about proper lights to work on the paint

[Alexandre]

What kind of light can I use to see swirls and paint imperfections? I do have strong lights in my garage but it isn' t enough, not when I reach to get the most perfect possible results.

[Murr1525]

Re: about proper lights to work on the paint

The best is the sun..... Hope you have that in Brazil...

A good tool that is used a lot here is the Brinkman Dual Xenon, you will find some posts by searching for the "swirl finder" as well.

Not sure if it is available easilly down there.

[Alexandre]

Re: about proper lights to work on the paint

The best is the sun..... Hope you have that in Brazil...

A good tool that is used a lot here is the Brinkman Dual Xenon, you will find some posts by searching for the "swirl finder" as well.

Not sure if it is available easilly down there.

haha if there is one good thing we have here is good weather and sun, but I guess it is not that great since you can use it to evaluate the paint but my problem is during the process, so I guess this "swirl finder" is what I need.

Well, I just google it, this is easy to find here, real easy, but, Is xenon better than led?

[Murr1525]

Re: about proper lights to work on the paint

Couldnt tell you the difference myself, but the xeonon seems popular.

[TOGWT]

Re: about proper lights to work on the paint

1. Brinkmann REI - most LED’s merely glow, but Rebel's highly efficient, finely focused lens casts a 40-ft. beam of far-reaching light. Fish-eye-shaped lens focuses the light from the single white LED bulb into a bright, consistent beam; no dark spot in the beam's centre, the LED bulb is nearly indestructible and draws very little power, greatly extending battery life; runs on two AA batteries, included, a tough ABS plastic is armoured with thick, no-slip rubber grips Push-button on/off switch inset in the back cap
REI - http://www.rei.com/product/47576705.htm

The Brinkmann Corporation, 4215 McEwen Road, Dallas, TX 75244 - (800) 527-0717

2. The 3M Sun Gun™ Colour Matching Light - can be used throughout the refinish process, the percentage of light vs. natural day light is CRI (Colour Rendering Index) = 99.35%: identify paint defects such as swirl marks, burn through, sand scratches, etc., which will reduce the chance of costly re-work- TCP Global - http://www.tcpglobal.com/3m/3msungun.aspx or Autobarn - http://www.autobarn.net/bkm800-2200.html

3. Infratech CM5300 – Colour Matcher - this light is a great alternative to the 3M Sun Gun. Runs on mains electricity not batteries, a must have tool and it’s also an inexpensive investment. High Colour Temperature 5300K Duplicates Natural sunlight under any condition, high power 70 Watts, large coverage area, hand held lightweight, momentary "On/Off" switch, identify pre-or-post paint correction / renovation defects, eliminate re-doing or call-backs – http//:www.infratech-usa.com/ http://www.detailersdomain.com/lighting.aspx

Dark Field Micro Inspection:
Since concourse cars are judged solely on the way light reflects from their surfaces this is what really determines the appearance of a car, so you should inspect it under all possible lighting conditions.

For a surface to be optically near ‘perfect’ it should be free of all surface imperfections. The surface should be viewed very closely and from all possible angles. Start by looking at the surface in a darkened room, once your eyes have fully dilated, turn on a bright Halogen light beam. Direct the beam away from you and at a low angle and from various directions (you’ll be able to see even the most minor paint film surface imperfection) this is 100X more sensitive than viewing a vehicles paint film surface in normal light.

This viewing technique is an adaptation of “Dark field microscopy” used in many scientific fields. Direct or cloudy sunlight, shaded, low-angled, directly overhead or light reflected from other surfaces, or the type of artificial light the surface is viewed under can all influence what surface imperfections can or cannot be seen


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[J. A. Michaels]

Re: about proper lights to work on the paint

You will see the difference with the Brinkmann. It really highlights the swirls.