Yepper the TBM and a Wookies fist.

 

another vote for the Black Box stuff..Works great. And the detail spray os perfect to through in your bag for a quick wipedown at a shiw or whatever.
Becuase all of the products are tinted black, they dont seem to leave any residue of you miss a spot wiping it off...it will dye your hands, and quick, though!!

 

Ok, lets say I end up having to do my paint correction using M-105 or 205, Whats the next step? Should I use the Glare to try to harden my CC? Is there a better way to finish this soft CC?

 

Not having encountered the dreaded Vivid Black Clear Coat personally...I probably would wait for the test results from tlmitchell.

He seems to have his finger on it. The idea is to do the prep/polish work then apply Glare to (hopefully) harden the soft Vivid Black CC and make it more scratch resistant in the future. I don't use Glare for everything but for certain problems it is my go-to product and it lasts.

I'm looking forward to hearing his Vivid Black Clear Coat test results.

 

SUCCESS! Well, at least for now.

I've been doing some test spots by hand with and Glare having mixed results. The stuff works as a diminishing abrasive compound on moderate swirls but I was putting some marring back in with the pad. I was using new, lightly QD misted Meg's yellow foam applicators. And under the Brinkmann I could see I was leaving marring in the direction I was rubbing. Then I was seeing more slight marring when I wiped with my softest, plushest microfiber. Man, if you can't wipe it down with microfiber without leaving marks what are ya gonna do?!?

I sat around and thought about this whole situation for a while. I eventually went all the way back to square one.

I had some unopened microfiber applicators I picked up at Autozone. I usually favor the light blue ones seen various places because not only are they soft, the seem to get softer the more you wash them. These Autozone jobs were a 4-pack, 2 orange and 2 gray. What I hadn't realized when I bought 'em was that the orange ones were fully brushed producing a flannel-like surface. Think I'll give these a try.

I lightly misted the pad just enough no dry spots would ever touch paint. Then I attempted a Kevin Brown hand-job... I primed the whole surface of the pad and wiped off the excess and hit the tank with Ultimate Compound. I was going to start with M105 but that'd be overkill. I use UC by hand to remove ring and fingernail marks around door handles and like the way it finishes by hand. I rubbed my *** off with heavy pressure and when I was ready to wipe it off I was thinking to myself, "Self (that's what I call myself when I talk to myself)... what difference is the UC going to make if the nicest MF you have leaves marring"? Then I thought about something softer... I got a couple of Cobra waffle weave microfiber towels for Christmas. Good thing because *I* sure wouldn't pay what they want for these things! I lightly misted the tank with QD for lubrication and the waffle weave removed the polish residue without leaving a mark! Hurray! Progress!!! However, under the Brinkmann Xenon light, which is almost as tough a critic as direct sun, the gloss was a bit lacking and somewhat hazy. So I broke out the M205 and primed a fresh flannel-like MF pad and rubbed the bejeezus out of it again. Once again, even better results.

I'd recently read an article on AGO by Mike Phillips where he was talking about polishing vintage cars and how different it is working with old, delicate paint. Instead of using abrasives he used multiple applications of good old Meg's #7 to restore the finish of a '73 Lincoln using the pure polish to bring it to it's potential without the risk of damage. I figured if it's excellent for delicate paint lets give it a go with the softest finish *I've* ever seen. I flipped over one of the super-soft, flannel-like MF applicators and hit the tank with #7 and once again wiped off the residue with the waffle weave. And I was rewarded with an even deeper, richer, marr-free finish. Eureka! I've found the magic formula!

I then used the last clean side of one of the super-soft applicators to give the tank the Glare treatment. Used as directed it imparted a great shine with no marring. The finish turned out so good I could now see defects in the finish that were part of the paint as it came from the factory. D'OH! :::shrug::: What are ya gonna do?

OK, now I know how to get this soft clearcoat perfect. From now on nothing but WW microfiber on the tank and we'll see what wiping light dust off with a QD does tomorrow. Yeah, I'm still gonna be seeing recurring marks, it's unavoidable when ever I rib my leg on the tank or splat a bug. But at least now I can correct it. Maybe I ought to quit while I'm ahead just throw a cover over it so it'll stay perfect. Naw... I think I'll ride the wheels off it instead and clean it up when the wheels aren't turning.

It'll be interesting to see if Glare imparts any swirl resistant characteristics. We'll see what we'll see...

Thanks for the pointers, Merlin!

TL

 

Hey Toastman, just curious as to why you leave the wax on for that amount of time.

 

Excellent article. Nice call using the Meg's #7
Sounds like you found the process for VB CC.
I'm also interested in finding out if Glare helps toughen up such a delicate paint.
Way to go! Please keep us posted.

 

It appears the secret was in the flannel-like applicators and using a very soft WW to remove residue. I'd just given all the MFs a vinegar rinse which removed any residual soap and returned them to their original softness and absorbancy. I probably wouldn't have thought of the WW for residue removal if I hadn't just washed them and noticed the Cobras were softer than anything else. Now it's time to head to Autozone and pick up a truckload of those soft applicators. As we all know, when you find something you really like that works well it'll be discontiued or turn into unobtainium!

I really like the finish Glare leaves. Since it's a polish and cleaner there's obviously no return on repeated applications because it'll just self-clean. It's sometimes hard to resist the 'more is better' approach. Although the instructions indicate topping with anything will adveresely affect the Glare finish I'm tempted to experiment with half the tank and hit it with some OptiSeal, OCW or 845. Just can't leave well enough alone, ya know?

I've always used products that beaded and only sheeted if you specifically rinsed using sheeting. This could be a bonus with black in preventing water spots I s'pose.

Real hidden bonus using Glare on the pipes, it doesn't appear to burn off like every other polish, sealant or wax! Shines as well as any chrome or metal polish I've ever used. We'll see about longevity...

Time to hit the swirled, plastic wind deflectors with this stuff and see how it works!

TL

 

FAIL!

Got the barge out in direct sun today before going for a ride. Tin looked good, fiberglass looked good. Wiped the dust off after I got back using a spritzed, damp WW and a liberal amount of UQD on one side of the tank, FK125 on the other and ONR QD on the fairing. Fiberglass still looks good in direct sun, tank is swirled.

So I'm wandering around a Bike Night looking at black bikes and talking to the owners. Every dresser rider is mother****ing the soft CC. Dyna riders don't seem to have that problem. One guys 8 yr old FXD was flawless in the sun, sez he smears some Turtle Wax on it every once in a while. Guys with black Hertages found it impossible to polish out swirls as well which bring me to a theory.

Bagger fiberglass comes out of Tomahawk, WI. Tin comes out of York. Dynas are built in Kansas City. Softails come from York. It appears to me that the CC hardness on Vivid Black coming out of York is the problem. And there's nothing you can do about it except possibly respray the clear. That ain't gonna happen.

TL

 

what is the product called now?
or product number

thanks