Griot's Garage BOSS – Best Of Show System Creams - Sub-Micro Abrasives

[Brownie]

Now it's time for some properly nerdy stuff! Here at Griot’s Garage we put in the man-hours to study the science of what you need.



Rasky asked me to go into more detail on Sub-Micron abrasives... so here it is...
Our proprietary Best Of Show System^TMCreams[/URL] utilize specialized sub-micron abrasives, which more efficiently remove defects and leave a highly-refined finish. These sub-micron abrasives are created via a special process using the calcination of aluminum. Alumina is an essential abrasive material that is used for polishing a wide range of surfaces, including automotive finishes. Griot’s Garage utilizes state of the art polishing alumina technology that allows the user to effectively achieve a high cut and a high shine.
[/URL]

The quality of the finished surface is directly influenced by the characteristics of the alumina material that is used in polishing compounds. Alumina particles are characterized by the degree of calcination, the size of the agglomerates, the size of the primary crystals and the particle shape or structure.

Calcination is a thermal treatment process that determines the primary crystal size of the aluminum oxide particle. Higher process temperatures result in very large primary crystals and low temperatures generate small, soft primary particles.

During the calcination process, agglomerates of alumina particles form. Image what a Nerds™ Candy Rope looks like. This occurs because small dry particles exhibit electrostatic forces which cause fine alumina particles to be attracted to each other and form larger particles. During the polishing process, these agglomerates are crushed or broken down. A grinding effect or cutting is achieved as some of the material is removed from the surface. The primary crystals that remain after the agglomerates are crushed then act as polishing agents. Understand this breaking down is not like a traditional Diminishing Abrasive (DAT) commonly made up of Diatomaceous earth, but more like a Semi-Diminishing Abrasive. This technology ensures sustained cutting power through the polishing process.

Advanced sizing equipment is used by manufacturers in order to control the overall particle size distribution of the alumina material. Higher portions of larger particles contribute to coarser abrasives whereas a larger distribution of smaller particles contribute to finer abrasives. Increasing shine or depth of color are achieved with very fine, sub-micron particles. The term micron is a measurement using the International System- SI. One Micron- µm is roughly 40 millionths of an inch or one millionth (.000001) of a meter. To put it into perspective, a human hair is measured to .0889mm and a Micron is .001mm (Feature Diagram)

The shape and structure of the alumina agglomerates also influence performance. Calcined alumina grains are plate-like shaped crystals. Agglomerates of large primary crystals give good abrasion results while agglomerates of smaller crystals are useful for finishing.

Griot’s Garage employs the use of proprietary combinations of aluminum oxide grades in our polishing compound formulations in combination with optimal levels of lubricating oils and additional ingredients that ensure superior combination of good cutting with good polishing performance. Aluminum-Oxide can be processed to a point where it delivers a finish which is visibility perfect to the naked eye.

Any abrasive exceeding 1 micron in size when use in orbital machine applications will likely contribute to “micro-marring”. These are tiny scratches which follow the pattern of the random orbit and appear under hi-lumen LED lights. The micro-marring of the surface appears gray and hazy on dark finishes and detracts from the perfect clarity we all seek. These larger abrasives, although they are Aluminum-Oxide are less refined. Their manufacturing process is less involved and their cost is reduced as a result. This equates to a less expensive formula which may compel a user to acquire, later to find each step requires a subsequent step to refine the defects the previous imparted.


Sub-micron abrasives are costly, but when compared to the reduction in steps and subsequent time savings; they deliver significant value. In addition to that benefit, there is little chance for redo’s or unsatisfied customers. When combined with a high-performance oil in water emulsion which contains no fillers, what you see is what you get. That is what you get in BOSS™ Creams. Historically in order to deliver a “flawless-finish”, one would have to step up each subsequent defect imparted by the prior used abrasive with a finer abrasive, leading to 3-4 steps.


Abrasive selection impacts various performance attributes; including cut rate, duration of cut, buffing cycle (Typically impacted by oil absorption), finish quality, dusting or lack thereof, and more. Not only does size impact performance; but abrasive processing techniques and the percentage load of abrasives in the overall formula. There was exhaustive research that went into selecting the appropriate abrasives for BOSS™ Creams. Over 120 formulas were developed to identify the four final formulas…why? Because we are Driven to Perfection™.

