sizing up paint depth, hardness, etc.

[wangotango]

As I cruise thru this site I constantly hear of people saying "this kinda car has normally got softer paint" or "those cars after this year are single stage paints" or "these are a harder ceramic type coating".
My terminology is not correct but you get the idea.
Sounds like experience talking to me.

I was an elevator mechanic for 34 years. And a pretty good one.
Not because I have any particular gifts I just kept coming in everyday.
Although there is plenty of reference material out there, that experience is priceless.

Is there a way to know about paint?
To learn about it thru reading or research?
Manufacturers info?
I'm guessing that it's a combo of experience and available reference material.
Leaning heavy towards experience.

Please fill me in. Tks!

[rider9195]

It's mainly experience from working on different brand cars and paint colors. Such as Corvette's have very hard clear coat which makes it difficult to remove swirls. But on the other hand some Honda's have very soft paint and swirls easier. Which can make it a pain to achieve perfection.

[HotWhipT/A]

Definitely experience. That's why it's great having a wide variety of pads and polishes. Another thing I have noticed with most vehicles is that the plastic bumpers are harder to polish. It's not having anything to do with the odd shape, curves and small areas, that's more challenging on its own. The paint is harder. I've asked about it and never really got a straight answer. I think it's partly to do with the flex additive in the paint so it doesn't crack when bumped. I normally have to step up the combo a notch to achieve the same results as the rest of the car.

[wangotango]

appreciate the input.
sounds like (as I expected) experience is the answer.
I'm happy to hear that people with experience have a value.
I was an elevator mechanic for 34 years and was released.
I've been interested in detailing for only a few months and have learned alot, but paint?...I can tell spark blue from dark blue...so i got that goin' for me, which is nice.

tks again!

[Audios S6]

There are a couple threads here and on other detailing sites with relative paint hardness info, You can start by searching for those.

You can also search for the particular vehicle you will be working on (in the show n shine section) to see what others have used successfully to do correction.

Finally, do a test spot.

[Mike Phillips]

Finally, do a test spot.





How To Do a Test Spot (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/50162-how-do-test-spot.html)
(and why it's so important)


One thing I really appreciate in my life is teaching hundreds of classes to al the car clubs in Southern California from 2002 to 2009, each class afforded me the ability to work on multiple cars from all spectrums of the car industry.

From this and years of detailing cars in Oregon, Washington and even Idaho, I've become very good at rubbing on any car's paint by hand or by machine and being able to tell very quickly if the paint is soft or hard.

That is to say... I've built my ability to gage paint hardness and softness on experience combined with testing. Always testing...


There are some norms like single stage white paint tends to be very hard as do modern Corvettes...


For years I see people make blanket generalizations about paint hardness and even have an article on this topic,


Audi Soft Paint - Making Generalizations about Hardness and Softness (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/31888-audi-soft-paint-making-generalizations-about-hardness-softness.html)

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BlueAudiSenstivePaint02.jpg


:)

[Mike Phillips]

This article written in 1997 touches on the Mohs Hardness Scale and paint hardness...


The Lesson White Paint Teaches Us (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22982-lesson-white-paint-teaches-us.html)


http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/1959Flattop02.jpg




:xyxthumbs:

[wangotango]

Yikes!
A ton of great reference material for a hack like me.
Thanks all!