Nothing sticks to Opti-Coat... or does it? Lets find out....

Dan

Dan

Well-known member
So common knowledge is putting anything on top of Opticoat is a futile effort. It won't last at all... Or so I've heard. Since I've never seen anyone really test this, I figured I would:



Opticoat-wax1.jpg




Jetta above is rockin a 1 year old Opticoat. No claying, nothing but washes and QD. Still going nice and strong. The water beading is very relaxed compared to a good beading wax/sealant like 476 or DG105. I figured I'd put a few things on the hood that bead well.



Hood:



476S | DG105

-----------------

FK1000P| BFWD



I have one of those rock hard batches of FK1000P, I wasn't sure any of it even stuck to the Opticoat, didn't really feel like it. Felt like I was buttering bread with a frozen stick of butter. It was beading differently with the morning dew, so maybe I got some on there. I don't have high hopes for it.



476S smeared around on the hood but at least I got a haze.



DG105 actually felt pretty normal going on and off.



BFWD was similar to 476S, smeared all over the place but didn't seem to bond really.



Stay tuned.....:eyebrows:
 
I've had some spray sealants last a good month...wasn't really monitoring them for durability though.
 
Very cool Dan!



I actually topped an Opticoated section of my burnt orange car with 476S 2 weeks ago. I noticed I could let 476 haze/dry a lot longer on OC than I can on bare paint and it wasn't a huge pain to remove. And under crappy incandescent lighting, the 476 darkened the paint so much so there was a clear line where I had masked it off. I didn't follow up because it rained the days after and after washing my car a few times I never thought to check back.
 
Oddly enough, OCW seems to work the best on Opti-Coat in terms of lasting. Everything else I tried reverted back to typical OC beading in a few weeks, OCW about 4.
 
RZJZA80 said:
In for results, especially on the 105, if you have an empty spot and some KAIO, I wonder how that would last..
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I think KAIO and Opticoat both have that lazy beading so it would be impossible to tell.



Scottwax said:
Oddly enough, OCW seems to work the best on Opti-Coat in terms of lasting. Everything else I tried reverted back to typical OC beading in a few weeks, OCW about 4.
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Interesting. I was thinking of OCW and Optiseal but neither have extremely defined beading for me, so I went with the stuff that just really beads so well there won't be any question.
 
I often top OC with OCW, Victoria Red, Wet Glaze 2.0, etc if I'm feeling fancy. It definitely improves the appearance, but it doesn't seem tomlast past a good rain or a wash.



I just use detail spray as a drying aid and it looks 90% as good as a wax anyway.
 
Just a quick update, sorry no pix. Still something on the surface, I can see the tape line in the morning dew. Going to have to spray some water on it and take some pictures soon.
 
Some old pic updates:



Opticoat only:

oc_roof.jpg




Hood with various LSPs:

oc_hood.jpg




Closeup:

oc_hood_closeup.jpg




That update was from the tail end of October. I just washed the car this saturday and while the effect has worn quite a bit, the hood is still beading stronger than the roof of the car.



In my experience, waxes do cling to Opticoat. Durability from the strong contenders above seems to be on the order of at least two months. To me this is great news, I can OC and still enjoy my favorite LSP on top.
 
I find this an interesting topic because I disagree with much of the talk about waxes and bonding. In my view there is basically no chemical bond formed between wax and surface - the 'bond ' is more physisorption or very weak (non covalent) bonds. Inhibiting of a strong bond isn't really something that should effect wax too horribly. This test certainly seems not to contradict that.
 
One of the characteristics of OptiCoat that I like best is the way it looks after I drive in rain.....it is like it doesn't get but about 30% as dirty even on the side panels. I also love how easily it cleans up .... especially wheels. I wonder if adding an additional lsp will have any adverse impact on these properties.
 
OutlawTitan said:
One of the characteristics of OptiCoat that I like best is the way it looks after I drive in rain.....it is like it doesn't get but about 30% as dirty even on the side panels. I also love how easily it cleans up .... especially wheels. I wonder if adding an additional lsp will have any adverse impact on these properties.
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I haven't noticed any huge difference.
 
PiPUK said:
I find this an interesting topic because I disagree with much of the talk about waxes and bonding. In my view there is basically no chemical bond formed between wax and surface - the 'bond ' is more physisorption or very weak (non covalent) bonds. Inhibiting of a strong bond isn't really something that should effect wax too horribly. This test certainly seems not to contradict that.
Click to expand...



Carnauba wax molecules, which are closed linked, which means that they only butt up together to protect the surface. They align themselves to form an egg-grate type structure (with their long axis vertical) this is what gives it depth.



Wax when applied to a surface will not adhere properly on its own, it is necessary to add specialized miscible oils and polymers to allow the waxy material to spread and adhere evenly to the surface. A sealant or a wax should be applied in a thin uniform coating. A wax doesn’t form a molecular bond (cross-link), nor does it cure, it sets-up and forma sub-micron ‘shell’ type coating.



However the product under discussion (Opti-Coat) is resin pre-polymer that cross links and forms a continuous film on the surfaces it is applied to similar to a single component Isocyanate that forms a clear coat finish. Opti-Coat also reacts with the substrate that it is applied to so it will not delaminate
 
TOGWT said:
Carnauba wax molecules, which are closed linked, which means that they only butt up together to protect the surface. They align themselves to form an egg-grate type structure (with their long axis vertical) this is what gives it depth.



Wax when applied to a surface will not adhere properly on its own, it is necessary to add specialized miscible oils and polymers to allow the waxy material to spread and adhere evenly to the surface. A sealant or a wax should be applied in a thin uniform coating. A wax doesn’t form a molecular bond (cross-link), nor does it cure, it sets-up and forma sub-micron ‘shell’ type coating.



However the product under discussion (Opti-Coat) is resin pre-polymer that cross links and forms a continuous film on the surfaces it is applied to similar to a single component Isocyanate that forms a clear coat finish. Opti-Coat also reacts with the substrate that it is applied to so it will not delaminate
Click to expand...



You have agreed in principle with what I said although I thing your picture of wax structure is not quite accurate.



Wax spreads and adheres primarily mechanically. Oils and solvents are carriers in the same way that water is a carrier for milk - very basic and not specialised at all. 'Polymers' (which is massively over-used and under defined term in detailing circles) are relatively recent and far from essential in wax. Bonding wise you are spot on and have agreed with what I have posted elsewhere. Unfortunately it is quite common for people to believe otherwise!



All the best
 
jermar said:
Isocyanate; isn't that a major component of Crazy Glue? Is that why Opti-coat is so durable?
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One would hope not, isocyanates are something the world is meant to be avoiding.



Have there been any updates on the main topic?
 
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