How soon after repainting to polish, wax etc?

[imported_mystic04]

This is a email i just received today from dupont paint.



120 Days is when full cure is obtained I would not wax the car until this deadline is reached

Daniel Drumeler

Technical/Color Specialist

DuPont Performance Coatings

 

[imported_FJF]

This is a email i just received today from dupont paint.



120 Days is when full cure is obtained I would not wax the car until this deadline is reached

Daniel Drumeler

Technical/Color Specialist

DuPont Performance Coatings

Thanks for posting this. The question is, 120 days at what (average) temperature?

Pick a pad that's zero-cut and that works well with the product in question. I don't see any *functional* point in using anything softer than already-zero-cut but some pads simply work better in certain applications than others for one reason or another (firmness/softness can be a personal preference; I like 'em a little firm and porosity seems to be a product-dependent kind of thing..). Sorry if that sounds really vague but it's kinda a "you just never know until you do it" situation IME.



I wouldn't bother with the final burnishing until the paint is fully cured (see below).

I appreciate the advice.

 

[Toysrme]

Hate to bump old threads, but Ive painted a few now so Ill chime in.

It completely depends on what it was painted with! If it's a very thin paint with alot of drying agents, dark color & left to cure in the sun on a hot day... Four Five hours later you could start wetsanding that coat. Then agan some may take a month, or never cure properly if sprayed/mixed incorrectly.

My rule of thumb is that if you can't smell the paint, and you cant scratch it easily with your finger nail. It's cured enough to be worked on. (If you're timid, try to scratch it under the car where it is not visible)













Keep in mind there is a difference between *actually* being able to scratch the paint off and just running your nail across it with a good pressure. If you can't get it off with good pressure, it will stand up to wetsanding and anything else you want to do to it.

 

[Accumulator]

..My rule of thumb is that if you can't smell the paint, and you cant scratch it easily with your finger nail. It's cured enough to be worked on..

I agree with the first part of the above (smelling the outgassing), but not the second. IME even the hardest ceramiclear or single-stage white can be easily scratched with a fingernail; just look behind most doorhandles. But I guess it comes down to the fingernail in question :nixweiss

 

[Toysrme]

Ya thats what I was trying not to overstate. You can scratch anything with a fingernail if you want too, some things more than others. What I really mean is if you run your nail across it with (not dig in it), its workable.



Where people get in trouble are bad mixes of paint that wont dry, or using too much pressure when working "fresh" paint. Where the surface may be OK, but the interior hasn't set. In that case anything more than a light rub with your finger could risk pulling it up.



And if its still like that after the first couple of days... Its not going to cure, it was simply mixed or sprayed incorrectly, or it was WAY too humid when sprayed! Might as well sand and re-paint.