Halogen Work Light

Mmmph

Mmmph

Mad Detailer
This winter was tough on my RX 300, due to the rain and the thousands of miles driven in it at highway speeds. I am amazed at the dirty water that flies up and onto my car. Consequently, my finish was a little swirly.



I bought a $8.96 500W Halogen Work Light at Wal-Mart, so I could better see my detailing progress while working in the garage. I was using 3M SMR with a white CMA pad and after my first pass on a panel, I spritzed with 50/50 Alcohol & water.



Was I ever disappointed in my work! Dull, hazy and faintly scratchy looking. So I loaded up the pad again and worked the product a little harder and slower at first, and as it dried, I carefully covered all angles. This time after the 50/50 wipe, I was still a little disapointed..it still seemed a little hazy, so I backed out into the sun and Shazam!It was like a new car! not a mark, streak or swirl. Absolutely beautiful. I was going to follow up with Menzerna FP, but I felt it was not necessary. I may have to sell the bottle I bought, as I don't think I can improve much over what I've done.



I love this lamp, but I don't know if I can get the paint perfect underneath its harsh, revealing light. I do know I will be spending more time making sure my polishing is up to snuff.



Anyway, I applied AIO, then S100 and Wow! The "Perfect Shine". Pics to come once I do the whole car.
 
I know what you mean! I love the light but now I really have to work my butt off to make the paint swirl/mark free!! I guess another detailing/swirl mark chasing marathon is in order!!:shocked
 
Hey - check out this web page - I posted a while back after discovering the same thing. These lights, particularly in an otherwise dark garage, will allow you to see everything.



The bad news is that you will clearly see every swirl, every speck of dust, every hazy spot.



The good news is that you will clearly see every swirl, every speck of dust, every hazy spot.





I have found that working with these lights has taught me MUCH more because I can ALWAYS see whether what I've done has replaced one problem with another. QD'ing my spoiler one day, AFTER a wash and wax, I was able to see a single swirl go into the paint - from some microscopic dust particle that got dragged along by the MF. But I was able to stop immediately and check the towel, etc. It WILL make you crazy, but it will also allow you to do better work. When you roll your car out into the light the flaws you could see will disappear and your car will be stunning.
 
Hey Mmmph,



I know exactly what you mean. I purchased one of these lights from Home Depot, and my detailing work has taken on a whole new perspective! My wife's black '99 Suburban has always been a handful to keep spotless, but when I lit the halogen for the first time, I was shocked to see what the paint looked like.

My routine was a little different. I used 3M PI-III and a yellow pad from www.topoftheline.com. The results were staggering. I knew when nothing showed up under the halogen light I would be stunned by what it looked like in the sunlight. Though the halogen didn't have the same effect on my Harvest Gold '01 Duratec Taurus, it is still a welcome addition to my detailing process!



-DavidM

ps Mmmph, what part of NC are you in? I'm in Cary, keeping the local cars 'up to code'! :)
 
ntwrkguy1, I'm a few miles east of Goldsboro...in the sticks.



carguy, Yes, I remember that post now. Perhaps, subconsciously, I bought the light based upon that suppressed recollection.





The thing that really got me was my application/buffing technique.

- The AIO went on and buffed off without a prob.

- When I applied the S100, I could see streaks where I didn't apply the product. When I buffed it off, I could see small areas where I didn't get all the wax off.



The topper was QD'ing. I had to try it under the light. I spritzed and buffed without the light. It looked great...until I turned onthe light. Aargh, there were streaks and mini-droplets I had missed. I pulled out into the sun and could not see them, pulled back into the garage and there they were. I buffed again with the light in one hand...and perfection.



That halogen light is a harsh taskmaster.



I feel like Kevin Bacon in "Animal House"...Please sir, may I have another. (Thwack!) Please sir, may I have another. (Thwack!) Please sir, may I have another. (Thwack!).
 
2hotford said:
I know what you mean! I love the light but now I really have to work my butt off to make the paint swirl/mark free!! I guess another detailing/swirl mark chasing marathon is in order!!:shocked
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I got that same one! Only bad thing is the heat off of two lamps. Gets hot!
 
2001civicex said:
I got that same one! Only bad thing is the heat off of two lamps. Gets hot!
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I'm planning on getting one similar to 2hotford's (one with a stand), but am also concerned by the heat from the lamps. How do you guys handle this?
 
gnahc79 said:
I'm planning on getting one similar to 2hotford's (one with a stand), but am also concerned by the heat from the lamps. How do you guys handle this?
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Nothing really you can do. I did my car in the winter and it was cold out. I was sweating under them lamps though. Make sure they re not heating up your paint surface too cause that would be like doing a detail job in the hot sun. Just keep them back aways and you will be fine.
 
hmmm, I was thinking of putting a small fan at the end of the garage, facing outwards. Not sure if it would still kick up dust and other junk, though.
 
Not too long ago I bought a small 500W unit similar to the pic that Mmmph posted. It was really disheartening to say the least. The rocker panels looked like something out of a horror film! After a week or so of repairing the lower areas of the roadster I started working my way up higher - and bought a dual-head (250W each) unit, also from Home Depot. When I got up to the horizontal surface I found that it was difficult to get the desired lighting angles with the 3-4 foot unit - so I bought the dual-head (500W each) unit.



I position the lamps to get the best reveal of the surface defects, and usually this keeps the light from shining directly on me - so the heat hasn’t been a problem. We’ll see how it is when hot weather finally arrives.



Now I wouldn’t be without them - and my paint has never looked so good!
 
I really do not have problems with the heat issue. I just make sure that I keep it far enough away from the paint, and I avoid touching the lamp housings.



I love the dual 500 watt model! If both on at once is too much, it has a switch to turn just one on by itself. :up
 
Yep, Autopia made me get one! :up Love it. Especially since I don't have a garage, and have to do my detailing curbside. But I sure don't like what it shows me about the tiny scratches in the Benz paint. :down
 
Just purchased these Craftsman Shop lights and was shocked at how much I missed under normal lighting :) Now I just need to figure out how to vent the heat out of the garage from 1200 watts! Also gotta remember to put on the sun block :)



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Yeah I agree I have a double garage which is already hot as hadees, I know these lights will really heat things up and with the humidity it worries me a little abotu streaking.
 
after my dad got his car repainted, i decided to buy one of these..... when i used it for the first time on my dad's black paint after i got out of the shop, i almost fainted...





just a question. does the halogen light work on other colors??? i was using my 500 watt one on my aunties' red car, and i had a hard time believeing that the surface was almost perfect.....
 
I find a combo of halogen and florecent works best, halogens don't show as much paint defects on lighter cars, especially singlestage cars.
 
AutoNova said:
Yeah I agree I have a double garage which is already hot as hadees, I know these lights will really heat things up and with the humidity it worries me a little abotu streaking.
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I ended up with two of those dual light stands. 2400 Watts between the two stands/4 light heads/8 bulbs! Work great! Very warm ;-)
 
Do you guys have any suggestions for halogen / fluorescent lights? I'm in NC too. I do have 2 painter's lamps and I think I have one of the lamps for the duel 500 watt lamps. Is 1000 watts combined the best? I'm looking for something not to expensive, but just right. nwtgy1 exactly which region of Cary?
 
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