~pjgh

There are a number of questions about waxes that come up again and again, such as:

How do I prepare a surface for waxing?
How long should I leave the wax before buffing off?
How long must I leave it before adding a second layer?
When is it fully cured?

This advice is, for the most part, about wax but much of it holds true for sealants.

Let’s tackle the first matter: Bonding

For a wax to bond to paint, it must be clean. There are a number of ways of cleaning paint in preparation for a wax - a 50/50 solution of IPA and distilled water, a dedicated inspection spray (like Menzerna Top Inspection, or Meguiars Last Touch), a pure hand polish (such as Meguiars #7 or #81), a paint cleanser (like Serious Performance Paint Cleanser or AIOs, like Car-Lack68 NSC, AG SRP) or a dedicated pre-wax cleanser (such as Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite, Zymöl HD Cleanse or Swissvax Cleaner Fluid).

The paint should be squeaky clean and gleaming.

Now, let’s apply the wax - use bare hands or a foam applicator. The use of bare hands should be restricted to pure waxes, such as those from Dodo Juice, those that state they should be applied by bare hand like Victoria Wax or those which fashion dictates like Zymöl and Swissvax. If you get an adverse reaction when applying wax by bare hand, wash your hands thoroughly using a pH neutral soap with moisturisers and apply a moisturiser after drying. Foam applicators should definitely be used with waxes that have an obviously high solvent content, such as Collinite 476S. Disposal gloves can be worn as further protection from solvents in wax products and this is a practice that is advocated by professionals who are in contact with such chemicals on a regular basis.

Many engineered waxes will contain some cleansing elements and often the high solvent content will assist with the cleaning up of the surface and evaporate quickly to allow the wax to then bond to the paint. More pure waxes also contain solvents and will do this as a natural by-process, but to a lesser extent. Neither excuses poor surface preparation!

Bare hand application is simply a case of transferring an amount of the wax from the pot to the palm of one hand, lifting it with the fingertips of the other and working is against the fingertips of the first hand. Use fingertips to apply in a stroking/grooming action going back over the area to even up. Foam pad application is also as simple as patting a moistened applicator into the wax and then spreading over the car - unless the instructions state otherwise, use long strokes in a fore/aft direction on the top panels and up/down on the side panels. Apply as thin a layer as possible, since “less is more” … read on.

We now step back and leave the product to haze.

This is the point at which the wax will bond to clean paint and often called curing. Curing is a process which will continue long after the wax haze has been removed, so I prefer to call this bonding although the curing process does cover this phase and the next. When considering hazing, we see how “less is more” - haze is simply waste product that is removed when the wax is buffed off and serves no purpose to the overall look or protection, since it is simply not on the car! Furthermore, a whisper thin layer will haze over quickly and the solvents evaporate more rapidly - I believe this allows the wax to bond more effectively, although I have no scientific backing; just the long term effect that the wax has on paint when observed over a period of months.

Once hazed, the wax is ready to remove.

Removal is simply a case of folding up a microfibre towel into quarters and gently wiping the residue off. The curing phase will continue for up to a couple of days until the wax has reached its most hardened. Some waxes may be observed to “sweat” a little - Dodo Juice Supernatural is one very pure wax where this is quite apparent. The oils in the wax continue to evaporate and sometimes, a slight hologram effect can be seen on the paint and if left, a secondary haze may occur. This is quite natural and should be dealt with by a spritz of distilled water, ideally, or a QD and wiped over again with a clean microfibre towel.

The bare minimum length of time before a second layer of wax can be applied is about one hour. This allows the majority of any residual oils to evaporate and the outer skin of what is a micron thin layer of product to start to harden. This process continues over the next day, or so, and so ideally the surface should be left for a good day before applying a second layer of wax.

Some people advocate applying a second layer of wax almost immediately to ensure good coverage. While there is some merit to this method, it is better to ensure that the initial layer is applied with adequate coverage. There is one technique which might have some sound logic and assist with the rapid application of a second layer of wax - spit shining. This is a technique where chilled distilled water is misted over the surface after the initial haze has been buffed off to cause the outer shell of the wax to cure quickly due to the chilling effect. The second layer of wax is applied to the moistened surface and left to cure as normal. Some people advocate not removing the haze from the first layer and mist over that haze, applying the second layer of wax without buffing off the layer of first wax.

Spit shining aside, if a second layer of wax is applied too soon the solvents will simply wipe off the underlying, unhardened layer of wax and there is no actual gain in doing so. The curing process can clearly be understood as taking place as soon as the wax starts to haze and continues long after that haze has been removed. Since the word curing is set in most people’s mind as the process which takes place between application and hazing, we should call this phase hardening.

