Germa-Tech Softening Agent is specially designed for soft or flexible substrates to improve the softness of the basecoat and topcoat. Reduces paint imperfections in flexible, deformed and…
| Ratio by volume | 1. 10-30% Softening Agent into 2k paint depending on the flexibility of the substrate. 2. 10% Softening Agent into basecoat or 1k primer. |
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| Pot life | Pot Life of paint mixed with Softening Agent will not be altered, refer paint mix pot life |
| Notes | 3. Add hardener or thinners per normal mixing procedures for the paint |
No drying schedule is printed on the source sheet.
| Equipment cleaning | Clean guns and equipment immediately after use with gun wash or a solvent cleaner. Never let mixed 2K product start to cure in the gun — once it kicks, no solvent will save it. |
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| Storage life (unopened) | Up to 36 months unopened — SUBJECT TO correct storage: a cool, dry place below 20 °C, out of direct sun. Heat is the biggest killer of paint in the tin: stock stored or transported in hot vehicles, tin sheds, shipping containers or direct sunlight loses life fast whatever the date on the tin, and that is where most premature failures start. Storage life is an optimal guide, not a promise that survives a hot shed. |
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| Once the seal is broken | Once the seal is broken the clock starts, and how you store it sets the pace. This product: 90 days once the seal is broken, resealed tight — then discard. All hardeners: 14 days once opened — then discard. Hardener is sealed without air; the moment air enters it starts to deteriorate. A part-used tin resealed tight lasts the 14 days; a loose lid does not. |
| Storage | Store indoors in a cool, dry place below 20 °C, out of direct sunlight, with the lid sealed tight after every use. Never store or transport in heat — not in a tin shed, a shipping container, a hot van or a sunlit rack. |
| CODE | WHAT IT IS | PACK SIZE |
|---|---|---|
| GP5112 | Product · 2 | 1LT |
This is an ancillary — it supports the steps above rather than forming a layer of its own.
Standard inclusions are controlled: each note applies to every product in its named set, enforced at build. They cannot drift onto some sheets and off others.
| DEFECT | WHAT YOU SEE | WHY IT HAPPENED | FIX |
|---|---|---|---|
Cracking and crazing | fine random cracks through the film, sometimes in a crows-foot pattern, worst over heavy build and over filler or flexible panels | total film build too high, too many coats stacked, plastic primer laid on too thick, a rigid film over a substrate that flexes, or a coat put over an under-cured layer | strip the cracked film back to a sound layer, re-prime and rebuild inside the film limits |
Delamination and peeling | a coat lets go of the one under it - the film peels, flakes or lifts off cleanly in sheets, often starting at an edge or a stone chip | the surface underneath was not keyed or was not clean - missed degrease, wrong or no undercoat, sanding grit too fine or missed altogether, recoat window blown, or basecoat left too long before clear | remove all the loose film back to a sound layer, feather the edge, re-prime and rebuild the system properly |
Soft film and slow cure | the film stays soft, marks under a fingernail or a mask edge, clogs the paper when sanded and will not polish up | wrong or short-measured hardener, mixing beyond pot life, spraying too cold, bake cut short or started before the flash was finished, or a drying additive used where a hardener is needed | give it a full bake cycle and re-check; if it is still soft the film has to come off back to a sound layer and be redone with the correct mix |
Adhesion failure on plastic | the finish lifts off a bumper, mirror or trim part in sheets, often peeling clean off the plastic with no key underneath | plastic primer missed or applied over a factory coating it cannot bond to, static and mould release left on the part, solvent cleaner used on bare plastic, or colour applied wet-on-wet over plastic primer | strip the affected part back, re-prep, re-test the primer on the hidden side and rebuild |
| VERSION | DATE | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|
| v2.3 | 02.09.2026 | Reissued on the current Germa-Tech technical data sheet format. New in this issue: a quick-reference card, the hardener and reducer selection gauge, the coating thickness stack, the recoat-window recovery procedure, and a product-specific troubleshooting table. Bake schedules are now stated as metal temperature. |
This sheet is read together with the GERMA-TECH APPLICATION STANDARD (terms, conditions of application and warranty) and the Coating Thickness Guide — both hosted with the data sheets and at germatech.com.au. Warranty is conditional on correct use of the product as described on this sheet, including the sanding steps and grits in its sanding guide, within the Germa-Tech system. The information in this data sheet is given in good faith and is based on laboratory and field testing. Ampro Australia has no control over the conditions under which this product is used, so the end user must satisfy themselves that the product is suitable for the intended application and conditions. All times are quoted at 20 °C and 50% relative humidity unless stated otherwise. This sheet supersedes all previous issues.
