Sacrificial Protection
sac•ri•fi•cial [:designed to be used up or destroyed]
aWhat’s the best wax or sealant? Is there a best? In my opinion- No!
While it’s true many of the chemicals used in the formulation of car care products are the same (or at least very similar) Having used a variety of different products,t various cost points, I can tell one from another and field testing shows that not all have the durability either, some simply outperform others in many categories and react differently when applied to different paint types, paint hardness, colour, or varied paint surface conditions.
Ultimately the best wax or sealant will prove to be the one that best meets its user's objectives. If a product is not working for you experiment until you find one that’s suitable for your needs.
Detailing enthusiasts consider shine as only one attribute of a protective wax or sealant. They are equally concerned with; ease of application, resistance to abrasion, atmospheric contamination and weathering. There are many reasons that will influence a choice of car care product; brand loyalty, its popularity, ease of application, aesthetics, to provide protection, and its durability.
Let’s examine a few of those reasons
Aesthetics- of a vehicles appearance is usually based upon an emotional reaction, clarity, depth of shine, gloss and a wet-look are all very subjective to say the least, the only best wax or sealant that really matters is what looks 'best' to you. In the final analysis it all come down to; 85% preparation, 5% product, 7% application methodology and the balance is in the ‘guy’ of the beholder.
Protection – a fundamental question first; what does a paint surface need to be protected from?
Damage to paint comes in a varied range of threats; acid rain, road salt, tree sap, hydrazine an extremely active acid that is found in jet fuel, industrial fallout, ultra violet radiation and other airborne contaminants are very detrimental to a vehicles paint film surface. They are all forms of environmental contamination and given the right catalyst; reactivity (heat) plus moisture, they will become acidic.
Ferrous metal particles produced from the friction of train wheels and rail tracks and brake pad material (semi-metallic, carbon resins, asbestos or ceramics formulations) rubbing against the rotor. The brake material friction as well as metal particles from the rotor or rail tracks disperses tiny particles of black dust, which forms a cohesive bond to the wheels and adheres to localised paint surfaces. Ferrous oxide micro-sized particles when they come into contact with moisture will form rust.
Bird excrement comprises; Ammonia and urine as white crystals of uric acid (pH 3.0 - 4.5) a small organic compound, which is produced by the breakdown of protein during digestion, and is excreted by reptiles and birds. Uric acid is also the end product of nitrogen catabolism in birds Ammonia is a mixture of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas; with moisture as a catalyst it becomes Ammonium Hydroxide, which is caustic.
Bug Residue and Carcasses - the carcass is very acidic, and if left for any length of time will cause the porous clear coat to occlude (a non-transparent ‘clouded’ area) or may cause etching (a depression in the paint or glass surfaces)
Calcium - an untimely lawn sprinkler, a springtime shower, or spots that remained after washing, the minerals are white calcium/sodium deposits that are alkaline-based, especially from hard water. If left on the vehicle paint surface they act the same way as acid rain in that they will etch the paint film surface.
Contaminants - particles of dirt, grime, carbon emissions from catalytic converters, bird excrement, calcium, tar, oil, hard water deposits, calcium or any pollutant type substance that adheres to your paint surface, sometimes invisible the naked eye.
Corrosion (metal oxidation) - Salt water conducts electricity better than fresh water so in areas that use salt on the roads, this process is greatly accelerated. Corrosion (rust) destroys metal by an electro-chemical reaction with water as the catalyst (water + ozone (an oxidizer) moisture + oxygen).
Hydrazine - an extremely active acid that is found in jet fuel, vehicles that park in close proximity to airports or flight-paths are subject to this contaminant. Acid rain (sulphur dioxide plus moisture) and is caused by sulphur from impurities in fossil fuels and nitrogen from the air combining with oxygen to form sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These diffuse into the atmosphere and react with water to form sulphuric and nitric acids which are soluble and fall with the rain. Some hydrochloric acid is also formed.
Industrial Fallout (IFO) - emissions from power generation, manufacturing plants and combustion engines emit Sulphuric acid from their exhaust stacks etc, vehicular catalytic converters emit carbon compounds that mixed with ozone (an oxidizer) and water becomes Sulphuric acid.
Oxidation - UV- A radiation is known to contribute to the chemical modification of exposed paint surfaces resulting in loss of gloss, colour change, chalking, flaking and eventually destruction of the paint film
Pollen - the yellow fines to coarse powders you see in the air is made up of small sperm cells from blooming plants and is one of the most common allergy triggers. The pollen from trees are the main concern, vehicles get hit with pollen laced trees that include: oak, western red cedar, elm, birch, ash, hickory, polar, sycamore, maple, cypress and walnut (which also leaves an oily residue). Pollen grains of pines, firs, and spruces are winged.
UV radiation - wavelengths; ultraviolet and infrared radiation, respectively has a two-fold effect; infrared (heat) UV-A and ultra violet (light) UV-B
Ultra violet radiation is a paint film surface's greatest enemy, causing more damage than any other airborne contaminant and affecting both the interior and exterior of a vehicle. The light in this spectral range (UV-
is responsible for photo degradation. Photo degradation results in discoloration, fading, embitterment, cracking, chalking and/or loss of mechanical properties. Heat is also harmful to exposed materials, the heat you feel from the sun, on the dash, etc, is the infra-red (UV-A) waves at the other end of the spectrum.
Road Salt - Although salt is inert when subjected to freezing (15 – 20.oF ) it’s considered the lower limit for salt to melt snow/ice but once H2O, even in the form of moist air (i.e. humidity) is added the freezing point is lowered and the saline solution(salt/water) will have an adverse effect on the vehicles paint and undercarriage.