One final area to consider is the layered approach - applying a wax on top of a glaze, or a sealant. Simply put, the same rules apply - these products must be allowed to bond, haze, cure and harden before the next layer is applied. Some products will do this faster than others and some are more suited to waxes that are high in solvent content - the Car-Lack68 Nano Systematic Care polish is a very rapidly curing product becoming ready for the next layer within half an hour and when followed with their Long Life Sealant is a preparation ready for a wax as strong in solvents as Collinite almost immediately. Products from the same stable are in many cases designed to work together, so Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze followed almost immediately by Jetseal 109, left for half an hour and then topped with Pete’s 53 Black Pearl Signature Paste Wax is a routine that will work well.

I hope that this clarifies each stage of the waxing process, what is happening at each stage and summarises that wax should be applied to clean, well prepared surfaces in as thin a layer as possible given good coverage, allowed to haze over and then permitted to harden in its own time.

Have a lot of fun …

Dodo Juice designed their Supernatural wax to be the purest - no additional colour and no addition scent. Now in version two, the wax represents one of the finest that can be applied to a perfectly polished car and the growing list of ancillary products make up quite a boutique kit:

• Supernatural Wax - Plastic Tub
• Supernatural Wax - Machine Stick
• Supernatural Wax - Iroku Wooden Container
• Supernatural Applicator
• Supernatural Clay
• Supernatural Shampoo
• Supernatural Wash Mitten - the ‘Wookie Fist’
• Supernatural Drying Towel - the ‘Jedi Blanket’

Firstly, the wax itself.

While there is no added scent, there is a most delicious scent - think sugary, like fine toffee.

The surface should be prepared with their Lime Prime or Lime Prime Lite pre-wax cleanser to ensure that the surface is clean and ready to accept a wax. Following machine polishing, a wipe down with Lime Prime Lite is perfect - many surfaces will respond to the gentle cutting action of Lime Prime if surface swirling is present.

Using the supplied finger foam applicator, the wax seems very hard and appears reluctant to transfer to the applicator. While that is a concern, it is unfounded - the wax transfer to the applicator is quite sufficient to put down a whisper thin layer, almost imperceptible, that will cure perfectly … a little faith is required: this is after all, Supernatural!

Applied to the car and curing:

After a short while, which could be between five and fifteen minutes the wax haze is ready to be removed. While this can be undertaken at the first point it is ready to be removed, it does no harm to leave the wax curing on the paint for any amount of time - even an hour, if you want to work at that pace.

Removal is as pleasant as application - simply wipe off the haze gently with a fine microfibre towel. No hard rubbing is required and any hint of a sticky patch is quite simply down to having applied the initial layer too thickly; the scant instructions on the tub do say not to ‘cake the product on’. This is very much a “less is more” product and in many respects, haze should be considered waste - that is the residue which is buffed off.

The result? Perfection!

Sometimes, which has been more often than not in my experience, a secondary haze appears after about half an hour of buffing. This is to be expected, according to Dodo Juice, and something that is easily remedied. Simply wipe over the surface again with a clean microfibre. Personally, I find a light spritz of chilled distilled water assists the complete removal much more effectively and would cite that as the most useful hint at this stage.

You can see the light hazing that has appeared here, presenting itself as a hologram effect:

Misted with chilled distilled water and gently buffed, that secondary hazing does not reappear:

In summary, the wax and the applicator are to be recommended. The application and removal is phenomenally easy. The downside is the secondary hazing which, once expected is easily remedied. The products are well made, the plastic pots tactile and no doubt the Iroku wood tub is a sheer delight to own.

Beading? In the rain, the surface becomes speckled with small beads of water, well spaced and upright.

A Detailer’s delight:

Proceeding to the first wash, the shampoo and wash mitten are found to be the perfect tools for the job.

Made from thick wool, specifically commissioned by Dodo Juice, the wash mitten is quite possibly the softest and deepest wash mitten on the market. Depth of the wool is important so that dirt on the surface of the paintwork is not ground in by the washing action, but drawn into the wool fibres and held safely out of the way. The mitten should be rinsed well before use and rinsed well after each section of the car is washed before placing back into the bucket of suds.

The shampoo is so very concentrated, that two pumps per “standard Halfords bucket” is all that is required. One pump per three litres of water is the published dilution rate and this will generate a bucket full of fine foam.

Upon immersing the wash mitten it becomes apparent just how much liquid this mitten can hold. One whole gallon can be withdrawn from the wash bucket and held over the bucket to drain will then happily transfer two litres of suds to the car. Most impressive and more important, very safe for washing - the shampoo is very lubricating and the suds, while they dissipate quite quickly, certainly assist in lifting dirt from the surface for the mitten to collect up as a moraine of water washes most straight off the car.

Once washed, the beading is revived:

Patted dry:

The shampoo and wash mitten are perfect partners to the wax, allowing for a gentle removal of dirt. Any glossing agents in the shampoo revive the initial look of the wax and the initial beading is certainly revived. One concern for some would be how the foaminess of the shampoo dilution in the bucket is lost quite quickly, but the lubricity of the shampoo by far makes up for any loss of bubbles.

The the purest look on the perfect paint, it simply has to be Supernatural: