What is a finishing glaze and how does it work?

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I have a 3m product called Imperial Machine Glaze. It gets used after polishing and take literally all swirl marks out of the paint cause buy the wool pad and compound. My question is how does it work? It is just very fine grit that I can;t feel it, or is it a filler of some kind? Just curious how it works.
 
Typically glazes cover up defects rather than remove them like a compound or polish. Also, typically this "cover up" effect doesn't last very long and is easily stripped away by a simple wash or two.
 
Originally Posted By: Capa
Typically glazes cover up defects rather than remove them like a compound or polish. Also, typically this "cover up" effect doesn't last very long and is easily stripped away by a simple wash or two.


I agree. Lot's of dealerships use glazes to fill in scratchs (which they most likely cause.) Thats why the car looks great when you purchase it and in a month or so it looks like &#@&(@#. Imperial machine glaze is great if you are prepping for an autoshow or want to hide scratches and swirls but only a true polish (or compound if it's in bad shape) and a wax will give you the best results.

Do yourself a favor and go to an autozone and purchase Meguiars 105/205 and M26 wax. Start with 205 and if you don't get the desired results switch to 105. After you have all the swirls and scratches out put a good coat of M26 and your car will look beautiful. Trust me! I do the same on my cars and they are show room beautiful.
 
Imperial Machine Glaze is a discontinued product replaced by Imperial Hand Glaze. As mentioned it is full of fillers to hide swirls/rotary holograms and offers no protection for the paint. A machine polish removes the marring instead of hiding it. Some polishes leave a layer of sealant behind (called AIO or all in one), some are pure polish and leave nothing but a smooth clean finish. Sealant/wax must be applied afterwards in that case. It boils down to what is it you are trying to accomplish and how many steps are you willing to take? Do you want to remove the marring on the paint or just hide it?
 
Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
I'm pretty sure it's a "chemical based" compound, like P21S. You need to go to 3M's website, there should be some info on it there.


A glaze is the farthest thing from a compound, like comparing apples to squids. There are chemical based paint cleaners which remove contaminants from the paint in order to see what lies beneath. P21S is a great example of a good one but an alcohol and water mix will do the same thing.
 
Glaze has "fillers" to hide imperfections and "oils" to give a gloss. It is primarily for show cars. Use a glaze then top it with a REAL carnuba wax that has no detergents in it (like P21S) and the subject will turn out beautiful.
 
Originally Posted By: ProStreetCamaro
Glaze has "fillers" to hide imperfections and "oils" to give a gloss. It is primarily for show cars. Use a glaze then top it with a REAL carnuba wax that has no detergents in it (like P21S) and the subject will turn out beautiful.


Would collinite 885 or 476s work good on top of the glaze?
 
The consensus in detailing forums seems to be that you cannot top a glaze with a sealant or wax and not have it strip away the glaze (remember that glazes are temporary).
 
Originally Posted By: Capa
The consensus in detailing forums seems to be that you cannot top a glaze with a sealant or wax and not have it strip away the glaze (remember that glazes are temporary).


Without sounding rude that is not true. Meguiars 7 glaze is intended to be topped off by a wax (like Meguiars M26) Chemical Guys EZ-Creme glaze is intended to be topped with a wax as well. A glaze can be used as an in between step once you have removed the polish oils and prior to waxing. Yes you can use a glaze alone but there are little to no protective properties with a glaze. It is only used to fill in swirls and and boost shine of a vehicle.

Unless you are using a polish/wax (or all in one/cleaner wax) then the wax has ZERO cleaning properties. A normal wax will not strip any prior protection but add to it.
 
Sorry, apparently there are glazes that can be topped by a wax. The heavy oils in some glazes may cause some issues with waxes and sealants.
To the OP, if you are wanting the paint to "pop" and then clay and polish the vehicle. A good polish will bring back the luster to the paint and make the metallic flakes really pop. Then add a wax or sealant or both. Polishing will remove defects rather than fill them with a temporary bandaid.
 
Meq glaze is what I use after polishing out all the visible imperfections via fine cut polish. It does fill minute scratches and sort of conditions the paint. It adds depth to the color. The glaze offers no protection in the long term and needs to be covered by a wax. FWIW, it also is amazing at bringing back old single stage paints. I used 1.5 bottles on my 78' F150 with OEM paint that was in good shape but dry. There are oils and chemicals that 'feed' the paint. I rubbed in about 6 coats-letting each coat sit overnight-in the garage. The results were quite amazing.
 
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