Let there be light...

[Mike Phillips]

Let there be light...
(when inspecting the condition of your car's paint)



Before you can choose and use any paint care products you first need to visually inspect the paint to find out what types of paint defects are present. To do this you want and need to use multiple sources of light.

In the below example I use

• Sunlight
• Florescent lights
• Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light
• Camera Flash

Sunlight
The sun works best when it's high overhead but if it's not high overhead you can still use it by shifting the angle of your body. Here's what's called the "Sun Shot", that is I've put myself in front of the hood on a 1991 BMW with the sun directly overhead and shining down on the hood to reveal the swirls.

Cobweb or Spiderweb Swirls
(Photo courtesy of MeguiarsOnline although I actually took the photo)





Florescent Light
Florescent lights are good for showing swirls, scratches and water spots. Here's a picture where I use florescent lights to show holograms from the mis-use of a rotary buffer.

Holograms also called Rotary Buffer Swirls revealed using Florescent Lights



Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light
The Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light is like having the sun in your hand and the benefit to this is you can use it anytime, not true with the sun. Besides a great light for revealing the condition of your car's paint it also makes a great all-around-flashlight and with it's long battery charge life and the ability to recharge it using both a car charger and any household electrical plug-in it saves you from having to buy batteries over and over again...


Using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light to inspect for swirls after sanding and machine buffing






Examples
Here's an example of using 4 types of light to inspect the condition of the paint on this 1969 Camaro Pace Car


1969 Camaro Pace Car - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Michelle


Sunlight
Steve just arrived with his Camaro and the sun is sitting low in the sky but I was able to get a few pictures to show the condition of the paint...

Here's how low the sun was in the sky...




Best Sun Swirl Shots I could get...














Camera Flash
Here I'm using the camera flash to light up the swirls and scratches...





Close-up: There's scratches and general surface imperfections throughout the finish...



Florescent Light
This shot is to frame-up the following shots so you can tell where the close-ups are being taken. Every body panel looked the same way...




Close-ups using overhead florescent lights






As you can see from the pictures above, the paint on this show car has swirls and scratches distracting from the true beauty of the car.



Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light
I personally use the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light on every car project I work on and can't recommend it enough. If you don't have one of these cool lights then be sure to get one the next time you order detailing supplies...



Here's how the paint looks on the 1969 Camaro using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light






How to use the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light

Using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light is pretty straightforward but here's a few tips to get the best results when exposing swirls.

You want to hold the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light about 12" to 16" away from the surface you're inspecting and hold it at an angle so that the light bounces back to your eyes.

Correct distance to hold the light from the finish



Swirls in the clear coat finish surrounding the dual Xenon light bulbs



Correct hand position when inspecting for swirls - Comfortable, ergonomic grip




On Autogeek.net

Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light

Read my review here

[SRTSean]

Mike, what type of lighting can you recommend for finding defects in a metallic silver paint short of sunlight, which is in short supply in the Pacific Northwest this time of year?

I just did a correction on a silver Honda Civic in my garage and it was really difficult to find the proper angles/types of lighting to see the swirls and other defects in the paint. I have a halogen work light and the Brinkman Swirl Finder, and the garage is lit with standard incandescent lighting.

The only thing that seemed to work was viewing the paint surface at awkward, neck-bending angles to catch the reflection of the incandescent bulbs. It was kind of surprising that the Brinkman didn't help at all.

[Mike Phillips]

The Brinkmann works for me it's just more difficult to see on silver metallic paints and you have to do like you said here,

The only thing that seemed to work was viewing the paint surface at awkward, neck-bending angles to catch the reflection of the incandescent bulbs.

Besides that bright, overhead sunlight but this just tends to blind you as the metallic flakes bounce the light back to your eyes and blinds you...

The 3M Sun Gun might work, I tend to not use it because it's more of a cruel master than the Brinkmann and the Brinkmann is cruel enough...


The joy of silver metallic paint....


A color I don't ever plan on owning but recommend to everyone that wants a paint color that doesn't show swirls and scratches...


Good question...

[Porsche Pilot]

I have three silver cars and yes, it is a challenge to find the swirls. Try turning off all of the lights and use one light source to find the swirls. Sometimes the ambient lighting floods the light colored paint too much and obscures the defects.

