*NEW* BLACKFIRE Crystal Coat Paint Coating!

(preface - I am not a pro and am probably barely considered a hobbyist)

Yesterday I did my wife's BMW wagon exterior. I washed, clayed, polished, prepped (with the new BF Paint Prep), and then applied the new Paint Coating.

First - the new paint prep. Super easy. Spray on, wipe off. No streaks, no mess.

The CCPC - I was very impressed. It went on easy and buffed off easy. It was easy to tell when I put too much on (when I first started, but I got better with it) because the coating would stay wet on the finish and I'd have to spread it more to get it to dry.

IMO - the shine is pretty natural and looks good. I hope the finish lasts - it says 2 years but if I can get 1 year I'd be thrilled. This car unfortunately sits outside year-round.

The only negative I have with it was I made a bit of a mess when I would try to drip it out of the bottle onto the applicator. For some reason I ended up with extra liquid drips around the bottom exterior of the bottle which I had to wipe up when finished.

I estimated I used about 20-25% of the bottle - so 4-5 cars is probably realistic with the small bottle.

I'm hopeful I didn't miss any spots - I may put a second coating on today (24 hours later) just to make sure I have it all well protected.

Here is a couple images. Sorry they are indoors - her car stayed in overnight since it's supposed to stay dry for 24 hours after finishing
 
The coating took 3-4 minutes to flash, when doing one panel at a time makes it easy to buff over the high spots.

It was done in my shop, both bay doors closed.

Temp was 78 degrees inside the shop, low humidity.
I can see it flashing in one minute when it gets warmer.

The Blackfire Coating Rocks:dblthumb2:
When using the BF Coating you feel your the best detailer it the world. Lol
Yea, the coating makes you look really good. :dblthumb2:

I coated a 2015 Toyota Camry and a full size Chevy truck and still have enough to do two more cars.
A few drops on the LC Applicator Pad is all that's needed to get a lot of the surface coated, spreads very well.
There is some drag on the first pass but no drag at all starting on your second pass.
I cross hatched twice to make sure I didn't miss a spot.

Give the BF Coating a try, you'll love it IMHO:dblthumb2:
 
BfisherNC said:
(
The only negative I have with it was I made a bit of a mess when I would try to drip it out of the bottle onto the applicator. For some reason I ended up with extra liquid drips around the bottom exterior of the bottle which I had to wipe up when finished.
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Tighten the top more....
 
Anyone know...what the shelf life is once the bottle is opened?
 
My guess is 6 months - since it's a quartz - hopefully longer though!
 
HateSwirls said:
The coating took 3-4 minutes to flash, when doing one panel at a time makes it easy to buff over the high spots.

It was done in my shop, both bay doors closed.

Temp was 78 degrees inside the shop, low humidity.
I can see it flashing in one minute when it gets warmer.
Click to expand...

When it gets in the 90's it'll flash literally right before your eyes! :eek: You will not be able to do the entire hood, then go back and wipe, nooooooooo.

When I had my daughter (and wife) helping me some that's the first thing they noticed. The girl was saying "Dad, why is it all purple and streaky looking?". Told her that was it 'flashing', then right after that, let it sit a few seconds, then wipe it, making sure to turn the towel OFTEN.

She even showed her husband how to do it. :) (Not that he's worth a rats arse for taking care of vehicles!!!!) :rolleyes:

Also it's good to use lots of new towels, and put them in to soak right afterwards. (Just in case any quartz based coating might come to harden within the fibers.)​
 
I was just gonna ask if you have to toss the microfibers you use like with cquartz.
 
What's the diff with the nano glass ceramic (DP coating), compared to the quartz (BF coating)? I read that Nick@ag said the quartz is a thicker measurable layer...but what's the difference and is one better than the other?
 
Odisious said:
What's the diff with the nano glass ceramic (DP coating), compared to the quartz (BF coating)? I read that Nick@ag said the quartz is a thicker measurable layer...but what's the difference and is one better than the other?
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I too am wondering the differences! :xyxthumbs:
 
I have a few questions reguarding the application of crystal coating. I have not applied a coating before, in prep for applying this i have watched several videos of cquartz. When knocking down the high spots it appears as if the residue is completely removed by buffing with a mf towel. Is this the proper procedure for leveling the coating? Are there any videos that you recomend that accurately show the process?
It is also my understanding that this coating should not be topped with anything but crystal seal. If this is true how long after application of the coating must i wait before topping with crystal seal? Can i apply a second layer of the coating instead of topping with crystal seal? Thanks for your help. I am excited to see the results this coating provides
 
Is this product layerable if so how long after the first application before adding the second coat. Optiguard recomends no more than 3 layers or clarity will be an issue.

Crystal seal will be used as a maintence coating.? Can Eraser be used as final wipe down step or do you need to be brand specific before coating is applied.? Just trying to get best results first time around.....
 
