Can you add a 2nd coat without buffing off the first? This may so dumb but I like some feedback. Way can't you apply (for example) a light coat of Pin. Souveran not wipe it off and just go back over it with another coat? I have done this on several products and have seen great results. Glazes, polishes, and waxes. Does it sound like I off my rocker?
Can you add a 2nd coat without buffing off the first?
- Thread starter DM101
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Accumulator
Well-known member
If *you* perceive a benefit then no, you're not off your rocker 
Griot's has advocated this approach for years (heh heh, not that Richard would want you to use up your wax quickly or anything like that ).
But OTOH, here's how I look at it: you apply the first coat- this leaves a microscopically thin layer of wax that's bonded to the paint and a much thicker layer of "excess wax" sitting on top of that, waiting to be buffed off. If you apply more wax, I'd expect it to go on top of the "excess wax" and thus never even come in contact with the thin "bonded first layer". Thus I'd expect that the second coat would merely add to the excess waiting to be buffed off; it'd end up on your buffing towel and not bonded to the vehicle.
But I suppose that if you applied the second layer aggressively enough, you'd both buff off/dissolve/re-liquefy the "excess wax" and maybe also deposit the new wax in its place :nixweiss
I'd only do something like this using the spit-shine technique, which is designed to mitigate the various issues that might come into play. Even a "pseudo spit-shine, where you just spritz the excess with chilled QD and then apply the second coat, oughta give some benefit and would only take a moment. I've done the pseudo version numerous times (usually applying/removing by machine) and it does seem to make for more spherical beading and *maybe* a slightly (very slightly) improved appearance.
Griot's has advocated this approach for years (heh heh, not that Richard would want you to use up your wax quickly or anything like that
).But OTOH, here's how I look at it: you apply the first coat- this leaves a microscopically thin layer of wax that's bonded to the paint and a much thicker layer of "excess wax" sitting on top of that, waiting to be buffed off. If you apply more wax, I'd expect it to go on top of the "excess wax" and thus never even come in contact with the thin "bonded first layer". Thus I'd expect that the second coat would merely add to the excess waiting to be buffed off; it'd end up on your buffing towel and not bonded to the vehicle.
But I suppose that if you applied the second layer aggressively enough, you'd both buff off/dissolve/re-liquefy the "excess wax" and maybe also deposit the new wax in its place :nixweiss
I'd only do something like this using the spit-shine technique, which is designed to mitigate the various issues that might come into play. Even a "pseudo spit-shine, where you just spritz the excess with chilled QD and then apply the second coat, oughta give some benefit and would only take a moment. I've done the pseudo version numerous times (usually applying/removing by machine) and it does seem to make for more spherical beading and *maybe* a slightly (very slightly) improved appearance.
stiffdogg06
New member
Also, don't most waxes need a certain time to cure? I rather not let the wax residue sit on my car for 24hrs...
travisdecpn
Resident of Detail City
In my experience with Souveran, you would be much better off to work in small 2x2' sections removing almost immediately. You can do a second coat right after you remove the first coat, but I don't think you would gain much without buffing the first coat prior to application. The more time you give Souveran to dry, the more difficult it is to remove.
Accumulator
Well-known member
travisdecpn said:
Not to :argue but my experience has been markedly different. At the urging of Mike Phillips, I started letting my Souveran set up for a while before buffing it off (I'd previously used the W-O-W-O method with it since forever I figured hey, that's what the instructions say to do). Mike was right- even after letting it dry for quite a while (IIRC I waited over an hour on some sections), it buffed right off with no problem at all. I also noted better durability doing it this way so it's become my standard application method with Souveran as well as all my other LSPs.
Perhaps our different experiences are attributable to my tendency to apply LSPs *very* thin. I've let all sorts of LSPs set up for long periods (I've let Collinite, KSG, UPP, P21S, and Meg's #16 sit overnight and sometimes longer) and it's *never* been a problem. But I apply all LSPs very thin and I suspect that most people put 'em on a lot thicker :nixweiss
But I'll be the first guy to say that if a method is working for somebody, then you can't blame them for sticking with it. This was just a suggestion that I decided to experiment with (when guys like Mike talk, let alone say they've discussed it with Meguiar's chemists, I listen), and while I'm glad I did, that doesn't mean it'll work for everybody.