Can someone define what a glaze is?

[YankeeFan]

I thought a glaze was used instead of or on top of a wax to add more of a wet look but now I see posts stating steps such as "glazing, sealing and waxing". I thought a glaze would interfer with the bonding of a sealant. Can a glaze a cleaner too, after polishing? I'm so confused....

Howard

 

[Z06-Goose]

I thought a glaze was used instead of or on top of a wax to add more of a wet look but now I see posts stating steps such as "glazing, sealing and waxing". I thought a glaze would interfer with the bonding of a sealant. Can a glaze a cleaner too, after polishing? I'm so confused....

Howard

Glaze IMO is mainly to be used on show cars.
It does amp the the wet looks of the finish but is also a short-lived effect.
You're right, a glaze may interfere with the bonding of a sealant. It's better to use the glaze under a carnauba wax, though there are a couple of synthetic polimer type glazes that can be used under some sealants and/or carnauba based waxes as well.

 

[TheGLL]

I thought I had understood what a glaze was, but now I'm lost!
So much products and so much way of using it...

 

[BobbyG]

Instead of copying and pasting allot of scientific stuff there's a pretty good description and explanation here..

Glaze after car polish and before wax. carnauba finishing glaze, gloss, show car glaze, last step product, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, XMT, 3M, Meguiars

 

[detailjohn]

A glaze is used by body shops after painting to fill defects/swirls before delivery to the customer. A glaze will not effect the curing/off gassing of fresh paint. They would use wax, but it seals the paint too soon, and can result in dyeback.

 

[Dubbin1]

Main Entry: 1glaze
Pronunciation: \ˈglāz\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): glazed; glaz·ing
Etymology: Middle English glasen, from glas glass
Date: 14th century
transitive verb 1 : to furnish or fit with glass
2 a : to coat with or as if with a glaze <the storm glazed trees with ice> b : to apply a glaze to <glaze doughnuts>
3 : to give a smooth glossy surface tointransitive verb 1 : to become glazed or glassy <my eyes glazed over>
2 : to form a glaze
— glaz·er noun


:bolt:

 

[YankeeFan]

Instead of copying and pasting allot of scientific stuff there's a pretty good description and explanation here..

Glaze after car polish and before wax. carnauba finishing glaze, gloss, show car glaze, last step product, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, XMT, 3M, Meguiars

Interesting, I see that it states the glaze goes "after polishing but before the wax and sealant"....

 

[O.C.Detailing]

In short, a glaze is a filler product and does NOT remove defects. It just fills and hides them. You can use a glaze on a new paintjob, but it will only last until you wash the car again or until it rains. It's okay I suppose, but you'll never see it in my product arsenal. I'd rather fix problems than cover them up.

 

[A4 1.8tqm]

In short, a glaze is a filler product and does NOT remove defects. It just fills and hides them. You can use a glaze on a new paint job, but it will only last until you wash the car again or until it rains. It's okay I suppose, but you'll never see it in my product arsenal. I'd rather fix problems than cover them up.

I agree with this definition, exactly what I think of when talking about a glaze. And detailjohn states a good case for the only time glaze should be used IMO. Otherwise why not correct the defects? (especially if showing the car) Not to say that every product that is labeled "glaze" conforms to this definition. Seems like a lot of detailing terms are loosely used throughout the industry... :dunno:

 

[elk42]

doesnt wolfgang's version of glaze have polishing abilities? i thought it did. its a step after total swirl remover and before the paint sealant. if im not mistaken of course.

 

[spike]

In short, a glaze is a filler product and does NOT remove defects. It just fills and hides them. You can use a glaze on a new paintjob, but it will only last until you wash the car again or until it rains. It's okay I suppose, but you'll never see it in my product arsenal. I'd rather fix problems than cover them up.

Just to help further my understanding of glaze, are glazes best for cars with single-stage paint? That way, all of the oils get absorbed into the paint, and then after you apply an LSP (probably a carnauba, like Megs #26, since a sealant wouldn't play well with all the oils), the paint stays sealed and the glaze isn't washed off easily? Just wondering if that is the reason why it would get washed off so easily off of a new car, because the clear coat won't let the oils from the glaze absorb into the paint. Just wondering...

 

[detailjohn]

In short, a glaze is a filler product and does NOT remove defects. It just fills and hides them. You can use a glaze on a new paintjob, but it will only last until you wash the car again or until it rains. It's okay I suppose, but you'll never see it in my product arsenal. I'd rather fix problems than cover them up.

Exactly right. I wouldn't even use it in a body shop if I owned one. Every car would be corrected properly.

 

[BobbyG]

Interesting, I see that it states the glaze goes "after polishing but before the wax and sealant"....

Yes it does. It does a decent job of hiding small defects but doesn't hold up to the elements. A sealant followed my a wax will make it last longer but it is temporary.

 

[O.C.Detailing]

Just to help further my understanding of glaze, are glazes best for cars with single-stage paint? That way, all of the oils get absorbed into the paint, and then after you apply an LSP (probably a carnauba, like Megs #26, since a sealant wouldn't play well with all the oils), the paint stays sealed and the glaze isn't washed off easily? Just wondering if that is the reason why it would get washed off so easily off of a new car, because the clear coat won't let the oils from the glaze absorb into the paint. Just wondering...

Okay, let's clear something up here. In essence of detailing, a single stage paint will act the same as a base coat clear coat paint. Modern single stage paints don't absorb oils or anything of that sort. Clear coat is actually automotive paint without pigment and is translucent. What I'm getting at here is that is you use a glaze on a SS paint, it will act the same as it will on a base/clear paint. It will fill defects and blemishes without actually fixing them. It also offers no real protection. It sits on the top of the paint and makes it look pretty until the firrst time it rains or until you wash your car. After that, you need to reapply a new coat of glaze.

Think of single stage paint in the same manner as you think of a base coat/clear coat paint. The real difference between the two is the depth of color in a SS paint is quite a bit more vibrant than a base/clear paint due to the fact you don't have a clearcoat layer of paint dulling the color since you're actually seeing the color through a very lightly pigmented clearcoat layer. Clear is only virtually clear. There is usually a slight tint and distortion of color will occur where with a SS paint, you're seeing the color at the top most layer. A single stage paint is harder than the color coat of a base/clear paint so a clearcoat is required to protect the color. You can chip the color coat of a base/clear paintjob with your fingernail if there is no clear on it.

Okay, so long story slightly longer, SS paint doesn't suck product into it anymore than BC/CC will, but if you try to use a glaze on either, you achieve the exact same results and it will also act the same way when washed or rained on.

I hope that wasn't too out there. Lol

 

[O.C.Detailing]

Oh! And if I'm way off-base, please lemme know. That is how I treat single stage paints.

 

[julian]

in addition to two agreed replies above, glaze has been mostly used on older enamel paint jobs also. Works wonders for those classics with original paint still left on them.

 

[spike]

Okay, let's clear something up here. In essence of detailing, a single stage paint will act the same as a base coat clear coat paint. Modern single stage paints don't absorb oils or anything of that sort. Clear coat is actually automotive paint without pigment and is translucent. What I'm getting at here is that is you use a glaze on a SS paint, it will act the same as it will on a base/clear paint. It will fill defects and blemishes without actually fixing them. It also offers no real protection. It sits on the top of the paint and makes it look pretty until the firrst time it rains or until you wash your car. After that, you need to reapply a new coat of glaze.

Think of single stage paint in the same manner as you think of a base coat/clear coat paint. The real difference between the two is the depth of color in a SS paint is quite a bit more vibrant than a base/clear paint due to the fact you don't have a clearcoat layer of paint dulling the color since you're actually seeing the color through a very lightly pigmented clearcoat layer. Clear is only virtually clear. There is usually a slight tint and distortion of color will occur where with a SS paint, you're seeing the color at the top most layer. A single stage paint is harder than the color coat of a base/clear paint so a clearcoat is required to protect the color. You can chip the color coat of a base/clear paintjob with your fingernail if there is no clear on it.

Okay, so long story slightly longer, SS paint doesn't suck product into it anymore than BC/CC will, but if you try to use a glaze on either, you achieve the exact same results and it will also act the same way when washed or rained on.

I hope that wasn't too out there. Lol

Ohhh, thanks Adam. I really don't know much about glazes at all. I appreciate all of the educatin you can give me! BTW, I have a question for you...I'm going to use M80 speed glaze on an '82 benz (for a friend), because the paint really, really needs those oils (it looks all whitish and cloudy). Then I will apply Megs #26 wax on top. Will this combo last for a while, and the #26 will protect the glaze from being washed off, or will my friend be out of luck the very first time he washes his car? That would really be bad...

And to the OP...I really don't mean to hijack your thread...sorry if I did...

 

[O.C.Detailing]

Ohhh, thanks Adam. I really don't know much about glazes at all. I appreciate all of the educatin you can give me! BTW, I have a question for you...I'm going to use M80 speed glaze on an '82 benz (for a friend), because the paint really, really needs those oils (it looks all whitish and cloudy). Then I will apply Megs #26 wax on top. Will this combo last for a while, and the #26 will protect the glaze from being washed off, or will my friend be out of luck the very first time he washes his car? That would really be bad...

And to the OP...I really don't mean to hijack your thread...sorry if I did...

sounds to me like the paint is oxidized. A Mercedes that old probably has single stage paint and will need a fairly aggressive combination of pad and product to remove the oxidation layer to expose a fresh, clean layer of paint. First and foremost, the oxidation has to be removed before you attempt to apply a glaze or wax or you'll just be wasting your time.

For an example, look up the 1987 Land Rover 110 I detailed and you'll see what severe oxidation looks like both on the car and removed. Barry Theal also did a 1987 Mercedes Benz 300SDL that was so severely oxidized it actually looked like complete failure and irreparable until he hit it and got an almost flawless correction.

Oxidation is most common on single stage paints, but it is possible to get it on a BC/CC paint as well, it's just not as common and usually not as severe.

 

[detailjohn]

I would imagine that putting a glaze on the car would also make the wax not adhere properly, and will probably not last as long, but not sure..

 

[O.C.Detailing]

The wax will protect the glaze just a tad, but think of it like this, if you built a house, the strongest house in the world, unable to be torn down by the elements or earthquakes and storms, but you built it on top of swampland without a proper foundation, how long do you think the indestructable house would stand?

Detailing is the same way. The final results in appearance and longevity come down to preparation of the surface you're trying to protect BEFORE you actually try to protect it. Fix the problems by establishing an acceptable base through fixing surface defects until you have a surface worth protecting. When you get the paint to a point that makes you happy, THEN apply your protection. You don't really even need a glaze at all at that point. Glazes should really only be used on paints that have already been well taken care of and just need a quick, temporary booster to make them really shine. What you're describing needs serious correction work before you attempt to put a glaze OR a wax on it.

Great detailing is achieved through proper preparation.