How to apply the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant by hand or machine for a show car finish!
Liquid wet looking paint after applying McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant
What is it?
A non-cleaning, graphene ceramic paint sealant.
What does it do?
Seals the paint surface with a hydrophobic graphene ceramic layer of durable protection while adding insance gloss, shine and slickness at the same time.
When do you use it?
After washing and drying your car and inspecting to make sure the paint is smooth to the touch and free from any paint defects.
Why use McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant over other options?
McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant uses only the finest ingredients under a strict quality control manufacturing process. All McKee's 37 products must pass the owner's stringent expectations for product quality and performance before they are offered for professionals and enthusiasts.
Finishing Wax versus Cleaner/Wax
In the old days, there were two basic types or categories of waxes a person could use for the paint on their car. A finishing wax or a cleaner/wax. Here's the difference,
A finishing wax is a product that its sole job is to seal the surface of the paint to protect it and provide a deep, wet, reflective shine, in other words, add beauty.
A cleaner/wax is a product that has either some form of abrasives or some form of chemical cleaners or a combination of both abrasives and chemical cleaners and it is used to remove oxidation, swirls, scratches and water spots while at the same time leaving some type of protection ingredient behind on the surface to protect the paint and add beauty in the form of gloss and shine.
More options than waxes now days!
Back when these terms were coined, most of the products on the market were based upon some form of naturally occurring carnauba wax for the protection ingredient, thus the names Finishing WAX or Cleaner/WAX. Today there are a lot more options for protection ingredients but the idea of two groups remains the same, one group that non-cleaning and only provides protection, shine and gloss and another group that provides both cleaning and protection. This latter group is also referred to as AIOs or All-in-Ones, which is just an abbreviated term for cleaner/wax or product with the ability to clean or abrade the surface to remove defects.
When would I choose a non-cleaning product over a cleaning product?
Great question! The answer is simple.
If you have a brand new car or if you have previously performed any paint related detailing tasks like claying and polishing, then you should use a non-cleaning wax or non-cleaning sealant. The big picture idea is these types of products are for use on cars with paint that is in new or like-new condition. That is paint that is clean and smooth to the touch, free from any normal or major paint defects.
If your car’s paint is neglected, with the typical swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation that builds-up over time, then you should chose a cleaner/wax or cleaner/sealant, a product that has both the ability to remove defects and leave protection behind.
McKee’s 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant
This is a non-cleaning paint sealant that uses a combination of graphene and ceramic to protect the paint while adding gloss, slickness and shine. McKee’s 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant can be applied by hand or machine. It can be used on pretty much any type of vehicle or transportation, including, cars, trucks, vans, suvs, motor coaches, motorcycles and even boats and airplanes.
How to apply?
Below I’ll show how to apply by hand and also by machine. While hand application is fast and easy, machine application is a tick faster and generally speaking, machine application does a better job of laying down a thin, uniform layer of sealant that wastes less product and is easier to wipe off after the sealant dries to a haze – about 10 to 15 minutes.
Applying McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant by Hand
Overlapping, circular motion
Use an overlapping circular motion to spread the wax out over a single panel at at time. Once you cover one panel, move onto the next panel until the entire car has a thin, uniform layer of the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant.
Allow the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant to dry to a haze. This normally takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Use a clean, dry soft microfiber towel to remove the layer of sealant. This sealant wipes of super easy and leaves the paint feeling slick and slippery.
The final results are a crystal clear, high gloss shine with deep reflections.
A perfect show car finish!
Applying McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant by Machine
Here I'm using the FLEX XCE Cordless CBEAST modified with the optional 6" FLEX Backing Plate so I can use the larger 6 3/4" Redline Black Foam Finishing pad.
Pour a circle of product over the face of the pad.
Smooshing Technique
After applying some product to the face of the foam pad like shown above, the next thing you want to do is to smoosh or dab the face of the pad down against the paint on a body panel to spread the product out.
