Please give your best coating application tips…

[Odrapnew]

I've only applied Gtechniq CSL and EXOV4 and used small 15ml bottle of Cquarts SiC when I didn't want to buy a lot to recoat my door after someone scratched it.

When I did the Gtechniq, what I did was the 3 towel method.
First towel levels, 2nd towel you wipe a little more area and 3rd towel gets the last little bit that may have been missed or pushed outward.
After about 1/2 the car (VW Golf), first towel was retired, 2nd towel became first wipe, 3rd became 2nd and a new 3rd towel.
This seemed to work well for me.

For the SiC, since I was only doing 1 door, so I did similar method as above, but just flipped the towel to clean sides for each step of wipe off.

I will say the Gtechniq was much easier to tell when to wipe.

I used Rag Company Edgeless 365 and they seemed to work well.

[TTQ B4U]

I’ll be honest this is not the advice I wanted to hear LOL..

I’ve got lots of UK 3.0 backstock, but I’ll give Mohs a try for sure and see how I feel.

The thing with UK is I can have jobs that go silky smooth, and others where I have a sore arm and wrist afterwards because I spent so much time fighting and wiping smear marks. Especially on glass.

I was skeptical at first but once I tried Mohs EVO I left my UK 3.0 and SiC on the shelf. I will likely use them on an upcoming vehicle just to get rid of them but reality is they need to reformulate the product as the new benchmark for removal is with GYEON.

[vaca22]

I have very limited experience with applying coatings (I've only done it a few times), but each time I've done the cross-hatch thing. After seeing Yvan applying coatings in small circles with a foam applicator, I think I'll try that technique next...

[dlc95]

Sometimes applying too much or not enough product can make it act "funny".

Wipe off time is another thing. I've heard people say UK 3.0 is a wipe on wipe off coating, like CP Lite, but I feel weird not letting it set up.

Yes, towel management is key. Those suede towels they include with the kits are my favorite to remove them with. I'll remove the bulk, "level out", and sometimes use an Eagle style towel for the final wipe. I'll also sometime spritz with water an wipe.

That using the stuff at work.

For my personal jobs I only use Optimum Gloss Coat. It handles water spots like a champ, and doesn't usually give me the grief the glass bottle varieties do.

If Gloss Coat didn't exist, Duragloss 111 + 601 would be my top end protection package.

[Optimus Grime]

I was skeptical at first but once I tried Mohs EVO I left my UK 3.0 and SiC on the shelf. I will likely use them on an upcoming vehicle just to get rid of them but reality is they need to reformulate the product as the new benchmark for removal is with GYEON.

I’d say that GTechniq still has the crown for ease of removal. You can coat quite a few panels and still have plenty of time to wipe off before things get streaky. Unfortunately, none of their coatings have the all around great performance of Mohs. To get the benefits of Mohs you’ve got to apply CSL and EXOv5 and if time is money, it’s much cheaper for Mohs.

[DFB]

I think you might have that backwards. Mohs you apply and it beads up/sweats (rather than flashing) almost instantly and can be wiped off. Pure will flash over a couple minutes like other coatings.

I'd also caveat the 10 minutes of dwell time with being cautious about ambient temperatures. I appled Pure to my car last weekend. When I started the work in the morning when my garage was pretty cool. Flash times were generous and you could let it sit for a few minutes. By the end of the job the things had warmed up and I found I only had a couple minutes to do any removal. It flashed much quicker and the removal window was only a couple minutes before it became difficult.

I was referencing the info explained in the Gyeon product videos -

Pure EVO (from 1 min 45 sec) -

"maximum removal window of up to 10 min.................." ".......the initial bond of the coating happen within seconds........"



Mohs EVO (from 2min 15 sec) -

"...........a very clear working signal when its ready to be removed........." "...................perfect time to remove Mohs Evo is when the product starts to sweat or bead...........within 30 seconds of the material being on the finish, so if you over work the product, you'll miss this signal..........."



To me, that meant Pure EVO was more forgiving and required less micromanagement.

[Desertnate]

Interesting, I don't think I ever watched the Pure EVO video, but I have watched the Mohs EVO video before applying it on my wife's car last year.

While I don't argue Pure will bond within seconds, I'd say that is probably true with most coatings. I'd also say there is a big difference between the bonding starting immediately and the ability to properly remove it. If you try to remove Pure immediately without letting it flash for a bit, it will make a big smeary mess because the carrier agents haven't evaporated enough. The 10 minute dwell time is highly temperature dependent. At around 60~70F I'd say it's about right. Get above 70F and that window starts closing pretty rapidly, down to only a minute or two.

The Mohs EVO quotes are spot on. It will bead/sweat within seconds and is ready to remove. Add on top of that it doesn't have the same tendency to smear. Depending on the size of the section you've applied it to, it becomes pretty close to wipe on/wipe off. No worrying about the flashing or smearing, it's very simple.

[Desertnate]

Sometimes applying too much or not enough product can make it act "funny".

Wipe off time is another thing. I've heard people say UK 3.0 is a wipe on wipe off coating, like CP Lite, but I feel weird not letting it set up.

Agree on all points.

I highlighted one item because it brought up something else I do to when it comes to removal. While the coating is flashing I'll take my gloved finger and very lightly make a tiny swipe at the coating. If it simply smears coating material around and just makes a smudge, I know to let it sit longer. If it appears to only make a slight smear, I know it's ready. If it comes out cleanly, I know I probably waited a touch too long.

[dlc95]

Agree on all points.

I highlighted one item because it brought up something else I do to when it comes to removal. While the coating is flashing I'll take my gloved finger and very lightly make a tiny swipe at the coating. If it simply smears coating material around and just makes a smudge, I know to let it sit longer. If it appears to only make a slight smear, I know it's ready. If it comes out cleanly, I know I probably waited a touch too long.

I will give that a try.

A new take on Meg's "swipe test".