Curing

[DogRescuer]

You guys are always so much help so heres another question. Can someone explain curing for a sealant, like meg21? I thought curing meant apply than wait to remove, that "wait time" was curing. I seem to be WRONG, it is the time between coats? Can you pros help me out? Also what if any are your curing secrets?

[af90]

Yes, curing is the time between coats, most sealants require 12 hours before a second coat.

[Evan.J]

Curing is the time it takes to sealant to bond to the clear coat.

When you apply a sealant like Blackfire Wet Diamond you apply the sealant and then buff it off. After you remove the sealant this is when the curing begins.

"Most" sealants need a cure time of 12 now that is subject to change depending on the sealant.

From the Wet Diamond product page:

For ultimate depth and wetness, apply one coat of BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection and allow to cure for eight hours. Top with two coats of BLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax. The resulting shine is wetness over energy, a Wet Ice over Fire Shine!


Now as for M21 I would say 12 hours to cure. You want to apply a nice thin coat and allow the sealant to sit. To ensure its ready to be removed do the swipe test:

To check your you wax is dry first take you CLEAN index finger and take a quick swipe across the wax. You should see a clean removal in that area. If you see and streaking from the wax then it is not ready to be removed.

[kevincwelch]

While the sealant cures and before the application of the next layer of sealant or wax, if the car collects dust, I assume a quick detailer would be fine to clean it off. Does a glaze need similar cure times?

[RTexasF]

That time starts after the wipe down removing the haze. With some exceptions (and product accelerators) 12-24 hours is the norm

[SonOfOC]

Also what if any are your curing secrets?

No secrets. Keeping the car dry and in the garage is best, allowing the polymers to cross-link.

[PiPUK]

This of course depends on the product, many sealants do not actually cure, they merely dry.