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  1. #1
    Just a regular guy Todd@RUPES's Avatar
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    What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    What`s in a Name? Paint Care Products

    There is a lot of confusion in the car care industry about certain names of products and their meanings. This is because there is no Standardization of Terms, so names can be used for marketing purposes that can confuse the end consumer.

    In this article we will look at some commonly used names and acronyms that deal with paint care, including polishes, glazes, and LSP`s.

    LSP- The acronym LSP has evolved to mean “Last Step Product” which covers the last applied protective product (wax, paint sealant, or paint coating). The acronym LSP was originally coined by Mike Phillip`s to mean “Last Step Process”. This broader term could include using a glaze (in a body shop), a quick detailer, or even washing the car. The very last step done before the detail was complete, regardless of actual process or product used.


    (Car )Wax- Car Wax was originally a generic term used to describe products applied to to the paint for protection and shine. Car Waxes, originally, consisted of different forums of natural occurring waxes, (primarily bees wax and carnauba wax), oils, solvents, and resins. As synthetic car wax technology evolved (later becoming known as sealants) the term wax began to be applied to products that contained mostly natural ingredients. The primary ingredient in waxes today is mostly premium grade carnauba.
    Examples of car waxes: P21s Concours Look Carnauba Wax, Pinnacle Souveran, Dodo Juice SuperNatural
    Examples of products that are not true waxes using the wax name: Meguiar`s NXT Tech-Wax, Prima Banana Armor Wax


    (Paint) Sealants- Paint Sealants are protective paint products that perform a similar function to car wax but use primarily synthetic ingredients. Originally many paint sealants used the name wax in order to avoid confusing the consumer, although the term paint sealant was later used to separate these synthetic products for their natural ingredient cousins. Some paint sealants do have a small blend of wax (usually montan wax or carnauba wax) but the primary ingredient is usually resins or polymers. I am not aware of any product that uses this term in a different manner than above.
    Examples of synthetic paint sealants: BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection, Optimum Opti-Seal, Ultima Paint Guard Plus, Wolfgang Deep Gloss 3.0


    Polish- The term polish conjures up high-gloss, perfectly clean finishes that reflect light and is used in everything from furniture car to toothpaste. The most commonly accepted definition of the term polish, as it relates to the car care industry, is a product that is abrasive in nature and creates a smoother surface. Many polishes are applied by machine to achieve their desired results. However the term polish has been loosely applied and can applied to glazes, waxes, and sealants as well.
    Examples of paint polishes: BLACKFIRE SCR Finishing Polish, Menzerna SI1500, Meguiar`s Ultimate Polish
    Examples of car sealants using the term polish: Duragloss Total Performance Polish, Zaino Z2 Show Car Polish
    Examples of non-abrasive cleaners and glazes using the term polish: BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish, Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer


    Compound- A compound is an aggressive polish designed to remove serious paint defects, usually applied by machine. This term is a common term and I am unaware of any product using it in another fashion
    Examples of Compounds: 3M Extra Cut Compound, BLACKFIRE SRC Compound, Menzerna PG1000


    Glaze- The term glaze is one of the most widely used and least defined in the car care industry. This is because the term split into several different meanings, almost immediately after it gained popularity. In the old days (circa 1930`s and 1940`s) Glazes were essentially waxes with out the wax. They contained the oils and solvents, but did not have any wax for fear for sealing in fresh paint and preventing the old lacquers from curing.

    A lot of body shops used to mix glazes with abrasives, corn-starch being a popular one, in order to clean the paint or remove blemishes. Also the old lacquer paints were quite porous and would fade. Adding the oils from the glaze to the paint would seem to revitalize the paint (because the paint would literally drink the oil). Prior, glazes were used as a wax with out wax, but now they became known for their ability to make paint wetter.

    While machine polishers were used prior to the 1950`s, this is when they really started to show up in body shops. Glaze manufacturers knew they could reach a bigger market if they put abrasives (for polishing) into the glaze, since the the glaze was traditionally the last step. The abrasive or machine glaze was born. From this point on glazes could be abrasive or non abrasive depending on the manufacturer. It was not a matter just a matter of marketing, but rather a description of the product.

    In the 1990`s (perhaps slightly before) Zymol began to refer to their waxes as glazes in some literature, which later became the infamous Estate Glazes.

    Today, the term glaze, outside of Zymol`s use, refers to a product that is applied to the paint with out any protective (or very little) ingredients. These could be oil based, acrylic based (which feature polymers identical to a sealant), be abrasive or non-abrasive, and may or may not work with waxes or sealants.
    Products that use the term glaze to define a gloss enhancing step with out any protection: Meguiar`s #7 Show Car Glaze, Poorboy`s World Black Hole Glaze, Prima Amiga
    Waxes that use the term glaze: Zymol brand
    Paint Polishes that use the term glaze: 3M Machine Glaze, Mothers Professional Machine Glaze, Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0.


    Cleaner/Waxes and AIO`s- Cleaner/Waxes are products that blend together the protective properties of a carnauba based car wax with the polishing ability of a paint polish. AIO`s, or All In One`s, are similar products that tend to rely on natural ingredients, like synthetic paint sealants, to achieve the same, all inclusive polishing and protecting in one step. These terms after often used interchangeably
    Examples of products that are cleaner/waxes or AIO`s- BLACKFIRE Total Polish N` Seal, Klasse AIO, Optimum Poli-Seal.


