What light to show swirls?

[MadCow]

I'm working out of the sun in a cool shop with a fan blowing on me. The only problem is, I can't see the swirls that are in the paint. What kind of light should I use to find the swirls? It is pretty well lit in there, would turning off the lights help?

[Murr1525]

Re: What light to show swirls?

Do a search for the "swirlfinder".

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: What light to show swirls?

A dual xenon comes to mind.

[RDVT4ME]

Re: What light to show swirls?

A dual xenon comes to mind.

Yep, that one will work very well. Available at most auto part stores for around $25.

It's also highly recommended to use multiple light sources. Nothing beats good old sunshine for finding swirls and halograms.

Halogen lights also work well, but the dual xenon will really get the job done for you.

[kellyinkc]

Re: What light to show swirls?

Yep, that one will work very well. Available at most auto part stores for around $25.

It's also highly recommended to use multiple light sources. Nothing beats good old sunshine for finding swirls and halograms.

Halogen lights also work well, but the dual xenon will really get the job done for you.

Agree here, proper lighting is very important as this guy found out:
Post #3:

http://www.showcardetailing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&highlight=envoy

Kelly

[gioprivatemove]

Re: What light to show swirls?

In my country i use halogen work lamp, the 300 Watts should enough. I use 2 bulbs.

[MadCow]

Re: What light to show swirls?

Agree here, proper lighting is very important as this guy found out:
Post #3:

http://www.showcardetailing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&highlight=envoy

Kelly

I'll look around for a xenon light, $25 doesn't sound to bad. But that was quite an interesting read Kelly, thanks for sharing :P.

[Ivan Rajic]

Re: What light to show swirls?

The Brinkmann light is the only thing I use now because I don't miss a think with it. A pair of stand lights 250w or 500w is good as well just to show you the working surface if there isn't enough lighting in the work area, but for spot checking I'd highly recommend a Brinkmann seen HERE... oh and definitely don't always trust the sun... there are too many colors out there on which the sun will simply be too strong and you'll miss the defects... best method by far, for me at least, has been to us the brinkmann from further away... something like placing your face a foot or 2 away from the paint, then stretching out your arm as far as possible away from the car while pointing the light at it... the duller light further away shows a lot of stuff you'd miss with the light close up, especially on grey colored cars.

[kellyinkc]

Re: What light to show swirls?

I'll look around for a xenon light, $25 doesn't sound to bad. But that was quite an interesting read Kelly, thanks for sharing :P.

No prob, why he continued buffing for several hours in the dark, I do not know...

If you have a Tuesday Morning near you check them out, they at one time had the Brinkmann light for 15 bucks!

Kelly

[RDVT4ME]

Re: What light to show swirls?

The key here is to have multiple light sources to check your work. Like others, I use the xenon heavily because it shows all the scratches. But, I always like to check in the sun to make sure there are no halograms (when I'm using the rotary).

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: What light to show swirls?

No prob, why he continued buffing for several hours in the dark, I do not know...

If you have a Tuesday Morning near you check them out, they at one time had the Brinkmann light for 15 bucks!

Kelly

I agree. At the Tuesday Morning by me, They regularly sell for$19.95 everyday.

[tylorweaver]

Re: What light to show swirls?

I agree. At the Tuesday Morning by me, They regularly sell for$19.95 everyday.

Damn.. I just went by mine, and nothing! bastaaaaaaaaaaaards!!! lol

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: What light to show swirls?

Damn.. I just went by mine, and nothing! bastaaaaaaaaaaaards!!! lol

Don't bother, the light sold by Tuesday Morning was cheap knockoff, not a Brinkmann, and most Tuesday Morning stores sold out of them after Xmas. If you want a Brinkmann for $20, get down to your local Pep Boys by tomorrow (4/25). They sell for $30, but you can apply this coupon for $10 off (I did!). And you have several Atlanta area Pep Boys to choose from. Happy hunting!

[Ivan Rajic]

Re: What light to show swirls?

Don't bother, the light sold by Tuesday Morning was cheap knockoff, not a Brinkmann, and most Tuesday Morning stores sold out of them after Xmas. If you want a Brinkmann for $20, get down to your local Pep Boys by tomorrow (4/25). They sell for $30, but you can apply this coupon for $10 off (I did!). And you have several Atlanta area Pep Boys to choose from. Happy hunting!

I bought 2 Brinkmann's from Tuesday morning and they are exactly the same as a Brinkmann I bought online years ago... maybe they're selling a knock off now or maybe at your local store but many people have bought the real thing nationwide at Tuesday Morning stores...

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: What light to show swirls?

I bought 2 Brinkmann's from Tuesday morning and they are exactly the same as a Brinkmann I bought online years ago... maybe they're selling a knock off now or maybe at your local store but many people have bought the real thing nationwide at Tuesday Morning stores...

Yep. The one I saw was a red and black knock-off made by some company whose name started off with Auto...something. I bought the thing, charged it up, but the light intensity was notably weak and the battery gave out the next time I tried it out a few days later. Back to Tuesday Morning it went. Tuesday Morning stores are merchandise resellers, so their stock is never uniform. While you were lucky enough to get a Brinkmann, we got the knockoff here in SoCal. But I got the real deal from Pep Boys a couple of weeks ago, so it all ended up well.