Having a real hard time seeing swirl marks while in a shop setting.

[ShineTimeDetail]

Yesterday I was working on my gold grand marquis. It has lots of lighter swirl marks that you can see in the sun at certain angles and at night time under parking lot lights. Yesterday I had my halogen light out but for the life of my couldn't angle the light right to see anything. I am always pulling the car outside to check my work....it is time consuming to pull the car out into the sun on every panel.

What lighting do I need to fix this problem?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Try tuning off the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

Or turning off "some" of the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

 

[ihaveacamaro]

Yesterday I was working on my gold grand marquis. It has lots of lighter swirl marks that you can see in the sun at certain angles and at night time under parking lot lights. Yesterday I had my halogen light out but for the life of my couldn't angle the light right to see anything. I am always pulling the car outside to check my work....it is time consuming to pull the car out into the sun on every panel.

What lighting do I need to fix this problem?

I believe parking lot lights are LED? Maybe try some high power LED lights.

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Try tuning off the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

Or turning off "some" of the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

Wish that I had the sense to do this a couple years ago when I was doing the same as shinetime.
My boss could not understand why I was detailing outside in blustery weather when the shop was heated.

 

[RaskyR1]

It's best to have a few different types of light to see defects indoors. Halogens are not good for seeing all types of defects and you'll definitely not want to use them sole source of inspection lighting. I would have a light like the Brinkmann and some sort of LED lighting as well. I just picked up the Fenix TK15 and it worked great on a pearl white BMW last weekend.


Rasky

 

[AutowerxDetailing]

Locating swirls indoors can be a real pain especially on metallic paints. I agree with dimming the lights. Sometimes instead of shinning my halogens directly at the section I am working on I have to use extreme angles to get it to show any defects. For example placing the light far to the side at ~30 degrees from the paint, then viewing the reflection from the other side ~30 degrees from the paint.

 

[Kinalyx]

just looked up the Fenix TK15.....that thing looks amazing.

I just recently bought a maglight, im really wishing i had got the LED version instead of the regular version. It works fine for normal stuff, but not at all for swirl finding.

Shawn

 

[ShineTimeDetail]

Try tuning off the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

Or turning off "some" of the lights in the garage and then inspecting the paint with your swirl locating lights.

I don't have a brinkman. I tried turning the lights out and all but didn't work.

I believe parking lot lights are LED? Maybe try some high power LED lights.

The building owner is buying some super bright led to shine on the new sign they put up out by the street. I am going to.buy one of these lights to see how they work. They are like $30.