One Shot Hardener Question

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Posted by Samantha K. on December 10, 2002

I read that using hardener improves adhesion and durability of 1 Shot, and that when using hardener its not neccesary to use reducer also. If thats the case, wouldnt it just make sense to always use hardener instead of reducer? Also, do any of you guys who work bike events use hardener when striping and lettering cycles?

Joe Crumley

I have visited the same question and posted the same earlier this year.

The Responce was very good, you might look at that for some answers.

I have continued to use Mathews Hardner with excellent results. Can't see any adhesion advantages but it improves the look of enamels and improves the drying time markedly.

Use hardner very very sparingly, this is not a thinner.

Joe

Kent Smith

As Joe indicated, the hardener is not a thinner but reducers can be used in conjunction with the hardener to make the paint flow and level better. Hardeners do not aid adhesion in any way, they just make the paint film tougher and retain gloss, both of which make them last longer. The purpose is to gain abraision resistance so that the paint will last longer on that level. If the paint is not adhering well to the surface, it will fail on that level no matter how hard the film is, sometimes even faster. A hardened paint film is somewhat stiff and therefore will flake off a surface to which it is not well adhered, while a more flexable film might not fail under the same conditions. Longer gloss hold out means that contaminants as well as water, ice and snow will not adhere to the paint and damage it as easily. Another concern with using hardeners is that it is more difficult to recoat over them as they always must be sanded (physically abraided in some way) for subsequent coats to have enough tooth to the surface for good adhesion. Two component urethanes were developed to be vandal and grafiti proof and therefore the hardened enamels exhibit some of these properties as well. While not fully grafiti proof, fewer contaminants will stick to a hardened enamel.

Samantha K.

Thank you gentlemen for the info, its helped me understand the purpose of hardener. Once again I've been enlightened