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Unpopular opinion: I see way too many shops using the wrong clear coat flash times
I watched a crew in Austin rush a job last week, giving the clear only 5 minutes before the second coat. The finish looked fine for a day, then started to peel. The tech manual for that specific paint line says 10 to 15 minutes at 70 degrees, and ignoring that costs you a comeback every time. Has anyone else had to fix a job where the flash time was the real problem?
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grant.margaret27d ago
Exactly. Patricia_singh nailed it with the conditions. Saw a shop in Dallas cook a whole hood by baking it in a 90-degree booth but using the book time for 70. The clear was dry to the touch in three minutes, so they layered it. Looked perfect until the customer washed it a month later and the whole thing spider-webbed. They had to strip and repaint the entire panel. Following the manual without checking your actual shop temp is just asking for a redo.
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patricia_singh1mo ago
Wanted to add that temperature is a huge factor here. That 10 to 15 minute flash time assumes 70 degrees and 50% humidity. In a hot, dry shop, it can be much shorter, and in a cold, damp one, it needs to be longer. The crew might have been following a rule of thumb that failed them because the conditions changed.
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