Rim coating timing question

[bjoeaull]

Quick question, this isn't my first time coating wheels but close to it.  I coated a brand new set yesterday, prepped them, then coated, waited a solid minute before wiping off coating.  I will say in hind sight they mostly didn't rainbow or really get sticky in most areas before I removed.  Looking back I probably should have waited a touch longer to remove but I'd say on average I waited 45 -75 seconds to remove.  It was roughly 50 something degrees in the garage.  

Heres the question.  I haven't boosted them yet.  In ya'lls opinion, would you go back and hit the face again, trying to let it cure better?  (I did do whole rim yesterday).   Or would you say that there is probably a descent coat on anyway and that I'm over thinking it, just go ahead and boost them?

 

Thanks!

 

I'll try to get some pics as I go.  These are some Vorsteiner 20x9 rims going on my 17 Raptor, I think its gonna look pretty sweet!

[shane@detailedreflections]

If it didn’t flash, it’s possible that you didn’t get a thorough application of coating to adhere. There are solvents in the coating that begin curing with air. The variables involved cause wide varieties of flash times. That rainbow effect and stickiness is the best indicator it’s ready to buff off. 

 

I would consider a quick polish to remove any residual coating and then reapply to be safe. And for us, we’d redo the entire wheel. The barrels are a key part to ease of cleaning. I’d almost say more important than the faces...but that’s a matter of opinion. 

 

You have a beautiful truck that you’re investing in to upgrade it. Don’t cut corners. 

[bjoeaull]

Thats kinda what I was thinking, just wanted to confirm.  But if I'm being honest I probably won't take the time to polish first.  I'm thinking wipe with coating prep and try again.  

I'm pretty busy right now, and I want to polish my truck and ceramic coat it too.  I am actually paying a place to polish and coat my wifes Denali, theres just no time for me to get to both, but I want it done.  

 

Thanks for the input

 

[shane@detailedreflections]

1 hour ago, bjoeaull said:

Thats kinda what I was thinking, just wanted to confirm.  But if I'm being honest I probably won't take the time to polish first.  I'm thinking wipe with coating prep and try again.  

I'm pretty busy right now, and I want to polish my truck and ceramic coat it too.  I am actually paying a place to polish and coat my wifes Denali, theres just no time for me to get to both, but I want it done.  

 

Thanks for the input

 

 

In all honesty, if you’re not willing to take the time to polish it off before reapplication I would simply skip the reapplication and live with the results. Aesthetically, you won’t see much of a different. Performance wise, you will. You want a coating to adhere to bare paint, not to other coatings that reduce surface tension. At least on the base layer. Keep in mind that there is zero benefit to layering Adams coatings. Other manufacturers are layered products. We use them, but that first layer needs to bond to bare paint correctly. 

 

The choice is yours, but you may find it not worth redoing if you’re not going to go through the effort to do it correctly. In coatings, prep is literally everything about the result. The coating just locks in what you’ve done. 

[bjoeaull]

29 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

In all honesty, if you’re not willing to take the time to polish it off before reapplication I would simply skip the reapplication and live with the results. Aesthetically, you won’t see much of a different. Performance wise, you will. You want a coating to adhere to bare paint, not to other coatings that reduce surface tension. At least on the base layer. Keep in mind that there is zero benefit to layering Adams coatings. Other manufacturers are layered products. We use them, but that first layer needs to bond to bare paint correctly. 

 

The choice is yours, but you may find it not worth redoing if you’re not going to go through the effort to do it correctly. In coatings, prep is literally everything about the result. The coating just locks in what you’ve done. 

You may be right.   I'm sure I got some benefits of the ceramic left on the rims though, maybe not 100% but protection none the less.  So if adding an additional layer is a bad idea if I don't polish and start over.  I might just let them ride and boost them.  Then see what kind of longevity I get out of it.  Then I can always do them again in a year or so if the coating seems to fade.  I just can't commit the time to polish every aspect of the rims then reapply.  I think my time investment is better served reapplying down the road when they need a new coat.  I appreciate your input as it helped me decide the correct path I'm willing to take!

[shane@detailedreflections]

2 minutes ago, bjoeaull said:

You may be right.   I'm sure I got some benefits of the ceramic left on the rims though, maybe not 100% but protection none the less.  So if adding an additional layer is a bad idea if I don't polish and start over.  I might just let them ride and boost them.  Then see what kind of longevity I get out of it.  Then I can always do them again in a year or so if the coating seems to fade.  I just can't commit the time to polish every aspect of the rims then reapply.  I think my time investment is better served reapplying down the road when they need a new coat.  I appreciate your input as it helped me decide the correct path I'm willing to take!

 

You're welcome.  I hope I didn't come across as discouraging, just don't want to see anyone put time into something they may not be happy with the results from.  If down the line is a better time, I'd agree that's the time to do it.

 

Food for thought if you have an airbrush or know someone who does...or even if you go to Harbor freight for a small investment (under $50 total), you can spray the wheels.  It's how we apply most wheel coatings now.  It allows for a nice even application that requires minimal buffing.  We can spray a set of wheels in the time it would take us to do a single wheel.  And since we use a HF airbrush, if we trash it it's only $10 to replace it.  We aren't painting with it, so we don't need the precision that a painter would (in that case, I'd never suggest HF).  You will use a little more coating as you lose some to overspray, but the time savings is huge.  We clean ours with paint thinner when we are done.  Just run some through it and clean it out.