Walk around the car with the Brinkmann in the dark garage. You will still need to view the surface at different angles. Swirls are actually voids that have hills and valleys and show differently at different angles.

[Hoytman]

I need to get me one of those Swirl finding lights.

In a pinch I currently use a gas station. That's right, a gas station. Hey, I'm improvising LOL!

In the city this may not work for you (because it isn't as dark in the city), but out here in the country all you have to do is pull into a gas station on a real dark night. Dark of the moon, or cloudy evening works best.

Something about those lights at the gas station make swirls just hop out at you. What I've noticed is, you don't have to be all Inspector Gadget on the car (up close). Sometimes I can see them 10-15 feet away, depending on the angle. Of course, you can only see what's on the horizontal surfaces, but that's usually a good indicator of the rest of a car. I've easily been able to see swirls on cars with dark colors and light colors alike. Even silver. It's a little inconvenient for me, but a station is close, so it doesn't take me that long to check it out.

I still want/need one of those Brinkman's, but I've got other more important priorities right now.

[SRTSean]

The Brinkmann works for me it's just more difficult to see on silver metallic paints and you have to do like you said here,




Besides that bright, overhead sunlight but this just tends to blind you as the metallic flakes bounce the light back to your eyes and blinds you...

The 3M Sun Gun might work, I tend to not use it because it's more of a cruel master than the Brinkmann and the Brinkmann is cruel enough...


The joy of silver metallic paint....


A color I don't ever plan on owning but recommend to everyone that wants a paint color that doesn't show swirls and scratches...


Good question...

Thanks for the feedback. I figured there wasn't much of a way to get around it just being difficult. The metallic just reflects too much bright light to not be blinded. Never heard of the 3M Sun Gun so maybe I'll take a look at that. Thanks!

I have three silver cars and yes, it is a challenge to find the swirls. Try turning off all of the lights and use one light source to find the swirls. Sometimes the ambient lighting floods the light colored paint too much and obscures the defects.

Walk around the car with the Brinkmann in the dark garage. You will still need to view the surface at different angles. Swirls are actually voids that have hills and valleys and show differently at different angles.

I'll give the low lighting a try. Thanks!

[rakkvet]

Just ordered a Brinkman on my last order. It's getting to be that time of year in the midwest and the weather makes using the sun less of an option.

Thanks for the tip Mike.

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Mike, what type of lighting can you recommend for finding defects in a metallic silver paint short of sunlight, which is in short supply in the Pacific Northwest this time of year?

I just did a correction on a silver Honda Civic in my garage and it was really difficult to find the proper angles/types of lighting to see the swirls and other defects in the paint. I have a halogen work light and the Brinkman Swirl Finder, and the garage is lit with standard incandescent lighting.

The only thing that seemed to work was viewing the paint surface at awkward, neck-bending angles to catch the reflection of the incandescent bulbs. It was kind of surprising that the Brinkman didn't help at all.

Make the garage dark. Very dark. As dark as you can make it. Close the doors, cover the windows. Then use only whichever swirl light you use.

Adjust the distance of the light from the vehicle to get the best results. It wouldn't be uncommon to have it 5-10 feet away if it's a halogen light.

Also if it has different brightness settings set it on low.

What your trying to do is to get some of the the light to reflect off the defects so you can see it without flooding the area with too much light to make seeing your defect difficult.

[Hoytman]

The two photo's below demonstrate what I was trying to explain that I see at gas stations....except this is even better. I can see this working really well. Thanks for the pictures Joe.



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[Ohio Detailing]

I have never... ever... seen ANYTHING as exposing, unforgiving, and just hideously accurate when it comes to revealing paint defects, scratches, and swirls as overhead gas-station fluorescent lights. I don't get it - they're basically the same lighting I installed in my garage for detailing, but SOMETHING HAS TO BE DIFFERENT. I can see every last detail under those lights - vehicles that look like show cars anywhere else, look like a blemished pot-hole ridden supermodel without makeup and photoshop, like a cover of one of those sleazy celebrity mags in the checkout line, HAHA!

Any theories on this Mike? GREAT ARTICLE AS ALWAYS.