Hey guys, lots of great detailers here so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring.
I call this a 10/10ths detail job. Technically however I didn't do the engine bay, so it can't quite be *perfect*, but still the outside looks pretty darn good I think.
No camera trickery here, just shooting Auto on a Nikon DSLR, gloss is not over-shot.
New lighting and position
For me, the most important thing to accentuate in the Tux Black paint, is the special silica-glass flake. So, the products and process I chose and continue to use is tailored to that. I like to use Chemical Guys products, mostly. I get good bang for the buck, they are adaptable and easy to work with, and they smell amazing, so it makes the "job" more enjoyable to me.
Start with clay bar replacement, a "surface-cleansing mitt" I use the fine grade one, with a soap and clay lube mixture in a separate bucket, while washing the car.
I like using the foam gun I got from CG, this wash was with a high-concentrate of Citrus Wash & Gloss, which is strong enough to strip the previous products creating a prep for new stuff.
I like to use the plush, thick microfibers from Microfiber Madness to dry, especially with prone-to-scratch Tux Black.
After I got it cleaned and stripped, I took account of the little accumulated nicks and scratches since its last major detail, and used CG Optical Grade #36 polish on a white 5.5" Hexlogic pad with my Habor Freight DA. Solid little unit as long as you throw away the included backing pad and get a good one. I didn't need to go any more aggressive than #36 to correct the little scuffs and abrasions, and minimize the chips I found, so this was as deep as I had to go.
Next I hit the paint with CG Glossworkz glaze, on a black 5.5" Hex pad with my DA, on a mid-speed setting. This set up almost instantly with each panel, and quickly buffed off.
Next was a whole-body coat of CG Blacklight, the product I consider most responsible for bringing the metal flake out. Using Glossworkz and Blacklight is a bit of an overlap of products, as both do a glazing effect. However, each brings its own unique properties to result, so I like them both. With Blacklight, I ran a black 5.5" Hex pad with a lower-mid speed setting over the whole car's paint, and let that sit for 30+ minutes while I micro-detailed bits and pieces of the car (which I'll explain in a minute)
The final seal coat was with JetSeal, a really great final step product in my opinion, for the conditions we see here in Vegas. It helps with the sandy/dusty air we have, keeping contaminants off the paint and definitely does better than Carnauba based products in the extreme heat we tend to have, especially considering the reflected heat off the black pavement. JetSeal is applied over the whole car, glass, plastic, paint, wheels, etc. That set up for about an hour while I did the interior.
So regarding those micro-detail things mentioned earlier, I used detail sticks (like cotton swabs but more sturdy and made of non-scratching foam ends) to go over all the textured black plastic with alcohol first, then with a mixture coat of Mother's Back to Black and CG G6 Hypercoat. The mix was about 1:1, which I like for a nice consistency and overall shine. It isn't too matte, and not too shiny, but well protected. This was also used on the tires and buffed off. The detail sticks helped get into the many crevices this car has, without getting product on the curing Blacklight on the paint.
Interior was done with CG Inner clean and CG Leather in a Bottle, both good products for the job.
Final mist of V7 over the whole car before I snapped the pics, and this is what I got.
I call this a 10/10ths detail job. Technically however I didn't do the engine bay, so it can't quite be *perfect*, but still the outside looks pretty darn good I think.
No camera trickery here, just shooting Auto on a Nikon DSLR, gloss is not over-shot.
New lighting and position
For me, the most important thing to accentuate in the Tux Black paint, is the special silica-glass flake. So, the products and process I chose and continue to use is tailored to that. I like to use Chemical Guys products, mostly. I get good bang for the buck, they are adaptable and easy to work with, and they smell amazing, so it makes the "job" more enjoyable to me.
Start with clay bar replacement, a "surface-cleansing mitt" I use the fine grade one, with a soap and clay lube mixture in a separate bucket, while washing the car.
I like using the foam gun I got from CG, this wash was with a high-concentrate of Citrus Wash & Gloss, which is strong enough to strip the previous products creating a prep for new stuff.
I like to use the plush, thick microfibers from Microfiber Madness to dry, especially with prone-to-scratch Tux Black.
After I got it cleaned and stripped, I took account of the little accumulated nicks and scratches since its last major detail, and used CG Optical Grade #36 polish on a white 5.5" Hexlogic pad with my Habor Freight DA. Solid little unit as long as you throw away the included backing pad and get a good one. I didn't need to go any more aggressive than #36 to correct the little scuffs and abrasions, and minimize the chips I found, so this was as deep as I had to go.
Next I hit the paint with CG Glossworkz glaze, on a black 5.5" Hex pad with my DA, on a mid-speed setting. This set up almost instantly with each panel, and quickly buffed off.
Next was a whole-body coat of CG Blacklight, the product I consider most responsible for bringing the metal flake out. Using Glossworkz and Blacklight is a bit of an overlap of products, as both do a glazing effect. However, each brings its own unique properties to result, so I like them both. With Blacklight, I ran a black 5.5" Hex pad with a lower-mid speed setting over the whole car's paint, and let that sit for 30+ minutes while I micro-detailed bits and pieces of the car (which I'll explain in a minute)
The final seal coat was with JetSeal, a really great final step product in my opinion, for the conditions we see here in Vegas. It helps with the sandy/dusty air we have, keeping contaminants off the paint and definitely does better than Carnauba based products in the extreme heat we tend to have, especially considering the reflected heat off the black pavement. JetSeal is applied over the whole car, glass, plastic, paint, wheels, etc. That set up for about an hour while I did the interior.
So regarding those micro-detail things mentioned earlier, I used detail sticks (like cotton swabs but more sturdy and made of non-scratching foam ends) to go over all the textured black plastic with alcohol first, then with a mixture coat of Mother's Back to Black and CG G6 Hypercoat. The mix was about 1:1, which I like for a nice consistency and overall shine. It isn't too matte, and not too shiny, but well protected. This was also used on the tires and buffed off. The detail sticks helped get into the many crevices this car has, without getting product on the curing Blacklight on the paint.
Interior was done with CG Inner clean and CG Leather in a Bottle, both good products for the job.
Final mist of V7 over the whole car before I snapped the pics, and this is what I got.
How much time did it take you overall?
I think Quicksilver is lucky to get a nice waxing with some Zymol and some Lexol on the soft parts of the interior :-[