Krwtek1 said:
I have a few questions reguarding the application of crystal coating. I have not applied a coating before, in prep for applying this i have watched several videos of cquartz. When knocking down the high spots it appears as if the residue is completely removed by buffing with a mf towel. Is this the proper procedure for leveling the coating? Are there any videos that you recomend that accurately show the process?
It is also my understanding that this coating should not be topped with anything but crystal seal. If this is true how long after application of the coating must i wait before topping with crystal seal? Can i apply a second layer of the coating instead of topping with crystal seal? Thanks for your help. I am excited to see the results this coating provides
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I apologize for the late reply, I was on vacation and yesterday was my first day back in the office.

The coating essentially "melts" into the paint as you apply it. Any excess product (ie: "high spots") are easily leveled using a microfiber towel. No videos yet - stay tuned!

You can apply Crystal Seal within a day or two, but it's not necessary. The only reason to apply Crystal Seal is because you can't stand NOT to touch your paint. :laughing:

bill buxton said:
Is this product layerable if so how long after the first application before adding the second coat. Optiguard recomends no more than 3 layers or clarity will be an issue.

Crystal seal will be used as a maintence coating.? Can Eraser be used as final wipe down step or do you need to be brand specific before coating is applied.? Just trying to get best results first time around.....
Click to expand...

Layering is not beneficial - apply one coat and you're good to go.

Eraser might work for some people, but I personally prefer to stick with each manufacturer's recommended procedure for prepping the surface, so in this case Crystal Coat Paint Prep is the preferred way to prep the paint prior to applying the coating.
 
The questions I have are regarding what happens later, 2 years down the road.

How do you know when the coating has reached it's limit? Lack of beading? Does it change color, yellow?

How do you remove it to recoat again? Does it have to be polished and how do you know you have all of the coating off and not taking off more clear coat? Will something like Prep All work?

Or will the coating just disappear and all you need to do is to maybe use the prep then apply the coating again without having to polish again?
 
Isewake said:
The questions I have are regarding what happens later, 2 years down the road.

How do you know when the coating has reached it's limit? Lack of beading? Does it change color, yellow?

How do you remove it to recoat again? Does it have to be polished and how do you know you have all of the coating off and not taking off more clear coat? Will something like Prep All work?
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Great questions and I wondered the same thing. Most of the coatings folks talk about there are new or applied to a customer's car, so there isn't a good opportunity to talk about end-of-life of these products.

I also wonder if you're satisfied with the condition of the paint at the one year point if you could clean/prep the surface with a non-abrasive product and just throw down another layer of the coating vs. polishing the whole thing off and starting over.
 
I think you'll find that the coating gets scratches, etchings, etc... just as the clearcoat did. That's its job...sacrificial barrier. You'll most likely have to polish out the imperfections and reapply long before the technical end life of the coating.
 
Isewake said:
The questions I have are regarding what happens later, 2 years down the road.

How do you know when the coating has reached it's limit? Lack of beading? Does it change color, yellow?

How do you remove it to recoat again? Does it have to be polished and how do you know you have all of the coating off and not taking off more clear coat? Will something like Prep All work?

Or will the coating just disappear and all you need to do is to maybe use the prep then apply the coating again without having to polish again?
Click to expand...

As the coating wears off the gloss and beading will diminish. To re-apply simply wash, clay, polish, and prep the paint.

Desertnate said:
Great questions and I wondered the same thing. Most of the coatings folks talk about there are new or applied to a customer's car, so there isn't a good opportunity to talk about end-of-life of these products.

I also wonder if you're satisfied with the condition of the paint at the one year point if you could clean/prep the surface with a non-abrasive product and just throw down another layer of the coating vs. polishing the whole thing off and starting over.
Click to expand...
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If you're not happy with the quality of the finish after a year, then you need to re-evaluate how you're maintaining the finish once you've coated it. If you like to constantly touch the paint, then consider applying a coat of Crystal Seal every couple months. This will boost the slickness. Other than that all you need to do is wash the vehicle with a quality shampoo, and be sure to use quality wash mitts and drying towels.
 
Thanks for the info, Nick.

Based on what you stated above, when drying, would it be advisable NOT to use a drying aid or would using a product from the same family like the WW or QD be OK? I don't really have an issue with avoiding toppers, but drying aides do make the process a little easier and safer.

All the recent coating discussions have me reevaluating my approach to the family DD's and I'd like to fully understand what's all involved with the long term maintenance, if any.
 
Nick@Autogeek said:
As the coating wears off the gloss and beading will diminish. To re-apply simply wash, clay, polish, and prep the paint.
Click to expand...

I guess what I was wanting to know was how much do you have to polish. Can any kind of polish be used? Could it be a finishing polish or does it need more cut? Will one pass with a DA be enough? Does the pad have to have some cut to it? Can it be like a LC CCS black? Sorry for the questions. I have only used wax or sealant (Sonax PNS) so I have used Prep All to prep the paint. Would like to do this coating but want to make sure I know what to expect on the end of life side of it.
 
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