A Ceramic Coating Experiment - Observations with Videos & Photos included

**Stokdgs** · 10-29-2018, 01:53 PM

Perhaps this is the reason, that one of the first coating people - Optimum - shipped their coatings in a syringe...
Much easier to keep it air tight..
I personally like the syringe because I can be precise about how much I want on the applicator, and I can measure usage as I go, and when I finish..
I have some really old coating of theirs that is still a clear liquid with no issues, in a syringe..
DanF

**JustJesus** · 10-29-2018, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by The Guz

I tend to save the bottle caps for some odd reason so I put them to use.

Guz, that is funny! And I`m glad to know I`m not the only one doing that

It`s come in handy a few times. I`ve broken the caps on some bottles and reached for their replacements.

**The Guz** · 10-29-2018, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Stokdgs

I personally like the syringe because I can be precise about how much I want on the applicator, and I can measure usage as I go, and when I finish..

Dan you could do the same thing with other coatings by taking out the stopper and using a pipette. It actually works well.

**Coleroad** · 10-29-2018, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by rlmccarty2000

Interesting experiment. Thanks for documenting and sharing. Any information on coatings is helpful and educational.

I’ve been thinking about coatings a lot lately, probably too much and I think pure hardness in a coating may be overrated. There needs to be some flexibility to combat shrinkage and brittleness. A two part coating with a softer base and a harder topcoat may be the best way to go. I’m assuming some of the newer self healing coatings fall into a two part category. I would love to have a conversation with a chemical engineer involved in coating development.

I wonder if it`s like most hard materials? Take a pice of oak at a 1/4 inch thick, and a piece of oak veneer. Same material very different flexibility. Same with steel, plastic, even glass to an extent. So I`m thinking it`s more about how thick the layer is, and so much how hard the material is.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-29-2018, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by The Guz

Day 4 Observations:

It has been roughly 48 hours at this point.

I`m so confused.

How many hours are in a day where you live?

**The Guz** · 10-29-2018, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I`m so confused.

How many hours are in a day where you live?

I`m writing these updates pretty late. Anyway I am trying to be consistent for 24 hours but that is not always possible as I do have to work and sleep. I can`t monitor these 24/7 or I would be a zombie. These are just rough hours of when I physically look at them even if the next day has come to pass. I could give the exact time frame that they have been sitting there but then that goes back to my not being able to monitor them 24/7. Did I confuse you more? If I did then I completed my job on doing that.

I will get the next one just right for you because I am just going to let it sit for a couple more days without any updates until then.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-29-2018, 06:27 PM

Hey man...I`m just confused how it can only be 48 hours when you`re on day 4...I mean even if you started on day 1, that has to be 3 days away from day 4, and 3 days is 72 hours, isn`t it? Or was it 48 hours from the last time you checked? I guess if you start at the end of day 1 (24 hours), then at the beginning of day 4 (72 hours), it`s only been 48 hours. Don`t do anything special for me, I`ll just come back at the end when they are all crust.

**The Guz** · 11-11-2018, 02:59 AM

This is the last update for the following paint coatings. They sat around for 1 week to mimic the so called 7 day curing time frame that a coating manufacturer recommends.

CarPro Cquartz UK 3.0 – Hardened up a little more. Became less tacky.

CarPro Cquartz TiO2 (aka Classic) – Hardened up but it was not as hard as CQUK 3.0.

CarPro Cquartz UK 2.0 – Similar to CQUK 3.0. The difference being that CQUK 3.0 feels to be slightly harder than CQUK 2.0.

Gyeon Mohs – Spilled container so this one is out. Was not doing much other than retaining that film on the top layer.

Gyeon Rim – Hardened up more.

Gyeon Trim – Hardened up more.

CarPro DLUX – Hardened up more. Gyeon Trim seems to be slightly harder than DLUX. Gyeon Rim seems to be slightly harder than DLUX.

Gtechniq Exo V3 – Hardened up but remained somewhat flexible.

Gtechniq CSL - Never hardened up like the other coatings. The base layer formed a harder film layer.

Gyeon CanCoat - Does not harden like these other coatings but the silica in the product does indeed form a harder surface. Why it turns white is still something unexpected as it goes on clear on the paint.

This is not a scientific experiment but more a curiosity as to what a coating does over the course of the so called 1 week curing window. We learned that some coatings harden up more than others but this does not necessarily mean that a coating is impervious to scratches or swirls as the layer applied to the paint is thinner compared to the product was poured into a container. We also get to see the characteristics of these coatings.

I am debating doing the same thing with the leather coatings I have and two popular topper products. I have not decided on this just yet.

Enjoy the last video.

**rlmccarty2000** · 11-12-2018, 01:28 PM

The importance of flexibility in a coating is just as important as hardness. If a coating is too hard it will fracture when the metal flexes. I’m still thinking a two part coating with a flexible bottom and a harder top may be the best combination. Great test. Keep monitoring the test coatings to see if they continue to harden up to two weeks.