best wax for black paint?

[slypig]

What is the best wax for black paint.  I posted this a Little while ago and now I don't see it.  Sorry if i don't know what the heck I'm doing

[Bigs]

Mothers Gold seems to work nicely on black pearl. Don't know if it's the best or not but it's good enough for me and I'm pretty fussy.
   Bigs

[Deye76]

Best paint for wax? Why black, of course.

[flstf]

myself having 4 black vehicles, (ya i know i'm a glutten for punishment!!)Through the years i have found wax ends up scratching the surface no matter how careful you try to clean a dirty surface, i found that wax in the heat becomes soft and when dust lands on it it sticks to it(calif car dusters comes to mind!!) then when you try to wipe the dust off it only embeds it deeper creating a kind of sand paper scratching the crap out of the paint,(clear coat) plus most waxs layer up and only dulls the paint after awhile,and wax strippers are a pain to mess with!so the best wax is NO WAX!! a good polish will do a much better job, no build up and will not hold on to dust and actually feeds paint and clearcoat nutrients that replenish the surface shine,i have seen the surface of many paints under high magnification and there is a huge difference between a polished black surface and one that has been waxed,both are shiny but the polished surface has a brilliance and depth to it,carnuba wax is actually less than good for modern clear coated paint but its what everyone knows from years gone by,and is cheap to produce,however,polish does have a draw back in the fact it must be repolished more often than waxex surfaces, but is a pretty quick job if you are using a quality product and you don't have all the wax residu in cracks and on the rubber to hassle with,if you like wax i'd suggest a synthetic wax formula that will benifit the clear coat,(and no build up like carnuba wax does),such as meguiars nxt gen tech wax,synthetic :works great, easy on, easy off.A very good polish is ppc- prestige protective polish,it comes in liquid form, great stuff,harleys spray polish is pretty good too, but the best i have found is a product we used in the airforce to polish f-4 ans f-16, ect. canopys, i notice that the over spray would polish the paint or alum to a (couldn't hardly look at the surface shine) and it lasted for weeks and the bugs wouldn't stick to it either, if they did they were easily washed or rubbed off,this wonder product is PLEXUS plastic cleaner and polish mainly used for wind screens but gotta tell ya.. it is a fantastic black paint polish, i've found nothing better,works on crome and paint wonderfully, geez guess this damn near turned into a letter on makin black vehicles loook goood..plexus actually works on all colors but really makes black a no hassle looking good shine!!  good luck  P.F.

[flstf]

forgot to add this tip! never use cotton anything to clean or polish black paint, cotton scratches paint no matter how soft it feels, don't do it!! try using a good quality microfiber polishing towel, what i use is  Detailers Choice microfiber ~ spa polishing towels~ 6 for 10 bucks at kragen auto( product # 3-513-7) they work great!! always make sure they are very clean, i wash mine after using them with woolite and line dry,, they work super good for along time!! happy polishing!! P.F.

[HVYMTL6]

The best i have found for my black Vette and bikes is Zaino

[scoopfraser]

I've heard that microfiber towels should not be washed.  Supposedly, once they take on dirt you'll never get it out by washing.  I've always washed mine but if I were detailing someone else's bike I'd be more picky.

Sean
---- 

[Faast Ed]

I use Zaino and like it, but there are Many Carnuba filled waxes that do real well on dark colors.
Problem is the Carnuba's don't hide swirls as good as some of the Zaino stuff, but they give you the deep wet look that Black demands.

Zaino #2 for swirls, followed with Zaino #5 does real well.

Key is to strip ALL old wax off first,........   you won't regret that step!

[Deye76]

Ed, whats good for stripping wax? Thanks

[Faast Ed]

Ed, whats good for stripping wax? Thanks

I use Meguires "Step 1, deep crystal paint cleaner" because it removes swirls along with removing the wax, and it's easy as pie to apply.
Applies just like wax but you remove it right away instead of waiting.

Any Autozone (or similar) will have it.

I once was putting on layer after layer of wax and it just kept looking worse (not sure it would have that bad effect on a lighter color).
I finally gave up and stripped the wax off and it already looked better before even applying the first coat! After applying the wax I was pleased as punch!

[Deye76]

Ed, whats good for stripping wax? Thanks

I use Meguires "Step 1, deep crystal paint cleaner" because it removes swirls along with removing the wax, and it's easy as pie to apply.
Applies just like wax but you remove it right away instead of waiting.

Any Autozone (or similar) will have it.

I once was putting on layer after layer of wax and it just kept looking worse (not sure it would have that bad effect on a lighter color).
I finally gave up and stripped the wax off and it already looked better before even applying the first coat! After applying the wax I was pleased as punch!

I believe thats my problem, to many coats of wax.

[Faast Ed]

I believe thats my problem, to many coats of wax.

Good possibility.  Mine looked like crap with too much wax (over an unstripped old wax).

A few layers on top of clean paint looks good, but multi layers over old wax looked like crap on my Black paint. Sure it shined well, but did NOT have the deep wet look that I desired.
More like a layer of hazy plastic coat. LOL

[7hogs]

liquid glass............ you usually can find it at paint stores

[Faast Ed]

Sorry, Liquid Glass is only good for lighter colors. Looks like chit on black. Any Carnuba wax blows away Liquid Glass (on Black).
Been using Liquid Glass for years on lighter colors with great success (stuffs been around since I was a kid).

Don't waist your time using it on black.

