Swirl finder light?

[hemi1300]

Can someone recommend me a good dedicated swirl finder light? Amazon has a few, think one made by flex or rupes, that looks like a small pen light. Do these work well? I have many bright led flashlights but they don't seem to show the swirls well. Garage is very well lit with t5 high output lights, almost blinding lol. It's the verticle panels I have trouble seeing slight scratches sometimes, have to kneel on the floor with my head almost to the ground so I can look at the reflection of the paint with the fluorescent lights in the garage

[rkj4243]

Great question Derek!

 

This information is from an older post here on the forums regarding lighting, and should provide some information you need.

 

There is no 'one bullet' lighting solution for enthusiasts that is going to be ideal in all situations.

 

◾Sunlight - great for showing everything, but you don't control where it is in the sky in relation to the panels you're working and it is not always available... there is no/off switch, plus its constantly moving so unless you happen to position your car perfectly so that the sun moves as you proceed over the car there is always going to be some areas that aren't lit as you'd need them to be.

 

◾Handheld torch - I have the brinkman and it is a great light, but it does really only show you a very small area, so unless you inspect the car inch by inch you're not going to get the whole 'truth' of what is happening on the paint.

 

◾Halogen stand - great for lighting up the side of your ride like a mid-summer day in Death Valley, but virtually impossible to get them positioned well over the hood, trunk, roof, when working on those panels.

 

In almost all cases you're going to need MULTIPLE light sources to inspect your paint. You may need to move in and out of the garage to use the sun at times, you'll need to use a handheld light for some areas, and it is preferable to have some halogens to use as well.

 

Myself, I have LED's in place of the fluorescent bulbs in all of my fixtures in the garage, as well as a Dual Light Head Halogen stand.

 

They seem to be all I need, even on vertical panels. I do use the sunlight to check prior the finish after polishing, if available, before I complete the process of sealant, or wax application.

 

 

 

 

[hemi1300]

Thanks for the post. Curious, would a halogen show imperfections better than white led or fluorescent?

[rkj4243]

Derek,

 

Below is a link to a post I made in June 2015 of black paint using overhead fluorescents and a halogen light stand in the garage.

 

You can see for yourself how the swirls and scratches on this looked using this equipment.

 

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/28558-new-to-me-2007-black-corvette-coupe/

[mc2hill]

Thanks for the post. Curious, would a halogen show imperfections better than white led or fluorescent?

 

LED lights will show more imperfections and are more comfortable to work around than halogen, and can be mounted on an arm for hoods.

 

Check out this thread for more info - DIY LED light build. 

[Guest washemup]

I have the Flex swirl finder, and while it works very well, I have recently discovered it's not made by Flex, it's a Cree light and is way overpriced. Search Amazon for a 3 mode adjustable light around 140-240 lumens, it will perform exactly the same for about a 3rd of the price.

 

The key for me using a handheld is to be sure it's not "competing" with other light sources, so if you have overhead lights in your garage, be sure and turn them off when inspecting to get a true picture of what your paint looks like.

 

Unfortunately, the Brinkmann has been discontinued.

Edited December 20, 2015 by washemup

[CMDChase]

I was going to suggest the Brinkmann, which is what I use, until I just read (above) that is has been discontinued.

[mc2hill]

The key for me using a handheld is to be sure it's not "competing" with other light sources, so if you have overhead lights in your garage, be sure and turn them off when inspecting to get a true picture of what your paint looks like.

 

 

This!

 

Like Joe said, reduce as much of the 'other light sources' as possible to get the truest idea of the paint's condition.

 

This is a 50/50 shot while polishing a white car using my halogen lights.  I did not intentionally setup this shot, it was just at night, at the door end of the garage, with not outside lights on.  There was nothing behind the lights to reduce their effectiveness.  

 

And yes, it IS a white car!  The yellow-ness of the halogens make it look yellow.  The LED lights would show a truer color

[Dylan@RUPES]

http://www.rupestool.com/p/us/en/0273336587617

 

Amazingly effective and compact. It's also a perfect color temperature for paint inspection. I actually have a video planned to show proper paint inspection techniques bc more often than not people misuse the light they have.

 

That being said, I recommend 2 sources of light -

 

A broader area, like work lights on a stand (halogen or otherwise) for lighting whole panels during work.

 

A close area, like the penlight for up close inspection pre and post correction.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Dylan@RUPES

[oldfordisbetter]

Look forward to the video Dylan...