Detailing Bay Lighting Recommended Products In the interest of full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with, employed by, have any vested interest, or in any way receive compensation from the sale or distribution of the product lines reviewed or the company that manufactures or markets it. Results Obtained These articles are not intended to warrant or guarantee any results with any of the products mentioned. No endorsement of companies or their products mentioned is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar companies or their products not mentioned. The author does not provide, nor guarantee and is not responsible or liable for any third-party products or services. Brand, product and company names used throughout these articles are trademarks of their respective companies and are used for product identification purposes only. Proper Technique A sound understanding of the proper technique and the correct process will produce excellent results even with a mediocre product. A quality product used without the proper surface preparation or application technique will never obtain a satisfactory result. Using the proper methodology (surface preparation, using a quality product, along with the correct application technique) will ensure an excellent result. Skill Level / Experience Some methods described may be beyond the capabilities of the average detailer or enthusiast; in this case we strongly encourage the reader to consult a professional detailer or body shop concerning the matters discussed herein. Liability The writer assumes no responsibility, expressed or implied, due to misuse or misinterpretation of the information or methods used, or for any vehicle damage or injury that may occur due to the suggestions and information offered. Product Quality and Technique Proceed with this in mind; the products you use constitute a very small factor in the equation. Methodology and technique constitute 95%; the reasoning behind the choice of quality products is to eliminate any limiting factors, thus enabling you to place emphasis on technique used. There is no `one correct way' to apply a product; the way detailing products are customized are what each individual finds give them their desired results. Aesthetics The aesthetics- of a vehicles appearance is very subjective to say the least, the only best wax or sealant that really matters is what looks 'best' to you. In the final analysis it all come down to; 85% preparation, 5% product, 7% application methodology and the balance is in the ‘guy’ of the beholder Research Research others opinions and products, test them and then make an objective decision based upon factual information not marketing hype or brand loyalty. I have always thought that the more facts and information you have at hand the easier it is to judge what information you are being given. After all, how can you fully understand and properly use any product unless you have all the facts? Detailing products Should work on their real merits, not ‘smoke and mirrors'. Most importantly - choose carefully whose advice you listen to, and more importantly what advice you act upon, so I would strongly suggest that you verify any information that I or anyone else shares with you. Detailing Bay Twelve-foot (12') ceilings and a ten-foot (10') door opening should accommodate most vehicles. Two twenty-five by twelve foot (25’ x 12’) bays and a twelve by thirty foot (12’ x 30’) office/storage space for supplies, this will enable one dry and one wet, one should have a floor drain with holding tank and one should house a forty eight inch (48”) scissor lift. Walls: Interior Acrylic enamels with a low lustre sheen (Reflects well but not blinding) and provides a very durable/ washable surface finish over a good quality primer. Floors: Fill in any cracks and remove old paint etc, etch concrete surface with muritic acid before applying two (2) coats minimum Wall Base Moulding: To seal the floor/wall and provide a practical waterproof finish (apply to wall with tape Power: Dedicated 20 amp circuits (with GFI) for the Air compressor, pressure washer, and carpet extractor, with overhead retractable power outlets for polishers and buffers. Lighting: a combination of fluorescents and halogens on the walls spaced at approximately 36" centres, with 1000 watt twin halogens as for closer spot inspection. Lighting levels of 100-foot candles at workbench height (42” from finished floor) recommend metal halide lights (175W -4250-5000 0 K, IT provides a ‘warm’ bright white light) over each detailing bay plus incandescent lighting on separate switch as metal halides have a delayed start, plus Daylight (Windows/skylights) if possible Light output reduces from its source by an inverse square law; the table shows that fluorescent or incandescent lighting is more suitable for general lighting. Light output is measured in lumens, a typical 100W bulb produces 1700, a 175W metal halide bulb 14,000. The lighting available at the source is measured in foot-candles. Lighting Ceiling Height Type 9 feet 12 feet HID 175W 56 48 FC (Foot candles at a 42” workbench height) Fluorescent 68W 15 10 Incandescent 100W 6 3 Colour temperature Describes the colour of a light source by comparing it to the colour of a blackbody radiator at a given temperature For example, the colour appearance of a halogen lamp is similar to a blackbody radiator heated to about 3000 degrees Kelvin. Therefore it is said that the halogen lamp has a colour temperature of 3000 degrees K- that is considered to be a warm colour temperature. The hotter the blackbody, the cooler the colour temperature! (Note: The Kelvin temperature scale uses the same size degree as the centigrade scale, but its zero point is at absolute zero, or -273 degrees C). Sunlight can be "warm" or "cool" depending on the time of day and the ambient conditions. Warm = 2-3,000K, Mid-range = 3-4,000k, Cool = 4,000k + Colour rendering index (CRI) A scale of the effect of a light source on the colour appearance of an object compared to its colour appearance under a reference light source. Expressed on a scale of 1 to 100, where 100 indicates no colour shift, a low CRI rating suggests that the colours of objects will appear unnatural under that particular light