[Tattoo]

The best i have found for my black Vette and bikes is Zaino

I use turtle wax "ICE" on my black vette it does not last as long as regular wax but it sure does shine on that black paint.

[7hogs]

Everything I own is black and been using it for years mmmmmmmm everyone always comments how great it looks and dust does not seem to collect on it as much. Makes my paint look rich and deap.

Works for me!

[Ironpig9]

I feel your pain. I rode a 01 Vivid Black RK for years and brother was it a pain to keep clean. I tried many products (washes, waxes, etc.) trying to keep the shine on and the dust off. I was never fully satisfied. I do know that if I had a black bike now I would not wash it with water as frequently and would use a detailer like Honda spray detailer (I shutter at the word Honda) or Wizards. Actually, Wizards makes a decent detailer and also a sealer that does a pretty good job. Harley's detailer was very streaky. I would recommend using the scratch and swirl compound by Harley once a year, but go easy with it. Lightly on and lightly off.
One nice thing about the Wizards is that it has an antistatic in it which helps cut down on the dust collecting.
I'm riding a nice 02 RK that thankfully is a Rich Luxury Red and it's not as much of a pain in the ass.

Good luck Bro. Remember, you  bought it to ride and if you ride it, it's gonna get dirty.

[Don D]

The topic can be a bit like oil
A lot of good products
To fix black with swirl or micro scratches you will need to machine buff. Griots sells all the products from reasonable machines to products to get it done. Their excellent staff can and will tell you how to get to the goal too.

[Faast Ed]

7hogs,
Didn't mean to offend you. I could have chosen my words more carefully (had a few last night).
The Liquid Glass did not look as good as some of the other products that I have experimented with,......   but I overstated when I said "it looks like chit on Black".  LOL

My apologies.

[Deye76]

The topic can be a bit like oil
A lot of good products
To fix black with swirl or micro scratches you will need to machine buff. Griots sells all the products from reasonable machines to products to get it done. Their excellent staff can and will tell you how to get to the goal too.

Should a machine be used to slean/stip the old wax? Something with lower rpm? Thanks.

[Faast Ed]

Should a machine be used to slean/stip the old wax? Something with lower rpm? Thanks.

In my opinion, only if the paint is really bad to start with.  The beauty of a machine is it can save you lots of work on large surfaces like cars would have.
While I used a power buffer on a tank that I had painted with great results,...  I still did the final prewax buff by hand with a clean soft cloth.
All it takes is one invisible piece of crud on your machines buffing pad to ADD some serous swirls to your paint! LOL

I prefer to do a mildly swirled finish by hand. Lots of hard work involved, but the areas I'm working on are small.

(Everybody has their own prefered way of doing things).

[jsachs1]

Back in the day,Meguirer's was an associate sponser on my AA/GS Anglia.I was given many cases of Mirror Glaze,a pink colored wax.The "STUFF" is absolutly unreal.Don't know if they still make it,prolly worth a phone call to them.It made black,and just about any dark color look so wet/deep,you'd think you could dive into it.I'm still using it today,no swirls.
John 

[Deye76]

ThanksJSachs and Ed, I remember seeing mirror glaze at a friends bump&paint shop.

[Jim Bronson]

Ed, whats good for stripping wax? Thanks

Dawn for dishes takes off old wax best I've found.

[neale]

Mr Sheene.

[kwillard]

worked in body shops way back when...we used sudsing ammonia to stip all old wax off.

[03deuce]

A while back this same question came up and a suggestion I tried was Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional Show Car Glaze No. 7 for a polish, followed by their Mirror Glaze Professional Hi-Tech Yellow Wax 26.  I was happy with the results. 
I like Faast Ed's suggestion of using a wax remover as a first step.
I know Meguiars has a website that may offer you some help with your question as well.

[tc1550]

mothers syn 2 is awsome

[mike82860]

You aren't waxing the black paint. If it's two stage (solid color base/clearcoat) or 3 stage (solid color base/sparkle/clearcoat) you are waxing the clear coat.

A good factory paint job doesnt need wax for awhile, at most twice a year use a very mild wax to clean the clearcoat.

[Faast Ed]

You aren't waxing the black paint. If it's two stage (solid color base/clearcoat) or 3 stage (solid color base/sparkle/clearcoat) you are waxing the clear coat.

A good factory paint job doesnt need wax for awhile, at most twice a year use a very mild wax to clean the clearcoat.

Granted we are talking about black "color" as opposed to black paint.  Terminology.

However, you can make the Black "color" look much deeper and wet looking as soon as you bring it home.
Also the wax protects the paint in the process. I'd rather scuff the wax than to scuff the clearcoat.

[7hogs]

Faast Ed,

No harm done,


Thanks,

[hdpegscraper]

For the wrinkle black, like on the motor, primary and such, the Turtle Wax Liquid Ice brings back a dark luster when the cases and covers get dull, just sponge it on. I dont like it much on the tank and fenders though. I use a Meguires 3 step for that.   But really, that Liquid Ice stuff sure does wonders on the wrinkle black.     

[53hddan]

I agree with Deweysheads.  Griot's has excellent products.  Have been using them for years on my black vehicles.  They have a product for every phase of paint care.  They also have a nifty little 3" buffer that works great on my bike.  In the past, I have tried just about every vendors products and have found none better than Griot's.  For wax, you can either user their Best of Show wax, or one of their paint sealants.  If I feel like starting over. I remove wax or sealant with their Paint Prep, then clay the paint, then reapply either sealant or Best of Show wax.