How Do Ya Make White Shine

[ICECAR]

I have a 1993 white corvette convertible. Comes out from the garage and cover on sunny days. I'm no pro so can I get some advice on what products will work best on the Artic White?



Thanks

[cobalt9123]

From what I have seen Mike say, and my own personal experience, carnauba waxes make white seem deeper and give them a better shine. White is a hard color to work with as far as shine is concerned, if I were you I would go with a nice carnauba wax such as:
- Poorboy's World Natty's Paste Wax
- Pinnacle Souveran Paste wax
- DP Max Wax
- P21S Concours Carnauba Wax

All of them vary in price from $19.99 to $95.00 and they all have different smells and characteristics such as ease to work with, etc.
Try some samples and go with what you like, of course, you do know that the real shine comes from what you do before the wax

[richy]

White is an interesting colour to work with. You need to usually clay it well although in your case it may not require it if your car is kept covered. As far as what product makes the white jump, look no further than Duragloss 501. It is a marine polish, but don't let that scare you. It will clean the paint and make it glow like you've never seen white glow before. If it's a pearl white, it makes the metallic jump too. Awesome product.

[Shane731]

Here's a pic from Autopia. This is Liquid Souveran over Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant.

[TLMitchell]

I have a 1993 white corvette convertible. Comes out from the garage and cover on sunny days. I'm no pro so can I get some advice on what products will work best on the Artic White? Thanks

I had an early 90's Arctic White GM and currently an '04 Summit White GMC. Like any other color nothing looks its best until you get rid of the imperfections. Best part about white is they aren't nearly as visible as on a darker color. That's also the worst part... the imperfections are tough to see when correcting. IMO, white is the perfect color. You can make it look dazzlingly good but it doesn't show dust and light dirt and the gloss shines through even after a drive in the rain when darker colors look like crap. In bright sunlight my reflections are crisp and clear. At night I can read road signs clearly in the reflections on my hood. Dusk can be the real test.




I've done multi-step corrections on GM white and IMO, unless there's serious water spots or deep swirls it isn't worth the effort to go crazy unless it's really warranted. As I just posted in a reply in another thread, Meg's D151 is a nice 1-step polish with enough of a bite to be able to work out imperfections. It also leaves some protection but isn't overwhelmingly glossy or long lasting. My LSP of choice on white is the same as on any other color... Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. Incredible shine, depth and longevity and it's cheap compared to some of the high-priced spreads.


If you've been reading a while you already know the finish needs to be squeaky clean before polishing and you need good lighting to work in. Clay to remove imbedded contaminents then polish and protect using your products and equipment of choice. If you're just getting started check out the threads on DA polishers and pad combos as well as polishes and LSPs. Everybody's got their favorites and opinions and experiences are as varied as the Forum participants. For my money, especially if you're just starting out, versatility without spending a bundle isn't a bad idea. A DA and an assortment of pads and backing plates that can produce good results with a variety of products is my recommendation. Cyan HydroTechs are versatile at removing RIDS, swirls and water spots. If you've got a covered garage queen in good shape the tangerine pad will probably do everything you need. I prefer the 5.5" pads as well as the 4"ers for tighter areas and spot correction.

White can look dazzling. Like everything else it will look it's best with spotless glass and dressed trim to compliment a dep, glossy finish..

TL

[5.4 Shelby]

Like the others have said, starting with a perfect finish will give you the best result.

I did a full correction on mine last month. Followed that up with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0. After a 12 hr cure, topped with Pinnacle SSII.

My paint looks like the Mercedes above. The flawless paint is the majority of that, but, the DGPS really brought it out. It looked great after that step. After adding the SSII, the surface looked like it was candy coated.

[Mike Phillips]

I posted this to this thread, same idea though... that is if you can make your paint glossy it's also going to be shiny...


http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-wet-look.html



The 2 most important factors that effects creating a "wet look" are,

• Getting the paint as smooth as possible. - This is best done by claying paint and then machine compounding and polishing. (Assuming the paint isn't like new to start with).

• Getting the paint flat as possible - This means removing any orange peel or other surface texture. This is an option because you can have a very glossy, wet looking paint job that has orange peel.

Gloss comes first from smoothness, maximum gloss comes from a flat, smooth surface. A quality wax, sealant or even a glaze can improve and increase gloss besides what just the paint by itself can provide.


And of course this only applies to paint that is supposed to be polished to a high gloss in the first place. I find I have to type out very specific details like this or I'll end up having to discuss off-topic points like flat or matte style paints which can be smooth, but not glossy, thus they can't have the wet-look. Please if you want to talk about flat or matte finishes, start a dedicated thread for that topic.


Feel your Corvette's paint after you've washed and dried it or wiped the surface clean, check for above surface bonded contaminants. Use the Sandwich Baggie Test like shown in this vidoe....

How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants



Even if the paint feels smooth, if you want to ensure it's as smooth as possible then clay it, the polish it with a light polish to ensure the paint is a smooth as possible, machine polishing always creates a smoother, more clear finish than hand polishing, then apply a quality wax or paint sealant.

[keepitclean]

I have almost the same problem with 2 of my silver cars. I clayed and then used Wolfgang Twins then I really got a great result with Menzerna Power lock as a last step. All with a PC 7424XP.

[Meghan]

Love Pinnacle Liquid Souveran on white!

[HighEndDetail]

Love Pinnacle Liquid Souveran on white!

Here I was applying Pinnacle crystal mist. After a coat of Liq. Souveran. At DTF II


And a couple of models help out too..