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Explaining the Choices

It would be hard to name another product category in our industry that has more vendors than compounds, polishes and waxes.

By Mark Clark
10/1/1996

In each case, the product manufacturer figures it has the best solution to your problems, but as every painter well knows, there is a difference in how the various brands perform. If you wish that your current product stayed wet longer, cut faster or cleaned up easier, then it's time to try some other brand.

Most brands have at least one product offering in the following general product classes: compounds, cleaners, polishes, glazes, waxes and sealants. What follows is some generic information that may help you choose among them.

Compounds
These products are the most abrasive of the above categories. However, just like lacquer thinner is the harshest class of solvents, there's a huge difference in the $15 gallon of topcoat lacquer thinner and the $4 gallon of clean-up lacquer thinner.

A wide range of abrasive types and sizes are used in compounds, which are designed to actually shave or cut the finish. This serious abrasive action removes paint defects, heavy oxidation from long exposure to UV rays and even fairly deep paint scratches.

The abrasive itself can be made from a variety of things. For many years, a common abrasive particle was pumice. Pumice is a light, porous volcanic glass used for polishing and erasing surface defects in many different industries. It's quite soft, so it doesn't cut a hard paint finish very well; at the same time, it's prone to leaving swirl marks in softer finishes.

Fine sand (or silica) can be obtained in various degrees of hardness and particle size to suit the abrasive purpose in other compounds. Still, other abrasives are fabricated in the laboratory to do just the shaving job required of them; these high-tech abrasives are often very good at melting away with the heat of the polisher's action, creating a polishing effect.

To be used, abrasives must be put into some kind of solution, and the base of many of these products is an "oil" of some kind. Most use mineral oil, mineral spirits, naphtha, kerosene and assorted petroleum distillates in some combination. The combination, of course, is the "secret" formula that makes each product better than its competitors. Waterbased products are easy to clean up, but the heat from the polisher evaporates the water pretty quickly; most products advertised as waterbased also have a petrochemical lubricant in them to keep them wet.

Lubrication is a problem because the heat build-up from the wool pad makes both the paint finish and the compound hot. To keep the whole works mixed uniformly together, most products also include glycerine, soap or silicone emulsions.

Cleaners
Products described as cleaners or combination products that also "clean" the surface simply contain smaller amounts of the same kinds of abrasive that compound products do.

These mild abrasive products actually remove very little of the paint finish and do an acceptable job of removing very mild oxidation. Oxidation describes the effect of UV rays on the resin that makes up paint. These UV rays destroy the resin in the paint, leaving just the pigment. When you can run your finger across a painted surface and it comes away with color on it, that's the pigment. Cleaners remove slight amounts of this pigment from the finish without doing much damage.

In many cases, a clay bar will clean a surface just as well. These hunks of clay (much like you used in grade school to make ashtrays) do a remarkable job of pulling the contaminants off the painted surface without damaging the finish itself. Use the clay bar with a lubricant of some kind (like soapy water) to keep the bar from dragging on the surface, and turn the bar over often and reknead the bar to keep a clean side out. If you drop the clay bar on a dirty floor, throw it away before you seriously scratch the paint on the next car.

Polishes
Products labeled as polishes are designed to get a nice shine on the surface, but they don't offer any protection against the elements. Applying a polish to fresh paint results in a nice shine without leaving anything on the painted surface that might affect the paint cure.
The light cleaning action of these products often comes from a soap or detergent in the product rather than an abrasive particle. Most products designed to be used with a polisher (called machine polishes) contain some sort of silicone emulsion to help prevent heat build-up.

Glazes
Much like polishes in their purpose, glazes often contain a small amount of wax in them as well, which serves to create a nice shine and offers some slight protection. It helps to only work on small areas of the car with most glazes because they tend to dry out on large areas, making that great gloss harder to come by.

Waxes
Waxes are a protective coating designed to be applied over a polished or glazed finish. A good wax helps protect a painted finish against acid rain, UV rays, bird droppings and industrial fallout, and most people also expect a very high shine from their waxed vehicle.

In many products, the repellent ability comes from carnauba, a resin-like extract from Brazilian plant roots. There are also several varieties of synthetic carnauba, but it's generally agreed that real carnauba is the most durable.

When wax describes itself as 100 percent carnauba, that doesn't mean the contents of the can are 100 percent carnauba. If they were, they would be too sticky to apply and remove from the car. One hundred percent carnauba refers to the chip of 100 percent carnauba that's melted into tallow and combined with other ingredients - like mineral spirits, kerosene and silicone fluids - to create the commercial wax product. Waxes that advertise they "contain" carnauba use some carnauba and some other synthetic wax melted into tallow. Waxes that don't contain any natural carnauba are often easier to remove from the car than those that do.

When the wax "glazes up" or dries to a powder, it's easier to remove than while it's still wet. When the wax powders and is wiped off, the only thing that remains on the surface is the carnauba or other protective repellent because the mineral spirits, silicone emulsions and other solvents have flashed off into the air.

A good wax will leave the paint finish with a very high gloss and some measure of protection against the elements. No wax, however, will withstand caustic acid rain or bird droppings for long.

Sealants
Paint sealants are a popular sale for new-car dealers when closing the customer on the car. These products are a variety of polymers of silicone, Teflon or other protective coatings that - ideally - cross-link chemically with the paint finish. They work best when applied to a painted finish with no old wax or sealant on it, and just like building a paint job, the best results occur when you strip all the old repaints off and begin fresh.

Generally, these products work best if applied in very thin coats - using more won't leave any better protection on the car.

The difference between a good wax job and a paint sealant can be in the luster of the products and the amount of protection they offer. Waxes generally leave the finish with a higher gloss, but paint sealants offer more protection against the weather.

Tip: Only compound, polish or wax a cool painted surface. If the paint is hot from the sun or from a force dry in the booth, you can stain the finish.

Making Your Choices
If you're not happy with your current products, buy pints or quarts of several new brands to see what you're missing. When you finally find one that works for you, then buy a gallon.
Also, feel free to combine compounds, polishes and waxes from different vendors. If you find a compound that suits your purpose, don't be afraid to glaze over it with another brand that suits your needs.

Writer Mark Clark, owner of Clark Supply in Waterloo, Iowa, is a contributing editor to BodyShop Business.


Check It Out
Most brands have at least one product offering in the following general product classes: compounds, cleaners, polishes, glazes, waxes and sealants.

• Compounds are the most abrasive and are designed to actually shave or cut the finish. This serious abrasive action will remove paint defects, heavy oxidation and fairly deep paint scratches.
• Cleaners or combination products that also "clean" the surface are mild abrasive products that remove very little of the paint finish and do an acceptable job of removing very mild oxidation.
• Polishes are designed to get a nice shine on the surface, but they don't offer any protection against the elements.
• Glazes often contain a small amount of wax, which serves to create a nice shine and offers some slight protection.
• Waxes are a protective coating designed to be applied over a polished or glazed finish. A good wax will help protect a painted finish against acid rain, UV rays, bird droppings and industrial fallout.
• Sealants cross-link chemically with the paint finish. They work best when applied to a painted finish with no old wax or sealant on it, and just like building a paint job, the best results occur when you strip all the old repaints off and begin fresh.

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