apply more often.

[buddiiee]

Originally Posted by Surfer

Synthetic waxes are in between the looks of a sealant and good carnauba wax, putting a regular wax over a synthetic one like Liquid Souveran is perfectly fine. I've never noticed a wax that fills, there's some that claim to have heavy fillers but I've never used them. Nattys Blue says it will fill somewhat but have never noticed anything.

A sealant and a synth wax is different? I thought they were the same?? I was under the impression that when a wax is man made, it also seals. Moreso than naturals. Boy, have I got a lot of experimenting to do.

and TorsionTool, you say there may exist some bonding issues, between glazes and sealants. Does that mean, that there isnt any issues between glazes and natural waxes then? For me, its all about depth and gloss, and not about protection, since I only take this car out once a month if that. To wax the car every other 2 shows is fine with me, if I get the maximum shine and depth. I guess I'll just have to experiment with them both. Thanks a bunch for the good answers. Anal people are always good for a thorough answer lol. But as for removing the swirl marks... whats a good way to do it, without any heavy compounds or wetsanding? Is there anything you can rub in by hand?

[TOGWT]

Polymer sealant- comprises an open linked molecule, which forms a bond with the paint; because they are usually very transparent they transmit the surface colour faithfully, but they have very little depth resulting in what is perceived as a very bright, flat silver glow. Polymers sealants require a paint to form a convalescent (or Covalent (molecular)) bond to (usually 12-24 hours); they will not bond directly to metal to provide protection

Synthetic waxes (Microcrystalline) - are usually formulated from; (PDS) silicon, which is basically inert, water based, amino functional polymer resin, Carnauba wax. These synthetic waxes are more durable than the natural carnauba

Carnauba wax will bond to a cross-linked (12-24 hours) polymer; conversely if a polymer is applied on top of Carnauba wax the cross-linking / bonding may be compromised