I've got a quick question about sealants, specifically the machine super wax. I'd like to get a nice sealant down before I finish off with a coat of americana this spring(after claying, de-swirling, and polishing). However, I don't have a porter cable. Can MSW be applied and removed by hand, or will it be too tough to buff off?

I've got a quick question about sealants, specifically the machine super wax. I'd like to get a nice sealant down before I finish off with a coat of americana this spring(after claying, de-swirling, and polishing). However, I don't have a porter cable. Can MSW be applied and removed by hand, or will it be too tough to buff off?

Sorry I didn't see your question sooner Mark, house shopping with the wife is eating up my days :whine:

Anyways, to answer your question in the most convoluted and confusing way....

yes and no, well, sorta... maybe... not really.... kinda... but not. LOL

Honestly MSW can be a bear to work with on large flat panels. I typically limit hand application to wheels. The problem lies in the curing time and removal. In order for MSW to cure properly it needs to be applied thin and evenly across the panel - easy to do with a machine, not so much by hand. The removal of a hand application can get a little goopy and difficult as you'll inevitably have high and low spots with it. This can also lead to some annoying "blotchy" spots in the finish where the thicker spots may continue to gas out longer than the thin areas, requiring you to do more wipe downs with detail spray after the fact.

Thats not to say that you can't entirely do a car with MSW by hand, just be prepared to work a little harder and spend a little more time. If you have a spare hex grip foam applicator use it with the MSW... that will substantially improve your ability to spread the product evenly and minimize the issues you'd see with say an MF applicator.

Just food for thought... all the testing we've done shows that 2 thin coats of Americana is as durable as 1 coat of MSW... so to that end you can layer Americana 2-3 times and get just as much mileage from it as you would from a single MSW coat topped with Americana. This also saves time as you can layer Americana within a few hours of application while you'll have to wait 12-24 hrs after MSW to apply Americana.