Bonding of sealants and why it is important

What most detailers fail to consider is the subject of bonding sealants to the clear coat. They do not consider what type of paint is used for a clear coat. Why is that important? For example , you would not paint a latex house paint over a oil base house paint because it would peel off over time because it would not bond properly.

Most detailers know what a clear coat is , but few bother to research what kind of paint it is. Basically most modern
auto paints are either acrylic polyurethane paints or polyester polyurethanes paints.

Polyester (poly) urethanes are considered the ‘best’. Compared to acrylic (poly) urethanes the polyesters are more abrasion resistant, stain resistant, and more chemical resistant. You’ll find polyester urethanes on jet airplanes, and on the floors of the hangers these airplanes live in.

Acrylic urethane coatings are a bit cheaper and generally one notch down from the polyester urethane paints in terms of toughness and chemical resistance, but still above ‘regular’ paints. Acrylic urethanes are found in clear-coats used in the automobile industry .

Source for this info:[www.epoxyproducts.com]

Any sealant is only as good as the bond it has with the surface it adheres to. Something can be hard as steel only if it can stay bonded . What many detailers cannot see is the difference between sticking to something , and bonding to it. Just because something cross links to cover an area does not mean it is bonded or fused to the surface.When detailers remove waxes/ sealants to reapply them they should realize that they are just sticking to the surface, and are not bonding.

Since clear coats are acrylic paints. It would make sense an acrylic paint sealant would bond and adhere better and longer
than other sealants. SVR has mentioned glass coatings for restoring the clear coat, but I wonder how well these products
bond, and how long they last as a result. He has not been clear on that point.

Granted there are sealants on the market that offer protection and shine, but a true acrylic to acrylic adhesion is the best
IMO. That is why I use AT-5 over other sealants.

Good point, but to create the best/barest surface you need to make sure all the bonded contaminants AND surface oxidation are removed before sealing. Clay & Dawn are good, but are not always the answer, *especially* when no polishing is being performed. Maybe that's why AT-5 is barely lasting 1 year when it is designed to last 5?

The permanon aircraft supershine that I now use is water based and a spray on gloss improving coating made from silicium/quartz and some isomeric polymers
it works on all surfaces. it features an electrostatic bond that happens instantly

some other products take hours to days for them to cure properly
the gtechniq c1 cures with the molecules within four hours

conventional waxes and sealants rarely bond to the paint at all

the reason that the permanon, rm and glare products work is that you have a membrane of say 30 to 100 microns on top of the paint
it's not some greasy smeary wax or old school polymer sealant that supposedly cross links.

the purer the paint is, the better the bond. thus decontamination system washes, clay blocking for hours and IPA wipedowns before polishing and applying coatings helps alot

Quote:

some other products take hours to days for them to cure properly
the gtechniq c1 cures with the molecules within four hours


At-5 cures and drys in 5mins


One application of Permanon has the ability to last up to one year. Re-applicaton has the potential to extend service life indefinitely

Source:

BY JIM DEARDORFF, PRESIDENT, SUPERIOR COATINGS COMPANY, CHILLICOTHE, MO


At-5 will actually last longer than a year, and reapplication will extend service life indefinitely also.

I highly doubt that, how often the car is washed, where its stored and how its cared for are all factors that determine the life of a coating
Fallout still sticks to sealed paintwork so removal of that is necessary whenever it occurs, thus the need to reapply more coating

Quote:

I highly doubt that, how often the car is washed, where its stored and how its cared for are all factors that determine the life of a coating
Fallout still sticks to sealed paintwork so removal of that is necessary whenever it occurs, thus the need to reapply more coating

This is not the reason I apply more coatings of AT-5. Granted, you are right that fallout does stick to any sealant even
how many times it is washed, but that can be removed very easily with Gem's pre- cleaner, or a clay bar. The reason I apply another coat is because the AT-5 coating does wear off, and applying another coat just improves the gloss and maintains the protection.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2011 02:24PM by billd55.

Bill I am not aware of any sealant that takes days to cure. Maybe 24 hours, but I have never come across one that takes days to cure.

Can you give me the name of such products I would like to check them out.

Bud Abraham

some of the japanese glass coating Bud, from what I've been told