Rail Dust - small particles of metal (ferrous oxide) created by railroad wheels abrading the metal tracks, these particles become airborne and pollutes paint film surfaces. New cars that are transported by rail are at extra risk. When moisture combines with the metal particles rust is formed, creating small rust spots, allied with acid rain they will cause the metal under the paint system to rust
Tree resin (sap) - appears like a dark brown/ rust red colour raised surface mark, some of the most common resinous tree sap types are: White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Walnut (also secretes an oily residue) Maple, Oak, Popular, and Blue Spruce, none of which are water soluble, the acidic content of the sap will etch the paint surface; causing a concave surface.
Summary
Quite a formidable list but all these have a few things in common; they are all forms of environmental contamination and given the right catalyst; reactivity (heat) plus moisture, they will become acidic. During this process the metal absorbs oxygen from the water and forms iron oxide (rust). Given the porosity of paint they permeate the paint matrix down to body metal.
The good or at least better news is that an organic wax will provide a sacrificial barrier i.e. it provides (time) limited protection and also absorbs the acid, which can then be wiped off and then renewed. It should be noted that any wax subjected to an acidic attack (bird excrement, etc) must be removed without delay otherwise the paint surface will be compromised.
Sacrificial Barriers
Carnauba wax - molecules form a closed linked mesh like structure, which means that they only butt up together to protect the surface and the wax forms a shell like structure that adheres to the paint surface. When attacked by environmental elements they have to compromise the wax surface before they can reach the clear coat paint surface and cause surface etching.
Most organic waxes (Carnauba) and some inorganic wax (Collinite) are more resistant to environmental hazards then synthetics, although an Acrylic polymer offers limited resistance. Being a sacrificial coating, the best way to avoid clear coat etching is too remove the environmental acid, along with the wax as soon as it’s noticed; but given enough time acid will compromise the clear coat whatever its protection.
A nanotechnology coating - is formulated to be detergent and heat resistant (up to 500.oF) and then an organic wax over the coating, and this sacrificial barrier will provide protection by providing a limited resistance to acids along with washing the vehicles paint surface and replacing the organic wax on a regular basis.
Nanotechnology coatings even though they provide protection from some surface scratches do not protect a paint surface from acidic attack (G|Techniq Surface Coatings, Nanolex, Optimum Polymer Technologies, Opti-Coat G'zox Polymer Coatings and PPG CeramiClear™ ) nor do most polymer sealants,(the exception is an Acrylic polymer) or waxes (organic or synthetic)
Clear film vinyl wrap - an effective deterrent to environmental acidic contaminants, once the paint film surface has been decontaminated, is to apply a vinyl paint wrap they are becoming an increasingly popular aftermarket accessory, changing the look of a car as well as preserving the original paint from chips and scratches as well as environmental damage. It has many other advantages. For one, you basically save time and money on repairs normally requiring bodywork repairs such as paint chips, car getting keyed, scrapes and scuffs, etc, as the film protects you from all that and keeps the car original and body repair work-free.
Be cognizant that any paint surface that is subjected to an acidic attack (bird excrement, etc) the acid residue must be removed without delay otherwise the paint surface will be compromised, along with washing and regularly decontaminating the vehicles paint surface (Cquartz Iron X) and replacing the sacrificial organic wax on a regular basis.
Durability - although you cannot equate a products beading ability to protection and durability, if an applied product continues to `bead' water, one wash after another, then that would prove that whatever it is that is causing high surface tension is not washing off. Note- dust and road soil will also have a negative impact on ‘water beading’. This is often mistaken as ‘wax / sealant failure
In terms of durability the consensus of opinion is that a nanotechnology coating, followed by a polymer sealant, a synthetic wax and last of all an organic wax, but then it does provide the best sacrificial barrier
• Brand loyalty
• Popularity
• Ease of application
Are all personal preferences?
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Since I have been banned from this forum,I cannot post a response. The author TOWGT is a person with alot of knowledge and education as you can tell. Although what useful info does this article offer me as a detailer?
He makes this statement: "What’s the best wax or sealant? Is there a best? In my opinion- No!While it’s true many of the chemicals used in the formulation of car care products are the same (or at least very similar)."
"Ultimately the best wax or sealant will prove to be the one that best meets its user's objectives. If a product is not working for you experiment until you find one that’s suitable for your needs"
He does a great job explaining all the bad things that destroy a clear coat,
and the different types of products on the market today.Although, what does this
article offer?
"Quite a formidable list but all these have a few things in common; they are all forms of environmental contamination and given the right catalyst; reactivity (heat) plus moisture, they will become acidic. During this process the metal absorbs oxygen from the water and forms iron oxide (rust). Given the porosity of paint they permeate the paint matrix down to body metal".Ok
"In terms of durability the consensus of opinion is that a nanotechnology coating, followed by a polymer sealant, a synthetic wax and last of all an organic wax, but then it does provide the best sacrificial barrier".Also,
remember this:"It should be noted that any wax subjected to an acidic attack (bird excrement, etc) must be removed without delay otherwise the paint surface will be compromised." Gee, like that will happen when it is 40 below zero!
Now let me get this straight.I have to apply a polymer sealant,followed by a synthetic wax, and last an organic wax to protect my customers paint.This
advice makes about as much sense as putting a screen door on a submarine.
TOWGT has 30 years as a chemical engineer, and this is the information that these gurus offer on these forums.
I offer a one coat solution that truly protects,offers a awesome shine, and I show you where to buy at for a dirt cheap price. You would think people would appreciate the info, and say thanks for the info.No way, just insults,getting banned,and total indifference.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2011 12:50AM by billd55.