Grab and spread
Then turn the polisher to a low to medium speed setting and then with one edge of the pad in contact with the paint, tip the polisher so one side of the pad is in the air and move the spinning pad towards a pile of product. Grab the product under the spinning pad and then hold the pad flat to spread the product out over a section of paint.
Repeat the steps above until you have picked up all the piles of product under the spinning pad and spread this product out over the panel to be treated.
After machine applying the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant to one body panel, repeat these step until you've applied the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant to every body panel on the car.
Allow sealant to dry to a haze
Allow the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant to dry to a haze and then remove using a clean microfiber towel.
Not how thin and uniform the layer of sealant is on the paint when machine applied?
Super easy wipe-off!
Something I really liked about this sealant was how easy it wipes off and the super slick feeling surface it leaves behind.
By hand or machine
McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant is user-friendly, fast and easy to use plus there's zero dusting and it won't stain trim.
Real-World Detail Job - 1967 Ferrar 275 GTB NART
Here’s a classic 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB NART (North American Racing Team), I recently detailed for a regular client. These are very rare Ferrari's and highly sought after in the collector car market. After a close inspection, I discovered contamination on the paint via the baggie test as well as light swirls and scratches in the paint. I’ll share the steps I used below to remove the contamination and the swirls as well as the final results.
The Baggie Test
The baggie test is a test you can use to detect if there is any surface contamination on your car's paint. Over time all kinds of airborne contaminants like overspray paint, tree sap mist and industrial fallout and pollution land on your car's exterior and if not removed immediately this contamination can form such a strong bond that normal washing will not remove it.
Mechanical Decontamination
To remove the contamination I'm using a Clay Mitt with the McKee's 37 Universal Clay Lubricant. Simply mist some lubricant onto the surface and then rub the clay mitt over the surface.
Rub mitt over paint until paint feels smooth
Most of the time you can feel the contaminants through the liner of the mitt and you can also feel and tell when the contaminants have been removed as the paint will now feel smooth and the mitt will glide effortlessly over the paint.
Remove clay lube residue
After claying a section, use a clean, soft dry microfiber towel to remove any excess clay lubricant.
Machine polishing to remove swirls and scratches
After I clayed the paint using the McKee's 37- Universal Clay Lubricant and Clay Mitt Combo to remove the gritty feeling from all the contamination, next I machine polished the paint to remove any swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation.
Machine polishing also prepares the paint for the final step, sealing the paint with the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant.
New compound and polish coming soon!
This is a new polish we're introducing. At the time of the below picture I was in the testing phase. I'm happy to announce both the new compound and polish work great! The last Ferrari like this one sold for over 20 million dollars for I would only use compounds and polishes I fully trust.
FLEX Supa BEAST
To do the paint correction step I'm using one of my favorite tools, the FLEX Supa BEAST. The actual part number is XCE 10-8 125 but I nicknamed it the Supa BEAST and this is name that most professional detailers refer to it by now because part numbers simply don't roll-off-the-tip-of-your-tongue.
I have also modified this FLEX polisher with the optional FLEX 6" backing plate so that I can use the larger 6.75 Redline White AIO or All-in-One Foam Polishing Pad.
This tool has a LOT Of power and a larger pad enables me to take advantage of all the power plus the larger footprint of the larger diameter pad enables me to work faster around the car.
Machine applying the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant with the FLEX CBEAST
Sometimes I like to apply a coat of wax or sealant by hand because I find the process relaxing and a way to decompress from the busy world we live in. But most of the time I much prefer to machine apply a sealant like the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant because machine application does a better job of laying down a thin, uniform layer of sealant. This means less waste plus when you lay down a thin layer of product the wipe-off is also faster and easier.
Sorry, not trying to show-off here but seriously - the FLEX CBEAST is so easy to use it makes reaching out to the middle of large panels safer as I don't have to lean against the paint on the side of the car like the fenders, potentially marring the paint.
Smooth, lightweight and quiet! Plus you don't have to hassle with a power cord!
Besides being lightweight and compact in size, the cordless FLEX CBEAST is super quiet. So quiet you can play music in the background or talk on your phone.
