KSG: How many coats?

G

GS4_Fiend

New member
How many coats do you guys put on before topping on a favorite wax? Or if you just put KSG only, how many coats do you put on and would give you the perfect look?
 
I don't top it either, for the same reason :xyxthumbs



I find that looks improve up to four coats then level off. Durability is very good for me with six coats.
 
GS4_Fiend said:
So after 4 coats, it won't look enhanced you're saying? Or it looks more plastic?
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It won't look better or worse IMO.



If you don't like the "plastic" look, uh-oh...might want to top with wax. I kinds *like* it for the applications where I choose KSG, and the way you can feel that thick plasticy coating is pretty cool IMO; you can sure tell there's something on there protecting your paint.
 
Oh yea.. I don't know or maybe my eyes are un-experienced. But the panel that I already polished. It has 5 coats of KSG. And on the weekend, I polished another panel, and applied only 1 coat of KSG. The next day, for some reason why it looks more enhanced than the panel with 5 coats.
 
Well, it looks *different*, right? The look you like might not be the same one that *I* like and there's sure nothing wrong with that :D



Do you think that the one-coat panel's being freshly polished has anything to do with it?
 
If you require 4, 5, or even 6 coats, wouldn't that mean KSG isn't that great of a LSP? It seems like it's only worth its weight and durability after a number of coats.

Have you ever scratched your head while applying the 3rd coat and thought, "man, I'm going over this AGAIN? and yet, I still have another few coats to make it work."
 
I only have one coat on my car and after 3 months or so, still beading strong and looking great. best part is dust and dirt just don't stick to it like they would to a wax, and water spots hardly penetrate it. No matter what it's worth the PIA learning curve of application and removal.
 
snowskate said:
If you require 4, 5, or even 6 coats, wouldn't that mean KSG isn't that great of a LSP? It seems like it's only worth its weight and durability after a number of coats.

Have you ever scratched your head while applying the 3rd coat and thought, "man, I'm going over this AGAIN? and yet, I still have another few coats to make it work."
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My approach here is probably different from many here, and is probably another example of my Autopian Heresy ;) in that my goal is *not* having to detail on a regular basis.



First, yeah, you're correct in the sense that *IMO* one or two coats of KSG isn't anything special. If I'm only able to do that many applications of LSP I'll go with something else. And KSG is only appropriate, *IMO* for vehicles you can get/keep basically perfect. Those are some real limitations IMO and I don't reach for, or recommend, KSG all that often. I don't care for its look on most paints either. Eh...most of the time something else seems like a better choice.



BUT..on a perfectly-prepped vehicle, with paint that that KSG looks OK on, once I do all those added coats I get that "discernable, plasticy build-film" that offers incredible protection and durability. Nothing else I've ever used layers up this way, and once I've finished all those applications I can simply wash for over a year (and at that point it's just starting to change from beading to sheeting, you can still feel the KSG on the paint). That's far longer than I get with any other LSP. On the dog-hauling minivan (which I don't want to mess with and can't always afford to have out of service), this approach is simply perfect *for me*. I schedule a time to pull it off the road, detail it over the course of [however long it takes] and then just wash it.



Note that I don't use KSG on anything *except* the MPV. At present I'm redoing the Yukon (which had worn 476S) with FK1000P, and I'm doing some areas with KSG. It'll be interesting to compare them. I'm hoping I get the same "just wash it for ages" effect from the FK1000P, which sure looks good on that particular paint. This is another case where I pulled it into the shop a few weeks ago and I'm just working on it as time/etc. permit for however long it takes.



The FK1000P shows evidence of layering OK but it's not the same as the KSG.
 
I'm sure there's a feel good factor in applying LSP as well. I mean, after hours and hours of prep, the fun part (for some) applying LSP just seems to short. So multiple coats of LSP brings that feeling back more often.



it seems KSG has a 'hump' to get over in terms of effectiveness.



Accumulator - with your upcoming detail of the Yukon, how many coats do you think you'll try with FK1000p? I've layered it 4 times on my black Prius last fall and it made it through the winter. In fact, when I had rickrack do a spring clean up on it this year, he had a *heck* of a time with it gumming up the polishing pads. The look was the best I've seen, but I wonder, with the popularity of FK1000p on the site here recently, will a flood of people soon experience the same problem of gumming when it comes time to re-polish? It's the best LSP I've seen on black, but won't use it again on paint because of the gumming.
 
snowskate- I have four layers of FK1000P on most of the body so far. I quit at three on the chrome (well, chromed plastic) grille and the plastic cowling at the base of the windshield because I was starting to get odd "artifact" effects.



With each additional layer, it gets harder to avoid wax build-up along the edges of the PPF and in the crevices of the exterior plastic (and the stonechips :o ).



I think I'll go with either five or six layers. That's what I'm doing with the KSG that I'm using for some areas (including much of the exterior rubber). I did three coats on the faces of the wheels, which I don't mind redoing now and then.



I don't plan to redo it until the FK1000P is *dead*, but at that point I'll use solvent/IPA/Hi-Temp Silicone Remover/something to strip it first. The only bad gumming I've ever had was with KSG, so I keep that in mind when polishing a sealed vehicle.



Hope it looks as good on my Carbon Metallic as it did on your black! With all the time/effort I'm putting into this beast it'd be nice if the end-result really wowed me.



And yeah, applying the LSP to a nicely corrected job is about as close as this stuff gets to being fun, so I'm not in any real hurry to wrap it up. Resuming work on that M3 project of mine isn't something I'm looking forward to, but I really do need to get that thing done and sold so I'll have garge space for my newest projects.



AGAuto said:
how much time should you let KSG cure in between coats?
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The rule-of-thumb is 24 hours, but I've cheated and done fine with a bit less time (16-18 hours).
 
Accumulator said:
The rule-of-thumb is 24 hours, but I've cheated and done fine with a bit less time (16-18 hours).[/COLOR]
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Accumulator -- Thanks for the info...looks like I'm going to need to work something out because I was hoping to put around 4 coats of KSG and then top it off with one or two coats of 845 before I bring it back to college, but I don't know if I'll have enough time to keep my car in the garage.
 
AGAuto said:
..I was hoping to put around 4 coats of KSG and then top it off with one or two coats of 845 before I bring it back to college, but I don't know if I'll have enough time to keep my car in the garage.
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I'd plan to skip the 845 and put all the effort into getting as much KSG on there as possible. I'd cheat on that wait time if necessary and maybe just do one coat after each of a series of normally-scheduled washes.
 
Accumulator said:
Well, it looks *different*, right? The look you like might not be the same one that *I* like and there's sure nothing wrong with that :D



Do you think that the one-coat panel's being freshly polished has anything to do with it?
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Are you saying it will change after it's not fresh anymore? :confused:
 
snowskate said:
If you require 4, 5, or even 6 coats, wouldn't that mean KSG isn't that great of a LSP? It seems like it's only worth its weight and durability after a number of coats.

Have you ever scratched your head while applying the 3rd coat and thought, "man, I'm going over this AGAIN? and yet, I still have another few coats to make it work."
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MAN! That is exactly how I feel!:wow:
 
My experience with KSG has mirrored Accumulator's. I also prefer it to be "untopped" by anything else. Souveran can be an improvement in the looks department if you like the carnauba look and have a black or red car and if you can live with not being able to use KSG again until after a full prep. I wait 24 hours between layers but sometimes I shorten that time when there is low humidity and temps aren't too extreme. I find that 1 coat is ok, 2 coats is very good, 3 is when you really see what the hoopla is all about, and I usually max out at 5 after which diminishing returns come into play. I find that Aquawax very closely resembles the KSG look (but I didn't say it was the same) so I like using AW as a maintenance wax once sufficient time has past that I feel a need to put something on top. I have tried Danase Wet Glaze over KSG. It looks nice but it deviates from the KSG look that I prefer. I have layered KSG on top of DWG and I think that it brings it back closer to the all-Klasse look.
 
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