View Full Version : Paint Cure Time Not Necessary
I recently started handling some overflow work for a reputable body shop in town, making the cars ready for delivery. The owner told me to "wax `em up" after they were buffed out. When I enquired about the need for fresh paint to cure, he basically told me it wasn`t necessary and he has never had any problems applying LSPs to fresh paint - just make sure I used body shop safe products. This suprised me.
topnotchtouch
12-04-2005, 07:42 AM
I would not continue to refer to them as a "reputable" body shop anymore :D
atticdog
12-04-2005, 07:47 AM
if you use body shop safe products you will be fine
they probably mean products like #7 or #81
not too many waxes are body shop safe
Mikeyc
12-04-2005, 08:22 AM
if you use body shop safe products you will be fine
they probably mean products like #7 or #81
not too many waxes are body shop safe
I agree. This is probably more of a miscommunication. However, any paint that this body shop bakes can be literally waxed. The baking process speeds up the venting process. Baking does not occur frequently with repairs though as it would require the whole car to be baked including the seals etc.
Accumulator
12-04-2005, 09:44 AM
Yeah, I`ve never heard of a "body shop safe wax".
Since the only likely "problem" from waxing/sealing fresh repaints is that the paint won`t reach it`s maximum (potential) hardness, I don`t think most people would ever notice the difference. And I always question what bodyshop people say to people that they don`t know well. If (big "if") they know what they`re talking about (it`s one thing to spray paint, it`s another to understand how it cures) they often dumb down their answers for the "general public". FWIW, I`ve known dozens of paint guys over the years and I once worked in a body shop.
My current paint/body guys say to wait, even with the new technology paints, and they do bake their work. The paint used in bodyshops is different from the paint used in production, and the baking temps are lower. Since I can smell the paint outgassing, I`m sure not gonna do anything that might interfere with the process. Why not just wait? Better safe than sorry.
Michaelelts
12-04-2005, 12:10 PM
okay the perennial question is how long do you wait I have heard 1-3 months BTW
Accumulator
12-04-2005, 02:16 PM
That`s a wide range, but still not bad to work with. One month minimum, three months to be safe. Split the difference and shoot for at least two. I always wait at least three.
FWIW, the baked paintwork on my S8 was noticably harder after two months than it was after one. I could still smell it at times after two months so I ended up waiting a long time before I finally sealed it. Good thing Meg`s #5 is so easy to use!
Anthony O.
12-04-2005, 03:05 PM
As long as the wax you use is solvent free and abrasive free then you can wax a repaint a few hours after being repainted.
Anthony
No misunderstanding...he said "wax" and when I enquired further, I confirmed he meant wax. I just used the 3M Hand glaze anyway, but this is a miserable product to work with. Accumilator, #5 is easy to use huh? Good, because I hate using the 3M glaze - in fact, all of the 3M products are miserably difficult to use and remove.
Thanks for the input and verification of what I already suspected.
Mad iX
12-04-2005, 03:49 PM
I`ve used AIO and Zaino (both body shop safe) on fresh paint no probs. FK1 says all their products including LSPs are also body shop safe.
the other pc
12-04-2005, 08:25 PM
The baking they do at body shops is nothing like an OEM oven cycle. Body shop baking is only to cure the paint faster so they can compound and polish sooner and get it out the door. It’s not meant to completely cure the finish, only make it workable sooner.
As an example; the “full bake†cycle for Sherwin-Williams’ ULTRA 7000 Maximum Performance Clearcoat CC637 (http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/media/pds/English/5508.pdf), which cuts the cure time to buff from 3-4 hours down to 30 minutes, is 140degF surface temperature for 25 minutes. A black car sitting in an open parking lot in Vegas gets hotter than that.
Body shops can’t put paint through an OEM oven cycle because factories bake empty body shells at much higher temperatures. Cars in body shops are full of upholstery, interior bits and lots of lovely flammable liquids that wouldn’t be too happy at OEM oven temperatures.
PC.
pontman43
12-04-2005, 08:28 PM
I dont get how AIO and especially Zaino (the long lasting sealant) would be different than any other LSPs, can anyone explain?
TortoiseAWD
12-05-2005, 08:50 AM
Well, let`s see if I can add to the confusion. I e-mailed Sal Zaino a little over a year ago asking how long one needed to wait before applying Zaino to a repaint. My e-mail and Sal`s reply are below:
> How soon can Zaino be applied to a fresh re-paint?
> I have a friend who is having some body parts painted
> on the 18th of this month, and she doesn`t want to
> let the car go unprotected longer than necessary.
> I`ve often heard you should wait 30 days (sometimes
> as long 90, depending on the painter) before applying
> wax or sealant to new paint, and should use a
> "body-shop safe" glaze in the meantime. However,
> I vaguely recall reading somewhere that Zaino could
> be used on fresh paint sooner than the general
> recommendation of 1-3 months . . . is my recollection
> correct? If so, how long should the new paint be
> allowed to cure before sealing w/Z2?
>
> Thanks,
> Scott Borders
There`s alot of misinformation about waiting three months for the paint
to cure.
I am a custom painter by trade. I am very familar with Dupont, PPG and
all the other paint manufacturers. The most I personally would wait on fresh
"aftermarket body shop" paint before polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish is
1 week. That`s more than sufficient curing time.
The new paints are catalyzed. A chemical reaction cures the paint. The
older lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release.
This is not the case anymore. Believe me if that paint need 3 months to
dry then it will never dry.... Just the facts.
imported_kgb
12-05-2005, 08:55 AM
One thing I have learned is that body shops should stick to body work and paint and leave anything after that to us. The reason they have not had any problems is because the average joe smoe does not notice all the swirls in their paint. My body guy swore to me I could wax my car and recommended I do. Well, being the moron I am I did that and the paint NEVER cured. It was as soft as a sponge and just looking at the paint wrong left scratches and swirls.
furnace
12-05-2005, 01:15 PM
Hey peeps...
If it takes the paint 1-3 months to dry, wouldn`t the elements get to the paint? Like crap off the road, metal shavings, etc. Stuff you normally have to clay out...wouldn`t alot of that get into soft non-dry paint?
I`m getting my car back from the body shop this week. I know I`m getting a new hood that they might have had to paint, and probably painted my front fenders.
Now that it`s winter here in NYC, with all the salt on the road, etc, should I wait 3 months go get my car detailed?
Even more importantly, if the paint needs 1-3 months to dry, should I also wait to put on the 3M paint protection film?
So much conflicting information here...