Black is one of those colors that always seem to be at the center of controversy. A good example is some folks can't even agree whether black should officially be called a color or not. Those people are the ones who abide by light theory where black is considered to be the absence of all color. Jump to the other side of the fence and the pigment theory crowd believe black is the presence of all color. We'd have to side with the pigment theorists, because it doesn't take a nuclear proctologist to see black accurately reflects every color in the rainbow without distorting the individual color's hue. OK, that's enough of the artsy talk, let's move on to how to get your truck's black paint to look its best. It's easy to make a dulled finish shine by rubbing it out with rubbing compound or using a cleaner wax that removes oxidation, but it's another story when it comes to doing it without leaving a bunch of swirl marks. All colors can get swirl marks, but white is the color that shows them the least. Naturally it makes sense that as the colors get darker they are more likely to reveal swirl marks. This brings us right back to black, which the hardest color to avoid leaving swirl marks in. Speaking in the first person, I love black paintjobs and own my share of black vehicles. The truck I used to do this story is my Barn Find '56 Ford that came from the factory in Raven Black single stage alkyd enamel. My '05 GMC, '94 Z28 Camaro, and '03 Harley-Davidson are all done in two-stage black with a clear topcoat. The trait these finishes all hold in common is when they get a deep scratch or chip the results are always a white-colored blemish appears.
The folks at Turtle Wax believe...
The folks at Turtle Wax believe they have found the solution to waxing black with their Black Box. On the flipside one of their major competitors says they have tried colored waxes and the whole idea is gimmicky.
Here's our black bag. It's...
Here's our black bag. It's a mix of a few select brands that we've found to do the best job on black finishes. There's no sense revealing which brands are inside because the race to be first is highly competitive and the winner can change with a new product announcement's notice.
Swirl marks can start with...
Swirl marks can start with the very first material to touch a black finish's surface. My favorite device to scrub off dirt and grime without leaving a swirled mess isn't a sponge, it's Mothers' genuine lamb's wool mitt.
As of 2009, the best material...
As of 2009, the best material to use isn't an ultra-soft terry cloth towel, but rather a microfiber cloth such as these from Mothers and Meguiar's. Do not ever mix terry cloth together with microfiber towels in the washing machine.
The worst thing to wash your...
The worst thing to wash your truck with is Tide. The good news is it works real good for washing detailing towels.
If these microfiber towels...
If these microfiber towels had been washed or dried with terry cloth towels they would have lint deeply embedded into them.
A wool pad on a polisher such...
A wool pad on a polisher such as the old Sioux seen in the background is one of the fastest ways to cut paint, but it is also the fastest way to swirl it. This goes double for black.
Another handy device, but...
Another handy device, but deadly when used by an inexperienced person, is a pneumatically driven DA (dual-action).
The larger polisher is a Makita...
The larger polisher is a Makita I bought in 1977 and the smaller 4-inch grinder is a Toshiba. Believe it or not some urethane paints are so hard that they have to be rubbed-out with a grinder.
The most economical way to...
The most economical way to power wax or polish is with a battery-powered drill. Not a lot of power is needed, but the larger drills with higher-voltage batteries last longer.
Mothers' Power Ball 4 Paint...
Mothers' Power Ball 4 Paint costs around $25 and works real good for black paint newbies who might be afraid to mess things up.
Another great old standby...
Another great old standby is this Craftsman industrial polisher, but using terry cloth mitts with stringy dingleberrys can swirl paint.
OK, now we're getting into...
OK, now we're getting into Turtle Wax's Black Box. Notice it's reminiscent of black shoe polish and will leave black stains on your skin.
The first thing to do is to...
The first thing to do is to put on a pair of mechanic's rubber gloves and then apply the Step 1 pre-wax cleaner to the special black applicator.
To prevent swirl marks, the...
To prevent swirl marks, the Black Box pre-wax cleaner was groomed with an inline motion instead of using a circular motion. Makes sense, huh?
More black goo. Here comes...
More black goo. Here comes the second step, a black carnauba blend wax that also is applied in a straight-line motion. Use a circular motion and you might get some swirl marks.
The third step is to spray...
The third step is to spray on Turtle Wax's black spray detailer which is clear (thank goodness) and imparts an incredible shine.
As you can see, my Raven Black...
As you can see, my Raven Black '56 Ford's paint came out swirl-free and shines like a crazy lady walking naked through a Laundromat. Oh yeah, and the white chips disappeared and the scratch on my fender doesn't look nearly as bad.
That's my black '94 Z28, that's...
That's my black '94 Z28, that's Mothers you see on it, but I'll try the Black Box and see how things come out.