source. CRI is a unit of measure that defines how well colours are rendered by different illumination conditions in comparison to a standard (i.e. a thermal radiator or daylight). CRI is calculated on a scale from 1-100 where a CRI of 100 would represent that all colour samples illuminated by a light source in question would appear to have the same colour as those same samples illuminated by a reference source. To put it another way, low CRI causes colours to appear washed out and perhaps even take on a different hue, and high CRI makes all colours look natural and vibrant Four Twin Tube Florescent Light Some fluorescent tubes throw a quite accurately coloured light while others are absolutely ghastly, in an attempt to chart which are better than the others, they came up with a scale called the "Colour Rendering Index", with a score closer to 100 the better. Well that is the theory anyhow where it breaks down is they only compare tubes of the same colour temperature. A "F40T12/DX" (6500°K - CRI -84) is not a better colour than a "F40CW" (4100°K - CRI -62) because they're different colours they can't be compared by CRI, but a "F32T8/830" (3000°K - CRI -86) is a better colour than a "F32T8/730" (3000°K - CRI -78) seeing these two are the same colour (3000°K) they can be compared by CRI High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting HID lighting technology replaces the filament of the light bulb with a capsule of gas. The light is emitted from an arc discharge between two closely spaced electrodes hermetically sealed inside a small quartz glass tubular envelope capsule. To operate, they require ballasts, which supply proper voltage and control current. The amount of light produced is greater than a standard halogen bulb, while consuming less power, and more closely approximating the colour temperature of natural daylight. In all High Intensity Discharge lamps, passing a current through a metal vapour produces light. Free electrons colliding with an atom in the vapour momentarily knock an electron into a higher orbit of the atom. When the displaced electron falls back to its former level, a quantum of radiation is emitted. The wavelength of radiation depends on the energy zone of the disturbed electron and on the type of metal vapour used in the arc tube. Although it produces 5% of its output when first ignited, the High Intensity Discharge light requires a few seconds (usually 15-20) to come up to full output. Also, if power to the lamp is lost or turned off, the arc tube must cool to a given temperature before the arc can be re-struck and light produced. Due to its lower power consumption, High Intensity Discharge bulbs contribute to saving energy and are thus more environmentally friendly than halogen bulbs. High Intensity Discharge lighting technology replaces the filament of the light bulb with a capsule of gas. The light is emitted from an arc discharge between two closely spaced electrodes hermetically sealed inside a small quartz glass tubular envelope capsule. To operate, they require ballasts, which supply proper voltage and control current. The amount of light produced is greater than a standard halogen bulb, while consuming less power, and more closely approximating the colour temperature of natural daylight. The light produced by HID lamps has a colour temperature in the range of 4700°-6500ºK, putting it in the same range as the sun. For a comparison, halogen lamps normally operate in the 3000º-3200ºK range and incandescent lamps in the 2800º-2900ºK range. In visible terms, the lower the colour temperature the more red or yellow the light, and the higher the temperature the whiter the light and more realistic the visualization of colour and contrast. The 4700º-6500ºK-colour temperature of the HID's is a whiter "cooler" light that more clearly reproduces the full range of colours. Due to its lower power consumption, High Intensity Discharge bulbs contribute to saving energy and are thus more environmentally friendly than halogen bulbs. Paint Surface Inspection Inspect your work under full sunlight or purpose-made paint inspection lamps; holograms, fine marring hooks, etc. are very difficult to see under man made light. There's nothing more frustrating than having to strip off your LSP and re-do. General lighting - double head with 2-300W halogen bulbs in each 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 - Brinkmann LED ll Flashlight at REI.com 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 - Color Matching Light Kit or Autobarn - Spotlights - Brinkmann® MaxFire Dual Xenon Rechargeable Spotlight 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//:Infratech - World Leader in Infrared Heating Technology and Products Information resource 1.Automotive Detailing Inside & Out; a Knowledge Base for the Perfectionist, by Jon Miller 2.TOGWT™ Series of Detailing Articles, by Jon Miller © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved Detailing Articles This is one of is one of a series of unbiased and informative, knowledge based, subject specific articles, which are dedicated to the automotive detailing enthusiast or professional detailer in search of development and further education Copyright Protection and intellectual property rights-© This work is registered with the UK Copyright Service that supports international copyright protection by securing independent evidence that will help prove originality and ownership in any future claims or disputes. All original material is copyright, unless otherwise state (1) it may be copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes only provided that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original material, (2) the information is copied in full with no changes unless prior written agreement is obtained from TOGWT, and a reference to © TOGWT ™ is included, any unauthorized use of these materials may violate copyrights and/or trademark. Be aware these files have been digitally watermarked and actually contain embedded copyright information; so they can be traced to any website on the internet if needed in a legal confrontation
don't forget metal halide's and LED's I have a coleman 530 lumens light which shows the finest of holograms and spots swirls and scratches extremely well
