How To Use BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish

[Nick McKees37]

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish is arguably the most important step in the BLACKFIRE paint care system, which consists of washing, claying, polishing, sealing, and waxing your vehicle. Using BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish after using a clay bar, and before sealing/waxing, preps the surface to create the highest level of gloss and slickness.



What exactly is BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish?

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish is a non-abrasive polish with a built-in glaze for the ultimate "wet-look." It visually reduces swirl marks while creating a deep gloss. It removes old waxes and sealants and cleans the paint's surface to prep it for a shiny coat of wax or paint sealant. Used before your LSP (last step product), BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish improves the gloss and clarity of the finish. Both new and weathered vehicles benefit from the application of BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish prior to sealing/waxing the paint.

How to apply BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish By HAND

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish can be applied by hand or machine. If the vehicle is well maintained, apply the polish with a soft foam finishing pad. If the vehicle is a couple years old and hasn't been kept up properly, apply the polish with a foam polishing pad.

You often hear the term "less is more" with a lot of products - it's the complete opposite with BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish. Now don't get me wrong - by no means am I telling you to apply gobs and gobs of product to the paint, what I'm saying is use an ample amount for even coverage. BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish contains a built-in glaze that, in order for it to work correctly, needs to be applied "wet" or "heavy."

The photo below gives you an idea of how much product to apply to an applicator when working by hand. I'm using the backside (smooth) of a Lake Country CCS Wax/Sealant Applicator Pad. I like these because they're thick and easy to hold onto.




Working one panel at a time (a hood is considered two panels) apply the product in a back and forth motion, slightly overlapping each pass by about 50 percent. You only need to go over each area 2-3 times. Remember, you're not trying to LEVEL (ie: remove swirl marks) the paint, you're simply ridding it of below-surface contaminants while enhancing the gloss by depositing the built-in glaze.




Here you can see the thick film of polish that's present after 2-3 passes. Immediately buff off the residue using a clean, soft microfiber towel. I prefer to use the Supreme 530 (flat weave side) Microfiber Towel.






Notice how the applicator is BLACK? That's because the vehicle I used for this demonstration (1941 Oldsmobile) has single-stage paint. You will not see paint transfer on a clear coat finish.




How to apply BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish By Machine

Here's where a lot of people get confused and go overboard...my main goal with this article, besides explaining the proper and intended application of BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish, is to put emphasis on the fact that this product is non-abrasive and is designed to cleanse paint of previously applied waxes/sealants and below surface contaminants, while depositing a glaze that hides minor imperfections.

For machine application I recommend using either a soft foam finishing pad or a foam polishing pad. For this demonstration I used a white foam polishing pad by Lake Country. If your vehicle is new or well-maintained, I would use a soft foam finishing pad instead.

Here I'm applying a bead of product directly to the pad:




With my Porter Cable 7424xp set to speed 4, I performed 3-4 passes working on an area that's about 18 by 18 inches.

Notice how I'm not bearing down on the polisher? That's because the goal is to cleanse the paint of below-surface contaminants and previously applied waxes, while filling in light imperfections - not to remove swirl marks and scratches.




Now here's where it gets complicated, so bear with me: To get the maximum "filling" effect of BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish, you should let the product dry to a haze. While this will dramatically increase the glazing abilities of the polish, it will require more effort to remove.

I let it haze for about 5 minutes before removing it:

2:20 pm




2:25 pm




This photograph gives you an idea of how an "ample" amount of product should look once applied.




After letting the polish haze for 5 minutes, it was indeed more difficult to remove compared to wiping it off immediately after applying it. That's okay, because there's a trick for making it easier to remove...and this trick can be implemented for any polish, wax, or sealant.

Simply place the machine back on the area you polished and "blip" the throttle. This will "re-wet" the area and make the polish wipe off like butter.




Ahhhh much easier to wipe off.




Follow up by applying BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection and/or Midnight Sun Paste Wax and your paint will turn heads and create WHIPLASH!

My Comments

The way I apply BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish is with a soft foam finishing pad (red, blue, grey) on a dual action polisher like the Porter Cable 7424xp. I apply it almost like a wax or sealant - no pressure, 3-4 passes over each area, and then immediately wipe off. If I'm working on a weathered finish (like the featured Oldsmobile) and my goal is to achieve maximum filling of swirl marks and light scratches, then I will apply it directly as outlined in the machine application portion of this article. The main thing to remember is that this polish is non-abrasive so you don't want or need to "work it too long."

On Autogeek.net

BLACKFIRE Car Care Products

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish

CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack

Supreme 530 Microfiber Towel

[Sicoupe]

Great write up Nick!

[07gtcs]

Good tips....and the last time I used this, I was swearing at it because it was hard to get all the way off in spots. Now I know how to fix that. Thanks,

[Bunky]

Great write up!

[addysdaddy]

Nice explanation Nick....since my personal vehicles are in good condition I find myself "cleansing" the paint more often than anything else. I didn't realize that hazing assisted the filling properties and I loved your little trick for removal. Thanks and as always, u da man.

[swanicyouth]

Nice explanation Nick.

I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat. The way I've been using it it to prime the pad with a mist of DI water (just a spray or two) and then use the product sparingly (3 or 4 dime size dots via machine).

This seems to make the application thinner and the product spread farther and the pad doesn't get gunked up with product. Since the product spreads quite thin with this method, wipe off is also quite easy. I add water to the pad as needed.

I also have used this method by hand. It took a little over an ounce to do a small vehicle if I recall.

[dpk20x]

Good write up Nick.

I've had problems in the past too with wiping the product off. What worked for me was allowing it to haze for a few hours then it wiped off like butter. I wonder if anyone else has had luck using this technique?

[hollerstiltner]

Nick, how would you compare this to prima amigo or pb blackhole?

[Tato]

Great review, I was looking for some product with those exactly features and this helped me deciding which one should be.

This thread also contains nice tips, thanks for sharing.

Kind Regards.

[Nick McKees37]

Thanks guys.

Nice explanation Nick.

I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat. The way I've been using it it to prime the pad with a mist of DI water (just a spray or two) and then use the product sparingly (3 or 4 dime size dots via machine).

This seems to make the application thinner and the product spread farther and the pad doesn't get gunked up with product. Since the product spreads quite thin with this method, wipe off is also quite easy. I add water to the pad as needed.

I also have used this method by hand. It took a little over an ounce to do a small vehicle if I recall.

Interesting technique!

Good write up Nick.

I've had problems in the past too with wiping the product off. What worked for me was allowing it to haze for a few hours then it wiped off like butter. I wonder if anyone else has had luck using this technique?

That works for some products, namely Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. I wouldn't try that with a polish though.

Nick, how would you compare this to prima amigo or pb blackhole?

Far more cleaning ability, but GEP doesn't contain as much fillers. Because of this, GEP will provide a better primer for your LSP if maximum longevity is what you're after.