Static after polishing

http://www.spc.org.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/midnight-purple-s15-002.jpg

I was asking about polishes in this thread : http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=4019693
and it came up about Static.

Well I have just painted a S15 with MCW (http://hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=16) Midnight Purple and clear coated, Let to dry for a few days and polished out.
Applied Tamiya Wax and now the damn thing is so charged, all dust and fine particals stick to it like "Sh*t to a blanket" (English saying)

I have washed it in light washing detergent and it still the same.

HELP.............
Thanks guys

This is probably going to sound stupid, but have you tried grounding it to discharge any accumulated static charge? Try touching it to something metal that is grounded (water pipe?). Maybe this will work :dunno:

Does this mean that MCW paints have a higher "charge" now? ;) :biggrin:

I had somesort of antistatic spray at my last job, maybe that can help, shouldnt cost much. Just spray it on and the sh*t won't stick to the blanket anymore.
But where to buy it, they sell it in shops related to printing business here in Estonia, you might find it in some utility or electricity related shops maybe.

Or try touching the body on the case of your pc or put in one of those antistatic bags that come with certain pc hardware?
HTH.
Indrek

Does this mean that MCW paints have a higher "charge" now? ;) :biggrin:
No, it is just the colour shows up everything and was rubbing hard to get a nice shine :grinno:

Steve,

I used to work in an auto body shop as a student years and years ago. I mostly did car care, such as polishing out paint etc… Boring work, but I do know that automotive paints if highly polished can create a static charge, and dust just gets attracted like s**t to a stick.

You need to find some anti static car conditioner, but I don’t know where you’d find it in the UK. Concourse valet cleaners will certainly have some, as they use it on chrome and wheels, to keep dust off. Try body repair shops, but ONLY the really good ones, the crash repair centres that do insurance work perhaps won’t have it, as they won’t be working on cars that need to be “superbly” polished….

Tamiya wax is “meant” to do the same, but you can also try some Carnauba Plus Wax, as you are using 2 pk clear. Also, use a lint free cloth, and wet it “slightly” first. Not drenching wet, just damp. And wax the body, and then buff up.

If you can find it, apply anti static car paint treatment and it “should” be a little better….

I had somesort of antistatic spray at my last job, maybe that can help, shouldnt cost much. Just spray it on and the sh*t won't stick to the blanket anymore.
But where to buy it, they sell it in shops related to printing business here in Estonia, you might find it in some utility or electricity related shops maybe.

Or try touching the body on the case of your pc or put in one of those antistatic bags that come with certain pc hardware?
HTH.
Indrek

Beat me to it… Auto body repair shops have it Steve… But were to buy on the next I don’t know. Search around, you really need the stuff concourse cleaners use.

BTW, amazing shine..

I don't believe an anti-static product could do a finish like the Tamy wax, over those. Yes I note that: I just colse mt stuff in box during mount and over glass when ready :(

Gionc is right, anti static sprays won’t bring up a shine. Reason I recommended a good Carnauba Wax. Meguiars #26 liquid wax or their deep crystal clean waxes are really good, but even on my Honda I’ve had a build up of static using these products, as I can feel it as rub the cloth over it.

I’ve searched for the product that car valets use if they are doing concourse cleans for shows etc and I can’t find it. I know they use an anti static spray that is safe for paint. But I can’t find it.

What about one of those anti static sheets you throw in the clothes dryer?

i have tried wiping one of them sheets on a model once.
the smell gets all over your hands and as far as my experiment goes, it doesn't actually work.

one thing though, i tend to apply my wax/shine coat on using a little piece of chamois and i don't seem to get too much static.

Immerse the entire body into clean water; or at least run fresh water over the entire body inside and out. That's a good method of killing the static. Let the body air dry and then lightly detail w/Tamiya wax and it should be much better. I don't think those anti-static sprays work too well.

And dryer sheets won't work either!

I remember a thing just now: approx 12 year ago I worked on an Apple Center in the software customer service: we was used to manage RAM sheets with an anti-statics wristlet connected at the workbench with a wire. RAM are now much differen/cheap and don't require that precaution.
Could someone know more regarding that?

Steve, check these out. I just ran through it quickly but there seem to be a couple of pointers about discharging static as well as something about the "effectivensess" of anti-static coatings.

http://www.electrostatics.com/page2.html

http://webspace.netmatters.co.uk/causeway/gen_iv/static.htm

I have not had much trouble with static after polishing (probably haven't done it often enough). Once, I used an antistatic wrist strap that you plug into the grounded part of an electrical outlet (you can get at radio shack), the kind you use for work on electronics. It worked. But could have been coincidence.

Now that you brought up the issue, I will certainly notice it, when it happens.

Thanks guys, i'll try those tips and see which works the best :)

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1173/dscn30409cd.jpg
That is what I use. The polishing set from Novus. Including 6 sanding/polishing pads, cloths, heavy scratch remover, fine sratch remover and ANTISTATIC polish.

Gerwin

How about something like this?

http://www.ontimesupplies.com/images/pics/GMMM1456.JPG

I've used a similar spray and it works wonders.

Interesting phenomena, can't say I've ever experienced it myself. Does the charge dissipate over time? Sounds like the static build up is due to the tribielectric effect of all the rubbing with a polishing cloth. Eathing the body won't help as plastic and paint are non-conductive.

Amazing shine BTW. :)

I dont have any solutions to you problem. I just could keep quiet with the end result of you car. Thing looks hot man. I use Tamiya wax n' only got a bit of a mirror shine. My goal is something like your S15. You rub till your arm fall off?

I use Novus #1 too, and my cars don't even seem to build up much dust in my cabinet over long periods of time.

experienced the same too with a fujimi lanevo7 that i painted using normal hardware acrylic spray and polished using johnson's kit car wax. it collects dust like crazy and has an even thicker dust layer compared to older kits which were a year older than it on the shelf. i've given up on it though. hehehehe.

Just curious; what was the weather like that day, Steve?

ok no experience with this, but electrical charge dissipates with water. So try puting your car in a very humid environment for a short period?