waxing and sealing

[CalgaryDetail]

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

[Kelso]

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

[supercharged]

It is necessary for sealant to cure for 12-24 hours, otherwise polymers will drown, and protection will fail.

[Surfer]

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.

[nick19]

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.

[CalgaryDetail]

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

[Whitethunder46]

Originally Posted by nick19

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.

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.

[nick19]

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.

[nick19]

Originally Posted by Whitethunder46

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.

He also asked about waxes too.... I'm tired, although no excuse..

Quote from above ^

"And finaly, what is the cure time on wax?"

[CalgaryDetail]

Originally Posted by nick19

He also asked about waxes too.... I'm tired, although no excuse..

Quote from above ^

"And finaly, what is the cure time on wax?"

hehe i undertand the tired (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.