HondaMan
2004 Civic EX magnesium
The other day I had to cover my car between LSP's because I don't have a garage and it started to drizzle. Needless to say, this was one big PITA as it interrupted my final detailing steps.
But I also wanted to put down 2 sealant coats in 24 hours. Instead of applying the sealant and taking it right off, I put the sealant on and it stayed overnight -- the rains came, and then I was too tired to take it off at 1 AM when it stopped. The car and the sealant stayed under a rain cover.
Bottom Line: The 'glaze' look stayed on the car about 12 hours before I wiped it off.
So my question is: by wiping the sealant off after 12 hours, would you think my 24-hour cure time is measured from when I put the sealant on (the previous night) or when I wiped it off (early next afterooon)? It's a big difference in timing, obviousley.
When you wipe off sealant, you're mostly wiping off the top, the bottom -- which affixes to the paint -- is there whether or not you wiped off right away or hours later. So I'm thinking that it doesn't matter if I let 2 hours or 12 hours go by, if I need to wait 24 hours before applying another sealant layer, I count from when I put it on, not when I took it off. Sound reasonable?
I know it's good to have the wiped-off sealant stage dry naturally, especially in the sun, and really 'bake' it into the car's finish. However, the weather wouldn't cooperate so I'd appreciate any thoughts on my interrupted sealant process.
But I also wanted to put down 2 sealant coats in 24 hours. Instead of applying the sealant and taking it right off, I put the sealant on and it stayed overnight -- the rains came, and then I was too tired to take it off at 1 AM when it stopped. The car and the sealant stayed under a rain cover.
Bottom Line: The 'glaze' look stayed on the car about 12 hours before I wiped it off.
So my question is: by wiping the sealant off after 12 hours, would you think my 24-hour cure time is measured from when I put the sealant on (the previous night) or when I wiped it off (early next afterooon)? It's a big difference in timing, obviousley.
When you wipe off sealant, you're mostly wiping off the top, the bottom -- which affixes to the paint -- is there whether or not you wiped off right away or hours later. So I'm thinking that it doesn't matter if I let 2 hours or 12 hours go by, if I need to wait 24 hours before applying another sealant layer, I count from when I put it on, not when I took it off. Sound reasonable?
I know it's good to have the wiped-off sealant stage dry naturally, especially in the sun, and really 'bake' it into the car's finish. However, the weather wouldn't cooperate so I'd appreciate any thoughts on my interrupted sealant process.
