Review: Wolfgang Si02 Paint Sealant

[Bill D]

It all depends on what look you are after: the carnauba deep glow or the glassy look of a coating. I wouldn't say one looks better than the other, just different.

[Desertnate]

It all depends on what look you are after: the carnauba deep glow or the glassy look of a coating. I wouldn't say one looks better than the other, just different.

To take this a step further, one works better for certain colors and paint types. A solid red or black will look great with the carnauba glow. White, silver or dark colored metallic paint will look better with a more glassy/reflective shine

[JeffW]

The simple answer, (in case that's what you're looking for),

The Wolfgang Si02 Paint Sealant is like a traditional "lotion-like" liquid. Like other liquid waxes and sealants. This makes it easy to apply for the average person, by hand or machine.

Mike, It looks like from the video you are applying more product on the pad than a typical sealant. I've been using WGDG sealant for years and the amount of the Si02 you put on the pad is about what I use on an entire car (ok, I might exaggerate a bit). I've always followed the 'less is more' line as it's easier to remove and also only a light smear is needed.

Is the WG Si02 ok to add on 'thicker', if that is what you are doing? I have my first shipment of WG Si02 coming in this week and chomping at the bit to dress up our new addition, a sweet '18 Audi A5 blue metallic (after a ton of corrections, that is) :-)

[trailrunz]

Mike, It looks like from the video you are applying more product on the pad than a typical sealant. I've been using WGDG sealant for years and the amount of the Si02 you put on the pad is about what I use on an entire car (ok, I might exaggerate a bit). I've always followed the 'less is more' line as it's easier to remove and also only a light smear is needed.

Is the WG Si02 ok to add on 'thicker', if that is what you are doing? I have my first shipment of WG Si02 coming in this week and chomping at the bit to dress up our new addition, a sweet '18 Audi A5 blue metallic (after a ton of corrections, that is) :-)

Total newbie here but sealed my truck last weekend with SiO2 sealant from WG and I felt like I put it on pretty thick and it wiped off very easily. Again, limited experience but it was definitely an easy one and the end result was great.

[JeffW]

Total newbie here but sealed my truck last weekend with SiO2 sealant from WG and I felt like I put it on pretty thick and it wiped off very easily. Again, limited experience but it was definitely an easy one and the end result was great.

Well, welcome aboard Trailrunz (you a trail runner?). Thanks for the info. WG sealants have always been among the best in terms of application and removal, not to mention the resulting looks/effects.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, It looks like from the video you are applying more product on the pad than a typical sealant.

In the video I show applying the product to a foam applicator pad, here's an out-of-focus screenshot.




In my write-up pictures, I show putting the product onto the pad.



After applying the product to the pad and then use the "Kissing the Finish" technique to place the product over various body panels and also spread the product over the panels.


Here's an article I wrote back in 2010 to share this technique.



Kissing the Finish by Mike Phillips


Kissing the Finish is a technique you can use to apply a liquid wax and help keep the wax spreading out over the paint instead of loading up inside your pad.


I use the "Kissing the Finish" technique when machine applying a liquid wax or paint sealant, that is instead of taking the wax you see on the face of the pad and simply squishing it up into the foam by placing the foam pad flat against the paint, I'll first "kiss the finish" or in other words, touch the face of the foam pad with wax on it down onto your panel at an angle thus depositing only a portion of the wax on the pad to one area on the paint.

The effect is to have a bunch of dabs of wax on the paint deposited off the face of the pad. You're car's panel will look like it has spots, or arcs of product on it...


It's really the lazy man's way to machine wax a car because there are similar methods that will do the same thing. This technique works well for two reasons,

1) If you're already use a DA Polisher then you're already use to applying product to the face of the pad.

2) If you're working on vertical panels it can be a challenge to sling a small amount of product onto the vertical panel directly out of the bottle so applying to the face of the pad is faster, easier and uses less product. For horizontal panels you could simply squirt a little wax randomly over the surface and then pick up the product under the face of your buffing pad on the fly, but if you're a creature of habit you might find yourself just applying to the face of the pad via reason 1 above.



First, shake shake shake... always shake liquid car care products up thoroughly before applying.

Next, apply a small circle of product onto the face of the pad... you can also use an x-pattern or even make a smiley face... whatever makes you happy...




