waxing and sealing

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CalgaryDetail

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So im bored being stuck with the family.. i love them but still a week in a small condo with 6 people is alot of togther time.
so i was searching some forums (this and others I am a member of). I noticed one thread in which the person waxed and sealed withing minutes of each other (after the sealent was left on the paint to haze as sit).
I know many people wait for the sealent to sit and cure for 24 hours before applying the wax.
I am a wax man, as many of you know but i do apply a coat of sealent first to make sure the car is well protected.. just in case.

So i was wondering, how important is it to wait 12 to 24 hours for the sealent to cure before applying a coat of wax?
How many people wax right after sealning for personal or clients cars due to time or other restrants?
And finaly, what is the cure time on wax? i know it has been discussed but i always get a diffrent response, so hopefully i can get a more definte time frame, understanding that each wax is diffrent but im sure there is still a general time

Thank you for any info

-Mike
 
if you dont allow the sealant enough time to cure, you wont get te protection of the sealant.basically if it hasnt cured and you introduce a foreign substance(water, wax, etc...) i guess it removes that sealant you just applied.

on the flipside i know zaino has an additivie to make their sealant flash cure. i dont know how it works, or if it works as ive never used the zaino line personally
 
It is necessary for sealant to cure for 12-24 hours, otherwise polymers will drown, and protection will fail.
 
I'd let the sealant cure first before apply wax. Some people don't but the sealant obviously has to set and cross link so I wouldn't applying anything over till it cures. I tried once and ended up with a little smearing.
 
Try the "SWIPE TEST" for wax...

The swipe test is where you take your clean finger, and swipe it briskly across the finish with the wax on it. If the paint is clear, without residue where your finger made the swipe, the wax is ready to wipe-off. If the area you have swiped is smudgy, or streaky, or there is noticeable wax in the swipe area, then the wax has not set-up long enough and you should allow more time for the wax to set-up before your remove it.

If you remove it before it has set-up, you will risk removing too much of the wax from the surface and thus leave less than engineered to remain behind on the finish.
 
thnkx for the info nick, but i dont mean how to know when to remove. Im just wondering how important the cure time (not the dry time is). I am an avid waxer, so i have lots of experience.
People, and sealents talk about waiting 12-24 hours before another coat of wax to allow the sealent to "cure" (again diffrent from dry time).
but thank you, the swipe test is good info, anyone learning to wax should learn it, i learned it when i fisrt started and it has come in handy on a few waxes
 
nick19 said:
Try the "SWIPE TEST" for wax...

The swipe test is where you take your clean finger, and swipe it briskly across the finish with the wax on it. If the paint is clear, without residue where your finger made the swipe, the wax is ready to wipe-off. If the area you have swiped is smudgy, or streaky, or there is noticeable wax in the swipe area, then the wax has not set-up long enough and you should allow more time for the wax to set-up before your remove it.

If you remove it before it has set-up, you will risk removing too much of the wax from the surface and thus leave less than engineered to remain behind on the finish.
Click to expand...

I don't think you quite understood the question. Sealants usually need 12-24 hours to settle into the paint and "cure" This doesn't have anything to do with wiping off, but rather a chemical change. I believe oxygen is the key reason why sealants need to cure.
 
The later the better.. 12-24 hours or more is "typical", just like the Sealant. You can do one coat after another.......but...... I wouldn't. ;)
 
Whitethunder46 said:
I don't think you quite understood the question. Sealants usually need 12-24 hours to settle into the paint and "cure" This doesn't have anything to do with wiping off, but rather a chemical change. I believe oxygen is the key reason why sealants need to cure.
Click to expand...
He also asked about waxes too.... ;) I'm tired, although no excuse..

Quote from above ^

"And finaly, what is the cure time on wax?"
 
nick19 said:
He also asked about waxes too.... ;) I'm tired, although no excuse..

