Colour, Depth and Clarity Are the three factors Concours judges look for when scrutinizing paint film surfaces. So much depends on proper surface preparation, a clean and level surface, and product clarity, which allow the natural properties of the paint to show through, as without transparency the true colours of the paint surface cannot be seen. Waxing a surface that has not been properly cleaned will only result in a shiny layer over dull, dirty paint - not the deep smooth, optically perfect crystalline shine that is obtainable If the surface is perfectly flat, light will be reflected to produce a mirror image of the subject. But if there are imperfections such as swirls, orange peel, or oxidation (dull opaque paint) light is refracted and the subject is distorted. The oils that are formulated in Carnauba waxes provide gloss, which causes jetting (a ‘wetting’ of the surface) this distorts the light reflectance, giving the surface the ‘look’ of rippling liquidity Depth – (iridescence) occurs due to the internal reflection of light within a transparent film or layer of material, where the thickness of the film or layer is of the order of the wavelength of the incident light. Where the wavelength of the light matches or is a low multiple of the path length through the layer it will re-emerge from the layer after a single reflection but where the wavelength is different to the path length it will be re-reflected within the layer until it emerges after several internal reflections. Changing your viewpoint changes the path length through the layer and this means that a different wavelength or colour of light will seem to be reflected. Optical depth-comes from an applied product that is two-dimensional, so that light is reflected from both a high and low source, the light waves are distorted (diffuse reflection) which creates a three dimensional illusion of depth to produce jetting (a rippling effect, the so-called ‘wet-look) The oils that are formulated in Carnauba waxes provide gloss, this distorts the light reflectance, like a mirror in shallow water reflecting a three-dimensional deep, rich colour, in contrast, bees wax, paraffin and many synthetic waxes and polymer sealants tend to occlude (cloud) Shine - is an easily understood concept of light reflection / refraction (in simple terms the light reflectance from a mirror) I wanted to expand that concept so that the shine would be optically perfect as well as multi-dimensional. The bright shine of a polymer sealant is often criticized as being “sterile” (a flat silvery-white reflection) good reflective properties but without ‘depth’. Gloss - is based on the interaction of light with physical characteristics of a surface. It is actually the ability of a surface to reflect light into the specular direction. The factors that affect gloss are the refractive index of the material, the angle of incident light and the surface topography. Gloss can be said as a view of material appearance. Materials with smooth surfaces appear glossy, while very rough surfaces reflect no specular light and therefore appear matt (British English) or matte (American English). Gloss measurement Specular reflection is measured with a specular gloss meter. Un-polarised white light is concentrated by a condenser lens onto a field aperture, which is located in the focal plane of the source lens. The reflected beam at the surface is later collected by the receptor lens. The intensity of the beam is then measured through a photo detector. The common angles of incidence for gloss measurement are 20°, 60° and 85°. In some cases 45° and 75° geometry is used. Low gloss surfaces are recommended to be measured with 85° settings. Optimising light refraction Apply product in ‘direction of airflow’ to vertical surfaces roof to floor and then left to right, on horizontal surfaces bumper to trunk and then left to right, over-lapping panels to ensure complete coverage. Then apply in direction of airflow, horizontal surfaces hood to trunk, vertical surfaces front to back. This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimising light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle. I would add that the terminologies and descriptions used are very subjective
Excellent article. Could you elaborate on this please? "Optimising light refraction Apply product in ‘direction of airflow’ to vertical surfaces roof to floor and then left to right, on horizontal surfaces bumper to trunk and then left to right, over-lapping panels to ensure complete coverage. Then apply in direction of airflow, horizontal surfaces hood to trunk, vertical surfaces front to back. This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimising light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle."
Thanks for another helpfull article. Subjective is certainly the key word. I think I confused myself...But I would still rate this a 5...:thumb:
