I'm wanting to put several coats of SG overtop of the AIO, but I only have about 2 days to get it all done before I have to go back to work and get the truck dirty again (steel mill). How long should I let each coat of SG cure before adding another coat? Do I have to wait a full 24 hours?
SG curing time
- Thread starter Pb2theMax
- Start date
imported_themightytimmah
New member
You could try 12 hour intervals. There's no guarantees, but I've done it before and it seemed to work out ok.
Mochamanz1
Sun Blinded Detailer
If you rub your finger through the SG and it smears, its not cured. If you dont wait, you have a smeary ,hard to remove layer, also putting it on too thick causes problems in removal.
foxtrapper
New member
SG cures in a few minutes. In fact, if it's thinnly applied, it's cured in a few seconds. But, some folks like to leave it in place for hours on end before apply the next coat. No observable benefit to this, but some folks like it.
Glossmaster
New member
I've always waited a minimum of 12 hours just to make sure the SG has cured.
I think there's confusion here about the definition of "cure".
When I apply SG I remove it almost immediately with a MF. I try and ensure that when I do this it won't be raining in the next 24 hrs. That's what I classify as my "cure" time. However, if I needed to add an extra coat I wouldn't worry about doing it 12 hours later.
Others are leaving the product on for 12/24 hrs before removing and that's what they mean by curing.
When I apply SG I remove it almost immediately with a MF. I try and ensure that when I do this it won't be raining in the next 24 hrs. That's what I classify as my "cure" time. However, if I needed to add an extra coat I wouldn't worry about doing it 12 hours later.
Others are leaving the product on for 12/24 hrs before removing and that's what they mean by curing.
OJ_GTI said:
Yes there is confusion.
From my understanding of chemistry, curing is the process by which a product chemically hardens, becomes stable, and inert to external chemistries, for example, water.
The chemical hardening happens on a molecular level and can't be seen (unlike drying, which is simply the carrier component evapourating). It doesn't matter whether product residue is left or removed...it still has to go through the same curing time.
The same is true for paint, nail polish, silastic, concrete, etc.
If a product is layered before the base is cured, it will simply reliquify it and true layering won't be achieved.
That's my understanding, anyway...but I'm frequently wrong.
Superblackbird
New member
There`s so much of a contradictions on this curing time.What if you drive in a rainy day.Does that mean you`ve to reapply your KSG?Pls verify.
imported_Intermezzo
New member
No, it just means the crosslinking or hardening process of the product's polymer resins was compromised a bit. The product will be fine, it just won't be as durable as it could have been had it been exposed to rain AFTER it was fully crosslinked into a highly structured chain of repeating molecules (which is what a polymer is by definition).
foxtrapper
New member
Odin Mz3 said:
Some lab type studies. Far different than the feel aproach used by most everyone on the forum that it needs 24 hours to "cure". ( I chose to pick up your implied slur and run with it
)imported_SHICKS
New member
So if I use a QD like EO WnS or NXT Speed Detailer between layers, am I hampering the ability of the next layer to bond to the previous? What If I use QD to remove the haze before it cures? I have to detail my car outside and don't have a usable garage to keep it in while adding SG layers, so wash or QD is needed between each layer.
Steve
Steve
RuffRyder
Enthusiast Extraordinaire
Well, it's not ideal, but since you're in a tight time crunch, you should be pretty good after letting it cure for at least 8 hours. I would wait at least 12, but I've read that 8-9 hours is the bare minimum you should wait.
Accumulator
Well-known member
kleraudio said:
No, when they say "cure" they mean the SG "setting up" to the point that you can add more without just re-liquefying what you already applied. Products like KSG do two things after you apply them: they dry (so you can buff off the excess) and then they "cure", which means they become stable.
Although some of us do like to wait to buff it off (I often wait that long), the curing thing is all about "cross linking", where the KSG becomes a stable, semi-permanent coating. It's about layering and being able to expose the fresh KSG to things that might otherwise compromise it. But "compromise" might be a strong way to put it; it's not like freshly applied KSG will just wash off in the rain or anything like that.
edited for spelling
Mochamanz1
Sun Blinded Detailer
What is difficult to understand about drying -vs- curing ? Concrete "dries" sometimes quickly, but does not gain its full strength until it "cures". (gains characteristic hardness and strength) Same thing applies with Epoxy Resins.... you can handle it when it "dries" (sets), but you do not gain the benefits of its hardness and strength until it cures... Now, (IMO) like concrete and epoxy resins, the SG might feel hardened, but according to everything I have read and heard concerning curing and layering, it is not fully hardened for 12-24 hours enough to recoat....:xyxthumbs Meaning, the bond is not ready to accept another application.... so before the 12-24 hours, it is not fully ready, or "cured"....:nixweiss