CQ UK 3.0 flash time

[geekfloyd]

Applying today. 52 F 49% humidity. How long should I wait for flash time before buffing off?
Tips and techniques please.

[Desertnate]

A very long time.

I helped a friend coat his car two weeks ago and the temps in my garage were in the 60's. Depending on how thick the coating was applied we waited upwards of 10 minutes or longer for it to fully flash some times.

Humidity really seems to drive the flash times. I was able to apply the coating in sections which were easy to define and remember. This way I could work ahead on application while waiting for it to flash and then go back and buff off.

I would recommend taking an easy to apply area like a trunk lid of front quarter panel and do some testing in small areas different thicknesses. Watch the flash rate with those tests to get a feel for how things will work before going after larger areas of the car.

[Bruno Soares]

You should be able to apply it to a 2x2ft area, then apply it to the next, and perhaps even a 3rd, then come back wiping the areas in the same order of application. If it's smearing the product around, you didn't wait long enough. If it's sticky and grabbing the towel too much, you waited too long. After the first few you'll learn how long to wait for the rest of the application.

Keep in mind the 2nd layer has to be started around 45 minutes to 1 hour of the first. If you wait past that, then wait until next day to do the 2nd coat.

I run a timer after I start so if it gets close to the 1hr mark I just start doing what I did already again and then after that do what was left of the car so I can get the 2 coats down the same day.

[The Guz]

I run a timer after I start so if it gets close to the 1hr mark I just start doing what I did already again and then after that do what was left of the car so I can get the 2 coats down the same day.

That's pretty hard core. I don't even do that. Even at 1.5 hours it would still be fine.

[Bruno Soares]

That's pretty hard core. I don't even do that. Even at 1.5 hours it would still be fine.

May be but I was always afraid of it getting messed up for starting past that 1 hour. I've read some stories of it just turning cloudy and overall a problem that needs to be removed and started again so I time it to make sure I don't wait too long to start coat #2.

[Coatingsarecrack]

I did in the 60’s in Washington so pretty humid. Was about 4-5 mins for me


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[RZJZA80]

I was under the impression that 3.0 was pretty much a wipe on wipe off like the original UK was. I still wait like a minute or so until I see the rainbow colors in it before removal.

[Desertnate]

I think each version of UK has lengthened the flash time. I noticed a significant difference between v2.0 and v3.0. I never used the original, but found the flash time on v2.0 to be about perfect; v3.0 is a little long. Still a great coating and I highly recommend it.