    Paint Cleansing Lotions- Paint Cleansing or Pre-Wax Cleaners are products that are generally designed to deep clean and prime the paint for protection. They usually feature chemical cleaners, a light abrasive polish, or glazing agents. Often the contain all three.
    Examples of Products that are Paint Cleansing Lotions/Pre Wax Cleaners: BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish, Ultima Paint Prep Plus

  2. #2
    Ummm.... Ya..... TroyScherer's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Good info here. Thanks Todd.

  3. #3
    Addicted2Bling's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Man, I wish I could have read this before I started detailing... Good stuff!!
    Get your shine on!

  4. #4
    Super Moderator Pats300zx's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Great info Todd !!!!
    Only Z Best Detailing-Automotive Concours Detailing Services
    http://ozbdetailing.com
    https://www.facebook.com/ozbautodetailing

  5. #5
    L&I Detailing's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    As always a great write up clarifying common questions many may have before jumping into the world of detailing.

  6. #6
    BobbyG's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Tremendous post Todd! The definition and clarity is superb and now saved as a bookmark for future reference...

    Thank you!!


    BobbyG

  7. #7
    Just a regular guy Todd@RUPES's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Thank you gentleman!

  8. #8

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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    This is a great article and very helpful. I`ve just gotten a PC 7424 and am really confused about where to start on my 1988 Guards Red Carrera (single stage paint). Would it be a good idea to start out by picking one product/line and use all their compound/polish/glaze/whatever product so I don`t have to worry about what exactly the function is of the various products? It seems like I might have problems if I`m trying to figure out whether to go from a 3M compound to a Meguirs polish then a Black Fire Sealant and some other wax...does that make sense?
    Thanks

  9. #9
    Just a regular guy Todd@RUPES's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Quote Originally Posted by 88911coupe View Post
    This is a great article and very helpful. I`ve just gotten a PC 7424 and am really confused about where to start on my 1988 Guards Red Carrera (single stage paint). Would it be a good idea to start out by picking one product/line and use all their compound/polish/glaze/whatever product so I don`t have to worry about what exactly the function is of the various products? It seems like I might have problems if I`m trying to figure out whether to go from a 3M compound to a Meguirs polish then a Black Fire Sealant and some other wax...does that make sense?
    Thanks
    I feel it is best to stick with one brand. BLACKFIRE offers a great two step process that should work wonders on your single stage finish.

  10. #10

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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Thanks Todd, when you say two stage process is that referring to any specific product(s)...would I just do a search for BF two stage process? Sorry for the dumb question.
    Thanks,
    Buck

  11. #11
    Just a regular guy Todd@RUPES's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Quote Originally Posted by 88911coupe View Post
    Thanks Todd, when you say two stage process is that referring to any specific product(s)...would I just do a search for BF two stage process? Sorry for the dumb question.
    Thanks,
    Buck
    No such thing as a dumb question (well maybe there is but yours doesn`t qualify), just an incomplete answer.

    BLACKFIRE SRC Compound would be step one and would be used to remove serious paint defects, swirl marks, and deeper paint imperfections

    BLACKFIRE SRC Finishing Polish would be the follow up step. It will remove any light haze from the compound will creating a smooth, mirror-like finish.

  12. #12
    Opti Coat Pro Certified Orinda Auto Detail's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Quote Originally Posted by Todd Helme View Post
    No such thing as a dumb question (well maybe there is but yours doesn`t qualify), just an incomplete answer.

    BLACKFIRE SRC Compound would be step one and would be used to remove serious paint defects, swirl marks, and deeper paint imperfections

    BLACKFIRE SRC Finishing Polish would be the follow up step. It will remove any light haze from the compound will creating a smooth, mirror-like finish.
    He speaks the truth! Those 2 products have my goto since I used them. I`ve done some seriously messed up cars and still have seen anything this combo didnt handle like a champ! Just tape everything with the compound it dust a lot.

  13. #13
    Opti Coat Pro Certified Orinda Auto Detail's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Great info here Todd!

  14. #14

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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Thanks for the clarification. The paint on my car, even though its 24 years old (always garaged) is in pretty decent shape. Would it make more sense to just start with the SRC Finishing Polish? I assume a sealant/wax after that or should a glaze be next, THEN wax/sealant? I printed the What`s in a Name above for permanent reference.

  15. #15
    Just a regular guy Todd@RUPES's Avatar
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    Re: What`s in a name- Paint Care Products

    Quote Originally Posted by 88911coupe View Post
    Thanks for the clarification. The paint on my car, even though its 24 years old (always garaged) is in pretty decent shape. Would it make more sense to just start with the SRC Finishing Polish? I assume a sealant/wax after that or should a glaze be next, THEN wax/sealant? I printed the What`s in a Name above for permanent reference.
    Yes and no. We always recommend starting with the least abrasive method first and working a section, known as a test spot. What tends to happen on older paints is that your remove the light surface swirl marks and unmasked the deeper paint imperfections, known as RIDS (random isolated deeper scratching).

    While you may be able to get away with the just the SRC Finishing Polish, it has been my experience that you would benefit by having both on hand.

    If you want to stay within the BLACKFIRE line up, then you would top the polishing job with the Wet Diamond Paint Sealant and Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste. This creates a layered, 3 dimensional shine known as WET ICE OVER FIRE.

    Here are links to the products you will need from BLACKFIRE.

    BLACKFIRE Duo BLACKFIRE SRC Compund & BLACKFIRE SRC Finishing Polish

    BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice over Fire Kit

 

 
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