hard wax application

On Apr 20, 8:43�am, Tuno wrote:
I've never used hard wax before, but since the factory recommends it
on the gelcoat, I'm going to give it a try. I just have no clue how to
go about it. (My Google search results are great -- for hair removal!)

I have a Makita 0-3000rpm variable speed polisher, a brick of hard
wax, and a mandrel and other accessories I got from the dealer. Is
there a technique writeup on the web somewhere?

~ted/2NO

You need a special buffing wheel and a lot of patience. I started on
a Pegasus wing and about half way through I figured there had to be an
easier way. I tried 3M Finesse-It II and was much happier with the
application and finish. Everything that's been said is right on but
I'll add that the hard bar stuff is abrassive and designed for
finishes that are in rough shape. Since it's a cutting material you
would not want to apply it to a new glider's gel coat.

Mike

Mike,

Finesse-It II is a polishing material. It removes surface to make it
smoother. I used it on my V2C to remove lime deposits. It's great
stuff.

Hard wax has some abrassive content but it is primarily a wax, not a
polish -- it fills in tiny holes in the surface, which polishers do
not do. This serves to protect the gelcoat from moisture, which is my
primary concern, not making it smoother. I'm trying to optimize my
speed 5 and 10 years from now, not go faster tomorrow.

I am shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that some people replying to my OP
suggest that power tools might harm my glider. Really?! Next time I'm
at the dentist, I'm going to tell him to crank that sucker by hand!

An open question is whether my glider received an application of hard
wax at the factory before they sent it out the door. (My wife's Toyota
did not.) If so, I'm not going to worry about this until the off
season. If not, I want to do what is prudent and appropriate to
protect my investment.

A8: thank you for the e-mail -- good stuff!

2NO

Tuno wrote:

I am shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that some people replying to my OP
suggest that power tools might harm my glider. Really?! Next time I'm
at the dentist, I'm going to tell him to crank that sucker by hand!

Difference is, your dentist most probably has had several years of
serious training.

This hard wax thing *is* tricky. It must get warm to smoothly fill those
tiny holes. But get a tad too warm, and you destroy the wing. It *has*
happened. Stay two seconds too long at one place and the surface is
brown and you'll never know how much the structure has weakened. Let
that machine get out of control for half a second and you'll have
wonderful waves in the surface. You can do a lot of harm to a previously
perfect wing. No problem for the pro, but since you had to ask, chances
are your not a pro.

So I repeat my first answer: If you have to ask, don't do it. At least
don't do it without the help and supervision of a skilled person. Of
course, it's your glider and you can do what you want.

Hard wax has some abrassive content but it is primarily a wax, not a
polish -- it fills in tiny holes in the surface, which polishers do
not do.


This is what Heinz at M&H told me. In addition, the heat generated by
the process also softens the gelcoat which further helps to seal fine
cracks. You need a powerful angle buffer to generate this kind of heat,
as Ted clearly understands. Something that almost blows your circuit
breaker will suffice :-) - the US$40 polishers at Sears will not. Heinz
also repairs a few ships a year where a bit too much heat was generated
- especially on the thin control surfaces. It's a process that needs to
be learned and I'm still working on it - slowly

Tony V. LS6-b "6N"

Yeah, if I was charging $1K+ to hard wax a glider, I'd be telling you about
all the damage I've seen done by clueless owners... The maker of the hard
wax bar also offers a soft paste for orbital polisher application. Use it on
the controls if you fear your thumbs.

Pulled this recently from a FAQ hosted by a well-known maker of paint
protection products...

"Some waxes do contain UV-protection agents, but the amount of protection
that a microscopically thin layer of wax can provide is limited

The primary goal of a wax is to protect the top layers of paint that contain
UV-protection agents from the paint manufacture. If you wash and wax your
car regularly, your paint will be protected and you should suffer no major
UV damage over the normal course of the life of the car.

Don't be fooled by some companies that lead you to believe that it is the UV
protection in a wax that protects your car's finish from fading and failure,
this is dishonest and simply not true. Taking care of the paint you
presently have will go further to protect your finish than relying on
protection supplied by a liquid you pour out of a bottle, or a wax you scoop
out of a can. UV protection in a car wax formula is only an extra-dose of
preventative maintenance, not the end-all, cure-all that some companies
would lead you to believe.

UV protection for paint is much different from UV blocking ingredients for
human skin. The two formulas are nothing alike and work in drastically
different ways. There is no correlation between the ratings applied to the
different levels of sun blocking protection for products intended for use on
human skin and the ingredients available for use in an automotive wax
formula. Sad to say, much of what you see advertised about the protective
qualities of most car care products on the market today is simply
over-exaggerated hype used to separate you from your hard earned dollars."



"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
. ..

Hard wax has some abrassive content but it is primarily a wax, not a
polish -- it fills in tiny holes in the surface, which polishers do
not do.


This is what Heinz at M&H told me. In addition, the heat generated by the
process also softens the gelcoat which further helps to seal fine cracks.
You need a powerful angle buffer to generate this kind of heat, as Ted
clearly understands. Something that almost blows your circuit breaker will
suffice :-) - the US$40 polishers at Sears will not. Heinz also repairs a
few ships a year where a bit too much heat was generated - especially on
the thin control surfaces. It's a process that needs to be learned and I'm
still working on it - slowly

Tony V. LS6-b "6N"

user wrote:
Yeah, if I was charging $1K+ to hard wax a glider, I'd be telling you about
all the damage I've seen done by clueless owners.

Maybe - but then he also showed me how to use the buffer.

Tony

I tried 3M Finesse-It II and was much happier with the
application and finish. *
Mike

Is the Finesse-it ll applied with the variable speed polisher like it
would be with the hard bar wax?

Craig

On Apr 21, 5:14*pm, wrote:
I tried 3M Finesse-It II and was much happier with the
application and finish. *
Mike

Is the Finesse-it ll applied with the variable speed polisher like it
would be with the hard bar wax?

Craig

Variable or fixed speed buffer.