Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

[MandarinaRacing]

Hello guys,

here is something that I've been wondering, is there such a thing as a Body Shop safe wax or sealant?

cheers,

Alex

[J.S.]

Re: Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

What would be a body shop UNsafe wax or sealant? I'm seriously curious.

[Justin A]

Re: Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

I think that the Mirror Glaze line of waxes and sealants are considered BSS. It means that you can paint over them without concern for the integrity of the paint job.

I know that the other products in the MG lineup are sold as BSS...

[Murr1525]

Re: Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

No, there is no such thing as a body shop safe wax/sealant.

They will interfere with the bonding of paint to the surface, and so should be kept away from areas with paint being sprayed.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

Body shop safe products are those products that contain no ingredients that could contaminate an environment where fresh paint is being sprayed. Generally this means silicone of some sort, but there are a few other things that could wreak havoc in a body shop.

Basically what happens is a small quantity of airborne silicone (from a spray bottle, etc) lands on a surface that has been prepped and is ready to paint. Paint sprayed on a very tiny deposit of this material will create what's known as a fish eye. Basically the paint is forced away from the little offending spot and you get a tiny void in the paint, almost the reverse of a bubble, if that makes sense. Basically the resulting defect looks like the eye of a fish. Not a good thing.

Many of the products in the Mirror Glaze professional line are indeed body shop safe (paint cleaners, compounds, pure polishes for example), but none of our sealants and waxes are (sorry Justin). Generally speaking, products that are designed to protect a surface will contain some ingredient that is a no-no in a body shop. Even our M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner and Conditioner is NOT body shop safe, although M39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner is. Other dressings, such as Hyper Dressing, Natural Shine, etc are NOT body shop safe, but Silicone Free Dressing is.

Virtually all of our mist and wipe products are NOT body shop safe, including Ultimate Quik Detailer, Last Touch, M135 Synthetic Spray Detailer, etc. The exception to this is M34 Final Inspection - it is indeed body shop safe and therefore is the product of choice to remove compound dust, etc from vehicles being worked on in a body shop.

Waxes and sealants generally provide enough of a surface tension change that paint won't stick to them (though that isn't necessarily the only reason) - just as they cause water to bead up, dust and light tree sap to not stick, etc. It's all but impossible to prevent all these other things from sticking to the surface while allowing paint to do so. Body shops use a variety of prep products to remove all traces of wax, silicone, etc from a surface prior to painting, so it really isn't a big issue. They just don't want someone using these products in the shop.

[Justin A]

Re: Body Shop Safe Sealant/Wax is there such a thing?

No apology needed Michael - you're the professional, and I take no offense at being corrected by someone who actually knows more than me about the subject in question. Thank you for clearing the question up so thoroughly - I find the chemistry and basic rules of how/why things are as they are fascinating.