Next, touch down just an edge of the face of the foam pad and deposit a little of the wax to a portion of the panel you're working on.

Then after you've Kissed the Finish in a few places, take what's left and place the face of the foam pad against the paint and THEN turn the polisher on and begin making overlapping passes over the paint.

UNLIKE removing swirls with a DA Polisher where you only want to work a small section at a time, (about 20" squarish or so), if you've removed all the below surface defects and now you're just applying a wax or paint sealant, you can work a section as far as you can reach as long as you have ample product to spread out.

For the hood of this El Camino I can easily reach and work on half of the hood at one time, so I use enough wax to coat over half of the hood and move the pad over each square inch at least 2-3 passes to sufficiently work the sealant over and into, (to whatever level possible), the paint.




As I come up to a dab of wax from where I "Kissed the Finish" with my pad, I tilt the polisher, lifting the leading edge of the pad but maintaining constant contact with the trailing edge of the pad and then run the pad over the dab of wax and then immediately lay the pad flat again and then work new territory with this new dab of wax.







Tilt the polisher a little to lift the leading edge of the pad...



Then move the tilted leading edge over the wax to draw and trap the wax between the paint and the pad...






Then lay the pad flat and begin working the wax or in this case a synthetic paint sealant over the paint.



Continue doing this as you work around the car and all panels are coated with an application of wax or paint sealant.


This is called, Kissing the Finish...

Note: This technique works well with basecoat/clearcoat finishes because clear coat paints don't absorb liquids very well. Be careful if you use this technique on a single stage paint, especially a metallic single stage finish as portions of ANY liquid paint care product if left to stand for too long of a time on single stage paint can act to stain the paint. This is usually not a problem and simply picking up the excess with your pad and working it into the paint will even out the appearance by equally coating the entire surface.

I just want to point out that older single stage paints can and do absorb some types of liquids, so pay attention and either avoid this technique on single stage paints, or work quickly to spread the dabs of product out before any concentrated dabs of product soak into the paint.

Again, it's not really a problem, just want to make you aware because single stage paints are not very common and a lot of people have never worked on these types of paints.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, It looks like from the video you are applying more product on the pad than a typical sealant.

I've been using WGDG sealant for years and the amount of the Si02 you put on the pad is about what I use on an entire car (ok, I might exaggerate a bit).

I've always followed the 'less is more' line as it's easier to remove and also only a light smear is needed.

Me?

I like to apply non-cleaning waxes and sealant thin but I also want at a minimum a "film" on the surface.

Also for what it's worth, when writing articles or making videos sometimes it helps to be over-dramatic to make a point to to CAPTURE an effect or result on film. For example, applying a tick more product than you would normally so the camera can easily capture a "film" on paint to tell the story.


Make sense?

[Bojack]

Hello all,
What should be the consistency of Wolfgang Si02 sealant?
After a very through shaking the product is very thin so thin it is adsorbed into the yellow foam or the black finishing pad (Lake Country) before I can close the cap.
I have used BF1 step as well as BFWD sealant both are like a lotion and will sit on top of the pad until it is spread.Purchased this last month (May). Is this the nature
of the product?
Thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Hello all,

What should be the consistency of Wolfgang Si02 sealant?

After a very through shaking the product is very thin so thin it is adsorbed into the yellow foam or the black finishing pad (Lake Country) before I can close the cap.

I have used BF1 step as well as BFWD sealant both are like a lotion and will sit on top of the pad until it is spread.

Purchased this last month (May). Is this the nature of the product?

Thanks

The Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant should have the consistency of a rich hand lotion. It should not be thin and runny. If shaking doesn't put it back into a uniform emulsion - something is wrong.

Call customer care and cite this thread and I'm confident they will take care of you.


1-800-869-3011

[Desertnate]

The Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant should have the consistency of a rich hand lotion. It should not be thin and runny. If shaking doesn't put it back into a uniform emulsion - something is wrong.

The bottle I have separates very rapidly, but giving it a good shake for a minute or so mixes everything back together nicely.

A rich hand lotion consistency? The bottle I have is nowhere near that thick, even when well shaken. It's not what I'd call watery, but it does appear thinner than what is shown on the pictures above. The good news is it doesn't seem to affect performance. I've used it on a couple vehicles, to include my own car, and it works great.