[bjoeaull]

11 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

You're welcome.  I hope I didn't come across as discouraging, just don't want to see anyone put time into something they may not be happy with the results from.  If down the line is a better time, I'd agree that's the time to do it.

 

Food for thought if you have an airbrush or know someone who does...or even if you go to Harbor freight for a small investment (under $50 total), you can spray the wheels.  It's how we apply most wheel coatings now.  It allows for a nice even application that requires minimal buffing.  We can spray a set of wheels in the time it would take us to do a single wheel.  And since we use a HF airbrush, if we trash it it's only $10 to replace it.  We aren't painting with it, so we don't need the precision that a painter would (in that case, I'd never suggest HF).  You will use a little more coating as you lose some to overspray, but the time savings is huge.  We clean ours with paint thinner when we are done.  Just run some through it and clean it out.

I saw that done on youtube, but assumed it was a professional kinda thing.  I may try that out next time.  I guess you still buff off after the coating gets sticky?

[shane@detailedreflections]

It can be considered a “professional kind of thing,” since a lot of people don’t have the required stuff and it’s a little different application. 

 

When buffing off coatings, you’re really removain’t excess and uneven coating. With a spray application, there is typically less to buff off since it’s more even from the beginning. We still let it tack up and buff it, but buffing is much faster than with hand application.

 

Next time we spray a set of wheels, I’ll try to do photos/video and a write up on it. 

Edited February 19, 2018 by shane@detailedreflections

[Liralen]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:29 AM, shane@detailedreflections said:

It can be considered a “professional kind of thing,” since a lot of people don’t have the required stuff and it’s a little different application. 

 

When buffing off coatings, you’re really removain’t excess and uneven coating. With a spray application, there is typically less to buff off since it’s more even from the beginning. We still let it tack up and buff it, but buffing is much faster than with hand application.

 

Next time we spray a set of wheels, I’ll try to do photos/video and a write up on it. 

That would be great to see!  I have a new Hot Wheels coming in around April, will be immediately doing the coating and was thinking of doing the rims this way...

Edited February 22, 2018 by Liralen

[shane@detailedreflections]

2 hours ago, Liralen said:

That would be great to see!  I have a new Hot Wheels coming in around April, will be immediately doing the coating and was thinking of doing the rims this way...

 

Congrats on the new ride!  I’ll make sure to do at least a photo how to if not make a video. I know in March/April we have a nice 71 Nova coming in for coating. Also have some other projects coming. A lot of clients are waiting for better New England weather before spending the cash. I’ll make it happen though. 

[Liralen]

On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 1:49 AM, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

Congrats on the new ride!  I’ll make sure to do at least a photo how to if not make a video. I know in March/April we have a nice 71 Nova coming in for coating. Also have some other projects coming. A lot of clients are waiting for better New England weather before spending the cash. I’ll make it happen though. 

Well, I may have to try it sooner!  The hubby decided he needed a new vehicle.  We picked up a Chevy Silverado LTZ 100th Anniversary (of trucks) Edition (Centennial blue).  So now he wants me to ceramic coat the entire thing  (rims, trim, paint).  The rims are huge...so instead of getting two sets of Camaro rims done....figure will only be able to get the one truck done...oh well.  Will just have a reason to place another order

[shane@detailedreflections]

 

2 hours ago, Liralen said:

Well, I may have to try it sooner!  The hubby decided he needed a new vehicle.  We picked up a Chevy Silverado LTZ 100th Anniversary (of trucks) Edition (Centennial blue).  So now he wants me to ceramic coat the entire thing  (rims, trim, paint).  The rims are huge...so instead of getting two sets of Camaro rims done....figure will only be able to get the one truck done...oh well.  Will just have a reason to place another order

 

Congrats on the new truck!  One bottle of wheel coating should be able to handle all of your wheels (and then some). Adams gives 50ml bottles, we probably average about 10ml per set of wheels for reference. Give or take. But three sets of wheels from a 50ml bottle is certainly within reason. 

[bjoeaull]

So after thinking it over I wanted to update what I ended up doing to the wheels.  I decided to do another layer of ceramic on top of the probably half layer I probably didn't let cure long enough.  So after they cured for a few days I prep coat wiped them down again.  I applied a fresh layer of ceramic to them, this time letting them cure to the proper doneness.  The carbon graphite finish on the rims I think made it hard to see the product flashing.  But I kept feeling the layer to tell if it started to get sticky.  Then buffed off.  I waited 15 hours then applied ceramic boost. 

Now I am awaiting til I have time to get the tires mounted and the level collars installed hopefully this week.  

It looked like the coating went on fine, with no issues thus far in clarity that I could tell.  Hopefully this works out well, I will keep an eye on things and update down the road if issues arise.  Guess we will call this a test if you will.  

[Liralen]

13 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

 

Congrats on the new truck!  One bottle of wheel coating should be able to handle all of your wheels (and then some). Adams gives 50ml bottles, we probably average about 10ml per set of wheels for reference. Give or take. But three sets of wheels from a 50ml bottle is certainly within reason. 

Is that including doing the barrel?  And just applying or with air brush application?

[shane@detailedreflections]

13 minutes ago, Liralen said:

Is that including doing the barrel?  And just applying or with air brush application?

 

We might go through 15ml with the airbrush method. I would say one bottle is adequate for three sets of wheels.