Why is my Ceramic Coating Applicator Hard?
Your applicator is getting hard because the higher film build resins will exhibit a harder effect on the applicator and the thinner film build resins will seep into the applicator and not exhibit as high of a hardness. So, you want to impress someone with the gimmick of a hard applicator? Give them a high loading level of a high solids coating and it will turn that applicator into a brick, but probably have an inferior end result of a coating on the paint surface…
When we introduced our Gem & Rock line of ceramic coatings out to the world of professional detailers, some of the feedback was Ceramic Coating Installers are worried about the strength of the new coating because the applicators are not getting as crunchy and brittle when the job is finished and the applicators have time to cure. This is actually done on purpose by Jade Ceramics. Here's what happened.
Within our Jade Ceramic Line some resins are designed to engineer larger film build on the surface and some are designed to be a thinner film build with higher adhesion.
For Example
But why?! How?!
The applicator’s hardness tells you all you must know, you might say! Hardness is the penultimate measurement!
Well… as it turns out, it appears too much of a good thing is exactly that----too much.
The higher the film build, does not necessarily equal a better finish. In fact, having that higher film build seems to cause the coating to fail more rapidly than having less film build.
Bizarre? Not really…
It’s because you want a really low film build and really high adhesion to generate the most permanent surface modification possible. Just a single molecular layer thick with maximum adhesion is all that is needed to get that self-cleaning effect we know and love. You don’t want a big, fat, thick layer of coating on the surface or you actually open it up to taking more punishment. Said another way… If I gave you a razor blade and said, “scrap this coating off a piece of glass” would you not be surprised to find that the thicker film is pretty easy to catch an edge in it and then start polishing it off vs. having such a thin film that the blade just glides over it and you can’t get under it to attack it?
What's more important?
In Conclusion:
The reality is, in pencil hardness testing, both types of resins resulted in a much higher hardness than standard clear coats, assisting with mar resistance to the finish. The new Jade Graphene was made with the lower percentage solids resin and still was attributed to a >10H rating. Smoother application with an easier wipe on and wipe off; more slick during, immediately after, and post curing.
Do you have a Ceramic coating question? Interested in Adding one to your e-commerce or physical store? Contact Us!
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