Water Beading


Heijneker

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I think some people  take this beading a little to far . As long as the water sheets of my car in the rain or when i rinse it  with a hose and  takes the dirt with it  I am good.   My car is gloss coated , hyperseal and wax. Works  great 

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  • 4 months later...

I found the best way to get maximum results from Opti-Seal was:

 

1. Application

    A. I can start with one spray on my applicator. I apply in a circular motion.

    B. Be mindful to maintain a trail of wet film behind the applicator. 

    C. Allow to flash on it's own until most of it has evaporated, then lightly level out. I use a green pearl from The Rag Conpany. I believe Optimum had their own version available.

    D. Keep from getting wet for a bit. I'm not exactly sure how long, but what I noticed on my gf's Jeep, was as a windshield protectant. I applied one rainy morning before she went to work, and it didn't hold up. When she got home I washed the Jeep, and applied it again, and it worked great through the next rain. 

 

The above will net great performance from OOS. I also use this process for Hyper Seal and Gloss Coat.

 

Applying Opti-Seal after polishing the finish with Hyper Polish made a huge difference before I stumbled upon the above method of application. The two together is probably the closest I can come to the ideal way to apply it. 

 

After adjusting my application process has made Opti-Seal one of my favorite Optimum products. It's almost too good to be true. 

 

Another thing that happened, was I got over beads (even though I am now able to get them from OOS). It was Jason Rose who was then with Meguiar's that spoke about Meguiar's struggling internally with the water behavior of their prospective coating. The healthier thing for the finish is actually sheeting, but the public wants beading. It was recalling his comments that had me focusing on how the paint looks and how easy it washes over water behavior. 

 

Last summer I tested another brand of ceramic coating topper on one side of my hood, and the other had Optimum Car Wax. The sprinkler hit my hood in the early morning, and when I pulled the car in the garage, the side withe the pretty beads of the coating was etched, and the side with Optimum Car Wax washed clean with no etching. That made me a believer in the functional durability, and resilience of their products, rather than the water behavior. Note that Car Wax does bead though, but not like the coating I tried. 

 

Educating the masses on how little water behavior matters compared to actual protection, is akin to trying to flood the Sahara desert with a glass of water. 

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Awe-some post @dlc95 !

I too noticed way better beading performance from Opti-seal after a round of Hyper Polish. On my car it's relatively shortlived though, it still beads in the rain after a week, but they lay pretty flat, even after a ONR wash. Beads do roll off the hood and windshield when driving though, which is awesome. It also washes very easily and sheets water too, but slowly.

I would like to try OOS after a round of Optimum Paint prep, maybe that will boost performance.

Awesome info on the Jason Rose part! I'm still a bit of a sucker for beads, because I love the way it looks. We also have lots of rain here in The Netherlands. But I fully understand it doesn't necessarily mean the paint is well protected. Larry from AMMONYC had a pretty good video on that;

https://youtu.be/XM8r1mrkI8A

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On 1/26/2022 at 5:40 AM, Heijneker said:

Awe-some post @dlc95 !

I too noticed way better beading performance from Opti-seal after a round of Hyper Polish. On my car it's relatively shortlived though, it still beads in the rain after a week, but they lay pretty flat, even after a ONR wash. Beads do roll off the hood and windshield when driving though, which is awesome. It also washes very easily and sheets water too, but slowly.

I would like to try OOS after a round of Optimum Paint prep, maybe that will boost performance.

Awesome info on the Jason Rose part! I'm still a bit of a sucker for beads, because I love the way it looks. We also have lots of rain here in The Netherlands. But I fully understand it doesn't necessarily mean the paint is well protected. Larry from AMMONYC had a pretty good video on that;

https://youtu.be/XM8r1mrkI8A

Great point about the Peint Prep. Right now, I still have some non Optimum products that I want to test with Opti-Seal. Menzerna is known for being a little oily. I use 3D's line of polishes most of time (still getting to know the Optimum spray line, and love the functionality and efficiency), and I want to test with them as well. I want to try them on both freshly polished un Paint Prepped surfaces, and also using paint prep after those polishes. 

 

It's perfectly fine that you like the beads too. I used to get insane beads from Zymol waxes. But there's no paste wax application, or liquid for that matter that is as easy as Optimun Car Wax. 

 

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12 hours ago, Heijneker said:

Nope! No other wax comes close to Optimum Car Wax in application. And it comes in pink form now as well, I believe. 🤩

I find with other polishes, if you use them right, they're pretty easy to remove with an ONR damp cloth as well.

I really like the pink.

 

But I have two gallons of the original here in the supply closet. 

 

Good point about the ONR dampened cloth.  I will make sure to try that. 

 

Thank you!

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  • 2 weeks later...

WRT beading I've found my Pro+ will eventually sheet rather than bead in areas with a lot of road grime (behind wheels, rear hatch, etc).  Usually an ONR or if not that then an M-wash will restore "beading".  Problem with beading is sometimes dirt/dust on the paint gets dissolved into and concentrated by the beads, and if they dry "bead marks" are left behind - sheeting helps carry the dirt away.

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Yup this is what I have found also small beads leave bead marks.  My car is gloss coated about two years now not getting the sheating of water like it  used to. But using hyperseal and my  secret optimums  hot wax in this winter weather  creates  large beads that  roll off the car . This summer will  do a  decamination and light polish and gloss coat again.  

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  • 1 month later...

Being new to detailing I was reading about "beading" and while it's nice to look at, and provides a self-cleaning effect, it's not hard to get a product to bead.  It's all related to surface tension, which as I understand it, is relatively simple to formulate.  Most Sio2/silica based products will bead quite well.  I think the focus of OPT is chemical resistance and longevity, not how well the beading is.  SiC based resins perform very differen than Sio2 nano particles.  

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