Super easy wipe-off!
I've been detailing cars for over 30 years and over this time I've used a lot of product that were really difficult to wipe-off. Some products are also super dusty and if you accidentally get any of the product on trim it stains it white. Not with McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant. If you follow the directions and allow the sealant to dry to a haze, which only takes around 10 to 15 minutes, it will wipe-off super easy, in fact it will almost fall off the paint! And there's never any dusting or staining of trim.
And here's the final results...
The paint now has a deep, wet shine that everyone loves!
A slick finish is a safe finish!
With McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant the paint is not just protected, but it feels as slick and slippery as it looks. Future maintenance, like wiping the car down with a spray detailer will be faster, easier and even safer.
The paint on this car has mile deep reflections and a wet-look as though it just popped out of the paint booth!
Did you just get your car painted?
Whether you drive a Ferrari or a Ford - McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant will protect your car's finish and make your car the envy of all your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors!
Premium quality products - McKee's 37
Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towel
Besides the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant, you'll also need a lot of quality microfiber towels. I'm a HUGE fan of short pile or short nap towels because it is my opinion and experience that these types of towels not only work great but just as important are dramatically easier to prevent from becoming contaminated over time.
And, when you do discover some type of contaminant in the weave of the towel, with a short pile nap, it's much easier to pick the contaminant out to save the towel and prevent you from putting scratches back into the paint.
Inspecting Microfiber Towels
I inspect my towels BEFORE washing and AFTER they come out of the dryer. I visually inspect them with my eyes and also feel them with my hands and anytime I find any type of particulate - if I can't remove the particulate with my fingers I keep a pair of tweezers handy and pluck the particulate out with the tweezers.
If I cannot remove the offending particulate with my fingers or a set of tweezers - I remove the towel from my microfiber towel collection and use it for some other function like wiping excess tire dressing off of tire sidewalls. I never use contaminated towels on paint or plastic surfaces, like Piano Plastic trim on modern cars.
The little things are the big things...
I don't know what this tiny black particulate is but I know I don't want to rub it over the paint of the Ferrari behind me or ANY car.
If you can't see it - you can't remove it and this means you're going to RUB it, (the contaminant embedded in the nap of the towel), over your car's paint.
At this time, my favorite towel is the Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towel.
My Clean Bucket for Dirty Towels was empty when I started working on the Ferrari. As I worked through the various steps, after using a towel I would place it into the bucket. At the end of the detail job, I poured the towels out of the bucket onto a clean table, (to keep them from becoming contaminated), and counted them.
Towels used = 16 Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towels
On AutoForge.net
Here's a list of everything I used to apply the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant by machine to this 1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 NART Spider.
To waterless wash the carMcKee's 37 Coating Prep Spray
To remove the contamination off the paint, glass and plastic headlight covers
McKee's 37- Universal Clay Lubricant and Clay Mitt Combo
To inspect for swirls and scratches
SCANGRIP Swirl Finder Lights
For the paint correction step,
FLEX XCE 10-8 125 "Supa BEAST" Dual Action Polisher
Redline 6.75" White All-In-One Foam Polishing Pad - Fits FLEX Orbital Polishers
To machine apply the sealant
McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant
FLEX XCE 8-125 "CBEAST" 18.0 Dual Action Cordless Polisher Set
6 inch Flex Backing Plate for XCE and XFE Polishers (For the CBEAST and Supa BEAST)
Redline 6.75" Black Foam Finishing Pad - Fits FLEX Orbital Polishers
For any wiping steps
Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towel - 25 Pack
For getting into the side gills on the front fenders
Yellow Foam Wax Applicators - 6 Pack
Learn to detail cars for fun or profit!
Whether you detail cars professionally, want to start a car detailing business or if you just want to learn how to detail your own cars, you can flatten out the learning curve and have a lot of fun taking the Mike Phillips & Nick Rutter 100% Hands-on Detailing Classes!
Click this link to learn more, see a detailed list of topics covered or sign-up.
Questions?
Mike Phillips
Mike@AutoForge.net
760-515-0444