Quote from above ^

"And finaly, what is the cure time on wax?"
Click to expand...

hehe i undertand the tired Im the MAN (i have just enough energy to make a banana dance)

With a wax it has a dry time and a cure time.
The dry time is what you are talking about, it which you can do the swipe test on.
wax however has atime to fully dry or cure, similar to a paint, you paint the wall, it dries but still need to sit a day to cure.
I was just wondernig what the cure time it, if you wax before the cure time it just combines with the previous layer and makes the new wax pointless.
 
Not to sure, but I've seen some people on here apply 2 coats in the same day.. Although I would wait a full 24-hours before applying another coat.
 
Cure time for a typical carnauba is probably going to be about 24 hours. If you really don't want the last layer to dissolve, I suggest you look into "spit shining" (look for posts by Neothin).

Otherwise, just wait a week, wash, apply a layer of wax, repeat :).

For me, if I put on a sealant (which I will as we approach the spring), I'll wash one week, strip LSPs, then put on a single layer of sealant trying to be careful to not miss anything (since I won't be going back for a second layer).

Then, any other LSP (like a nauba or sealant) will only come the next week (or whenever I wash the car next).

I do this because I usually don't have time to do a wash or ONR wash the next day (during the semester). The time I do have goes towards that weekly wash.
 
the idea of waiting a week is a good idea, however it is not practical. I have 6 familycars i take care of, plus the cars of customers. I unforuntly dont always have time to layer the wax on family cars weeks apart. Since there are time in which i am very busy with school and work, and detailing i cant get to the family cars. It would be ideal if i could apply a coat of wax, and apply a seconed one again a few hours later without it being a watse that wiould be prime.
Also with the spit shine, its a method i have tried but im not a fan of. to me it is more of a show type thing, from what i have sean and heard it dosent offer the same protection, however offers a better shine. i guees its each to his own.
but thank you for the info
 
I have wax right after using AIO no smearing. Work fine, no problem. On other sealants wait a least 8 hours in the sun, give it time to that cross linking thing a do! What ever that thing it dose.
 
I was of the belief that most sealants you have to leave for 12 hours before getting wet as they are water based...

However, you can apply a wax within half an hour as it will not remove the sealant and still provides a breathable surface for the sealant to cure for the time required.

I have always applied a sealant, left it 30mins and buffed off. Then applied a wax. I just ensure that no water gets on the car for 12 hours. I leave a car for 12 hours also before adding layers, either another layer of sealant and wax, or just another layer of wax depending on the car...and it always comes up better and better each time. Yes you need to leave it cure for some time but not 12 hours between sealant and wax.

Also I like to put the car out in the sun after waxing, especially dark cars as I find this assists with curing and to ensure a smoother wetter look!!
 
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1. Polymer sealant- comprises an open linked molecule, which forms a bond ( without an accelerator 12-24 hours or longer) with the paint; these open linked polymer molecules join together to create an elongated mesh like effect that reflects light efficiently due to their inherent flat surface. Because they are usually very transparent they transmit the surface colour faithfully, but they have very little depth resulting in what is perceived as a very bright, flat silver glow, polymers (Zaino, Klasse, Rejex, etc) have better durability than wax. Polymers sealants require a paint film to catatonically bond to; they will not bond directly to metal to provide protection
2. Carnauba wax- molecules are closed linked, which means that they only butt up together to protect the surface and the wax adheres ( it sets-up in 1 -2 hours) to the paint surface. These wax molecules form an egg-grate type (with the long axis vertical) mesh over the smaller paint molecules of the paint film surface, which gives it an optical depth. Waxes in themselves even with the addition of silicone fluids are not as durable as the amino-functional silicones found in polymers in the formulation, do not crosslink but will resist many environmental contaminants only for a short period of time. Brazilian Carnauba wax is usually blended with natural oils (to provide gloss) and modern polymers (to provide shine)
 
I thought carnuba was a breathable substance that's being introduced to the paint.... :confused:


So according to that statement, is it still safe to add a coat of wax, say 30 minutes after applying a coat of polish, but 24 hours before applying another coat of anything? I do not need to be THAT technical with chemicals... either it will work, or it won't, that's what I'm seeking.


Thanks,



-Nick
 
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