Typical Compounds and Polishes may have 5-14% of abrasives, representing the whole of the formula. Some more costly formulas may reach 25% or more. There are limits to how much abrasive can be used in a formula, as it has a tendency to absorb the oils making up the emulsion. The emulsion simply can’t maintain suspension and lubrication of each abrasive particle. That absorption can lead to emulsion break or even caking of the abrasive on the surface, as seen below. To compensate for the abrasive load, increased lubricating oils must be used. This in turn may have a tendency to negatively affect your formula’s stability. Bottom line, creating formulas with high abrasive load isn’t for the faint of heart.


The Sub-Micron abrasives used in all BOSS™ formulas are engineered with rich, high-lubricity, non-filling components to promote faster pad rotation so you can produce a true, concours-worthy finish in less time. (With exception of Finishing Sealant which contains Polymers and Waxes which may contribute to hiding)
As a result of the abrasive technology, the combination of THE BOSS, BOSS Pads and liquids, most paint correction and protection can be accomplished in 2 steps, delivering a Best of Show quality finish.

[FUNX650]

Thanks for the BOSS Creams' explanation.

However (and it might just be my interpretation)...
This all sounds quite similar to the
"abrasives' techno-speak"...that's used to
address some of Menzerna's liquids; ie:

"Agglomeration Abrasive Technology"---"A.A.T."


Bob

[Brownie]

Thanks for the BOSS Creams' explanation.

However (and it might just be my interpretation)...
This all sounds quite similar to the
"abrasives' techno-speak"...that's used to
address some of Menzerna's liquids; ie:

"Agglomeration Abrasive Technology"---"A.A.T."

Bob

Bob,
Thanks for your comments. The info posted in the thread represents science and is intended to help explain the importance of abrasives and their impact on surface recondition. Although I mention the impact on BOSS Creams performance, it is not mentioned as a marketing stunt. Please know that I personally worked with an insane amount of abrasive options from various mills to hone in on what real world testing proved to deliver the desired results.

We didn't trademark some "fluffy" marketing term to make our abrasive sound smart, but simply are stating the facts. Hope that helps clear up the intentions of the post.

PS... Menzerna was used as one of the benchmarks for BOSS Creams. We've got huge respect for them and their contribution to the detail World. I'll have to read up on the A.A.T

[Brownie]

Imagine agglomerates are the individual nerds...yellow, red, green etc. as you see in the pic. The initial cut of the abrasives is high...but as friction that occurs as the machine action drives the pad back and forth or in a rotary fashion across the paint...the agglomerates or groupings of Sub-Micron abrasives break apart. This equates to a more expedient initial cut, then breaks down to a consistent cutting finer abrasive. The Sub-Micron essentially finishes out to perfection from the naked eyes perspective. If you were to look at it with a micro-scope, it is likely that there are still marring occurring. But again, it is not visible to the naked eye. Hence, delivering perfection.
Another interesting fact...Aluminum Oxide has a MOHs Hardness Scale of 9. Diamonds have a hardness of 10, while quartz- 7 and talc is 1. So that essentially means there is no way the heat generated from any orbital or rotary would be capable of diminishing the actual aluminum oxide abrasive. Hope that helps...or it may complicate the topic. Sorry for getting nerdy. It is a testament to how much thought went into developing BOSS CREAMS

[Billy Baldone]

So.... Since I have a ton of Menzerna product, it will work very nicely with my new Boss21?

[FUNX650]

The info posted in the thread represents science

Sorry for getting nerdy.

I kinda wish you would've stayed "scientific"...


Bob

[Billy Baldone]

Me too. Now I want candy, ooooh and a bicycle

[Brownie]

So.... Since I have a ton of Menzerna product, it will work very nicely with my new Boss21?

Ha! That's for you to find out. BOSS was built as a total solution. It may deliver perfection, but that doesn't mean you can achieve great results with products that are proven to perform. I'd encourage you to give us a shot.

[Billy Baldone]

I thought I would give you a shot by buying the polisher.

[Brownie]

I thought I would give you a shot by buying the polisher.

Hey Billy!

That'd be awesome! Please reach out if you've got any questions on THE BOSS. I've got thousands of hours with it and am happy to answer any questions. Thanks so much