I'm having issues with the curing time with my second layer of Z2. Mixed 1 oz. with 5 drops of Zfx and it is taking an eternity to cure. I put it on 4 hours ago and it has still not cured to the point I can remove it. The car is in my garage where it is ~95-100°F and it is still taking this long. Any suggestions to speed this up a little. The first coat didn't take nearly this long.

Thanks,

 

From what I've read, humidity and Zaino make for very long curing times, and today certainly was plenty humid!

 

Agreed. Probably the humidity. On a dry day, Zaino dries very quickly, ZFX or not.


Bonz would probably suggest putting on a coat just before you go to bed, then taking it off in the morning. You could put on another coat then also.

You might also have better luck with the car outside. No real science to support that idea, it's just an opinion.

 

I agree Andrew. From now on I will defer any Zaino questions to you since you have achieved Zaino Jedi status!

 

I am curious is this the new formula or the previous version of Z-2?

 

Go ahead and remove it, and then just mist the paint with plain water and buff to a shine with your towel. Sometimes, moisture can settle on a paint surface and then you polish on top of it and can make it dry slower..

 

This was the new formula, Zfx. Not sure how moisture could have gotten on it since it was in the garage where it stays very hot but I eventually just wiped it off. The spots I missed were dry by morning, but since I can't resist driving it to work, I had to take it off last night. The car looks fantastic and when it rained today the water literally flew off the car like it was coated in Rain-X. Tomorrow it is supposed to not rain (first day since April it feels like) and be 85 and Sunny. If I get out of work early enough I'm going to put a "final" coat on (number 3). My friend who drives an M3 is going to buy some after he saw the car and ran his finger over the paint to feel how smooth it was.

I still think the thing I like most, aside from the look, is how quickly it goes on. I can go start to finish in under 30 minutes. Once I figure out how to make it dry in under 16 hours it'll be marvelous.

 

Did you use the entire 1 oz. for a single application of polish??? If so that may also explain why it isn't drying. The curing starts after you remove the polish. You should easily be able to do 3-4 applications from a single ounce of polish.

 

I found the pad took up a rather significant quantity of it and only once it was saturated did I not have to add any. I think I'll try using a smaller pad next time or a different applicator rather than the ones that came with the kit. It didn't use the entire 1 oz. but I don't see how i could have gotten 3-4 from a single oz. I put it on under flourescent lights so I could really see whether it was going on or not and had to go back in some cases and fill in where it missed at the start (back to the pad saturation thing again).

 

3 or 4? Kevin, are you sure you don't mean 2 oz? The little bottle are 2 oz bottles and I mix up the Z-2 or Z-5 with the ZFX in these bottles but only fill it up half way (one ounce). I can get about 2 layers out of one ounce but not 3 or 4.

Granted, with the wing, rear skirts, and side skirts, I have a little more Z to Zaino than most!

 

The reason I asked if it was new or old formula, is a problem I encountered with a few customers having the same issue with the old formula. I talked to Sal about it, and he recommended trying a different bottle of polish from a different "born on date" and the problem went away.

I think it is possible to get at least 3 coats from 1 oz with the new formula. I put 3 coats on my C5 with 1 oz of the new. Previously, I was good for about 1 3/4 coats. The new formula really spreads much better than the old.

It will be interesting to see if the dry times on the next coat(s) are better.

 

I agree that the new formula is spreads out smoother and much easier.

 

Which or what type of applicator are you using. I find that until I've use ~1/4-1/2 of an oz. most of it remains on the pad.

 

I still have not had much luck with the minimal application of Zaino technique. I end up using way more than the allocated 2oz for one coat. I think I encounter the same problem of having most of it sit on my applicator sponge/towel. A lot gets wasted that way. Also, on a light colored car (CS), it's difficult sometimes to see where I've applied and where I haven't.

Bonz, you should make a Zaino video.

 

I have a friend of mine who gets 3 applications per 1/2 oz. of polish on his corvette, every time, though he is very experienced at applying it that thin.