I’ve been using this product to clear coat an old steel desk. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with it and I think it does what it does well, when used with an eye for a couple of pitfalls I have discovered.
First, it promises a nice smooth coat without stroke marks when applied with a brush, which it does deliver. However, it delivers this by remaining very slightly fluid for at least ten minutes after application so that gravity pulls it down into a nice even surface. Therefore, it is very important to apply it only to horizontal surfaces. If you put it on the side of something vertical, you will get drips and ripples where it gradually slid down from where you meant it to be, even if it seems like it’ll stay put at the time of application. It won’t. Trust me.
Second, the reason why so many people complain about this product in reviews. This product will start to dry out immediately upon opening and exposure to air. It doesn’t matter how well you close the can, it won’t last for very long. Once it’s open, the clock is ticking, and you must use as much as you want to hopefully within a week or two or at the very most probably a month. Perhaps it is possible to reseal it and have it last, I’m not an expert on these things, but nothing I have tried has been very effective. This is why I have purchased this product three times, I didn’t run out.
When the can is resealed, something about the chemical interactions in the can cause pressure to build up. Eventually, the pressure will pop the top open, a bit of the product will ooze out of the crack, dry, and then seal the can shut. Two days ago I had closed the can, turned it upside down to try and prevent drying on top, and placed the can in a ziploc bag. Today when I pulled it out, some was leaking from the top, thankfully it had not dried yet. When I opened the top of the can, it made an audible ‘pop’ as I released the pressure, like opening a soda.
Sometimes the cans seem to open themselves before they’re even shipped to you. Several other reviews complain they’re unable to open the can at all, and I suspect this is why. My second purchase was like this, which forced me to pry it open by brute force with a mini sledge and a very large flathead screwdriver, making resealing the can impossible. That one didn’t last long. The other two cans I bought were fine.
Having said all that, you might think I don’t like this product. That’s not true. I do like it and I’m happy I bought it, though I’d rather have not needed to buy it three times.
If you choose to buy this in spite of these caveats, I hope that you can learn from my mistakes and have a good experience.
UPDATE 06/26/23: I have been having very good experiences with can #3 after the accidental eruption. I’m finding that it may keep in liquid form quite awhile longer than I thought, provided you keep it in the original can(I experimented with previous cans transferring to other types of containers and that did not go well at all.) I don’t believe storing it upside down was very helpful, and may have contributed to the leak. Moving forward, I really only have two strong suggestions for success with this product. 1. Apply on horizontal surfaces only. 2. Once you open the can, re-open the can every day if possible and every two days at minimum to allow for pressure release. I don’t know if eventually it’ll settle down and stop creating so much pressure, or if this is just how it is, but I’m down to maybe 1/3 of a can remaining and the idea that I might actually use all of this product before I somehow render it unusable is nothing short of a miracle.
KBS Coatings DiamondFinish Clear Coat
4.3 | 984 ratings
Price: 59.39
Last update: 12-17-2024
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I have used this for dipping home made lures which have turned out phenomenal.
Most recent I used it for a customers counter top where we updated their bar area. I cut it 25% with xylene to make it flow better. I used an epoxy roller(make sure to run the roller over tape before use to pull all the extra loose fibers off) and it went on smoothly. You do have to work fast with such a large area. Make sure everything is covered because you’ll regret it if you don’t.
Prep included sanding the surface with 400 grit (was finished prior). Followed by cleaning the surface thoroughly to rid of all contaminations. Vacuum, tack cloth, wipe with damp non fiberous cloth, let dry.
The bad: spraying this product is superior, fumes are intense so you need the equipment to use inside, not homeowner friendly, need xylene for clean up and dilution, you have one shot and if you mess up you’ll need to repeat the process.
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