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Gelcoat 103

Gelcoater

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From time to time I get Pm'd from members who do low volume or hobby style builds.some i know as members here i have never met,others i have sprayed for in the past.Questions about tip size in the gun,what gun?How do I get yellow to not come out blotchy,you can see through it,etc.

So I figure a new thread is in order.

The problem one guy is having might be yours also,or learn how not to do something by what others are doing;)

So,how to make yellow cover.
On a multi colored job I save yellow for last.
It requires more finesse than most other colors.
They use a shitload of pigment just to get it to cover as well as it does,which isn't great.
All that pigment makes it heavy,which will lead to sagging if done at the recommended mil thickness.So you need to do two or three thin coats,letting it start to gel between.
You want to be stepping up the catalyst ratio as you go or you'll creep the shit out of it.
After,shoot another coat,yellow with a little white mixed in.This backup insures the final black back up for lamination doesn't affect the color.
I would advise a clear over(under when we're working in the mold;))yellow that will be facing up to the sun.


Another note for you novice gelcoater/mold owners.
Pay close attention to the mfg date on the can,especially those "extra" cans from past projects.
Spraying a big boat in summer time with gel promoted for December is probably going to be a bad day.



So guys(you know who you are) ask away.





Edit***

I'm also getting Pm'd about gel repair and or total regel jobs.

This is not what I do.
My focus is on new in the mold gel and design with the mfg's.

For repairs and total regel you have many options including Islander,KMG,and others that specialize in this area.
You have other options as well.Lesser known but no less talented is Blas at Extreme Boat Repair in Lake Elsinore (951) 941-0043.
He was "the man" for repairs at Eliminator before the economy busted.Very talented guy.

Also,if you have a mfg in the area they can probably tackle just about anything you throw their way.
In Corona area,look to Lavey Craft.I have seen these guys do some amazing work,including regel as well as complete re spray in automotive paint.
Riverside and surrounding area look at Eliminator,nothing they can't do there.From small repairs to large refinish jobs.
Towards LA,Hallett.They have a Donzi in for a complete deck regel at the moment and extensive repair below the trim line.


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SCBLLC

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Yellow can be a biotch, glad I got it right. If I ever had to do more than 2 quarts at one shot I would bring this out. Change tips for desired pattern or to wet out fiberglass. Turn a dial to adjust the MEKP and your off to the races. [video=youtube;LNsfwHwcyjI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNsfwHwcyjI[/video]
 

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Gelcoater

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Yellow can be a biotch, glad I got it right. If I ever had to do more than 2 quarts at one shot I would bring this out. Change tips for desired pattern or to wet out fiberglass. Turn a dial to adjust the MEKP and your off to the races. [video=youtube;LNsfwHwcyjI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNsfwHwcyjI[/video]

Yep,they're great for large parts.One should be pretty familiar to how they work or bad things can happen.There's also no "finesse factor",they're like a Banshee,all on or all off.

Personally I wouldn't bother for a smaller(26-28 feet) but start getting into the 30+ foot range and they save time and material.
Cleaning and color changes are a bitch,best to have dedicated lines/pumps for popular colors.
 

SCBLLC

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On or off, you bet. But by adjusting the air to it they can be throttled down a bit. It works great on a 21' hull, shooting the white and the black cover up goes fast. They do take a little bit to clean, but it isn't that bad. It shines as a wet out gun, cut's lamination time by hours and easy 3-4 hours over the old bucket routine. I've had mine for a couple of years, and love the time savings. Oh, Rick had the plug to the little 20 sitting in a storage yard, so I cleaned it up, changed some stuff and popped off a quick set of molds.
 

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Gelcoater

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On or off, you bet. But by adjusting the air to it they can be throttled down a bit. It works great on a 21' hull, shooting the white and the black cover up goes fast. They do take a little bit to clean, but it isn't that bad. It shines as a wet out gun, cut's lamination time by hours and easy 3-4 hours over the old bucket routine. I've had mine for a couple of years, and love the time savings. Oh, Rick had the plug to the little 20 sitting in a storage yard, so I cleaned it up, changed some stuff and popped off a quick set of molds.

How is Rick these days?Where is he and what's he doing?
 

SCBLLC

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How is Rick these days?Where is he and what's he doing?

Well,the cancer came back and 1/2 of his head was hacked off. That was about 5 years ago, he's doing well now. He's on disability due to that, so he doesn't work any more. I ended up buying his transom clamps last year, and box's of rigging material and other hard to find goodies. He lives about 10 miles west of his old shop, it's like a day drive getting over there. Every time we get together it reminds me of how old I'm getting, his little 5 year old daughter is all grown up and on her own. The days of cracking open a cold one by 10:00 am are way behind us, those were some good times.
 

Gelcoater

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Well,the cancer came back and 1/2 of his head was hacked off. That was about 5 years ago, he's doing well now. He's on disability due to that, so he doesn't work any more. I ended up buying his transom clamps last year, and box's of rigging material and other hard to find goodies. He lives about 10 miles west of his old shop, it's like a day drive getting over there. Every time we get together it reminds me of how old I'm getting, his little 5 year old daughter is all grown up and on her own. The days of cracking open a cold one by 10:00 am are way behind us, those were some good times.

That's pretty sad.

Cancer...always attacks the good ones:(
 

Rickybobby

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Gelcoat
Some have said I am as sharp as bowling ball !!! So I apologize if I missed the point of this thread. I am not building a new (in the mold) boat. I am helping Jr rebuild his 40year old boat. So I am looking for tips and suggestions on how to prep the old shit and I would like to try and regel the boat myself. I am not new to painting but clearly not experienced either.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us hacks !!!!
rb
 

Gelcoater

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Gelcoat
Some have said I am as sharp as bowling ball !!! So I apologize if I missed the point of this thread. I am not building a new (in the mold) boat. I am helping Jr rebuild his 40year old boat. So I am looking for tips and suggestions on how to prep the old shit and I would like to try and regel the boat myself. I am not new to painting but clearly not experienced either.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us hacks !!!!
rb

Yeah,not really my thing.
What little I do know is purely by observation.
Needs to be stripped of all wax first.
As I'm sure you know,tons of sanding to get it flat.Didn't really see them go much finer than 320 for prep.I understand if they go much finer the surface lacks the tooth to get the new gel to stick.
That's about all I know?

This thread was pretty much to address Pm's I get every so often from these lower volume guys trying to get their boats into the mold.Questions about tape,wax,clear,issues with gel,etc.
Then edited to include that I Am Not a guy doing repairs,regel or "paint".

Getting some of these repair and regel experts to reveal secrets might be tough,they're trying to make a living;)

Good luck RB,I hope you start a thread on your project,I love watching those threads.Seeing something old become like new again is always great to see:thumbup:
 

SCBLLC

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Gelcoat
Some have said I am as sharp as bowling ball !!! So I apologize if I missed the point of this thread. I am not building a new (in the mold) boat. I am helping Jr rebuild his 40year old boat. So I am looking for tips and suggestions on how to prep the old shit and I would like to try and regel the boat myself. I am not new to painting but clearly not experienced either.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us hacks !!!!
rb

Nothing more than 220 for me, the gel is going on thick so you won't see anything any way. There are ways of doing and external gel coat jobs on a boat without feeling every new color. Every time I look at a new boat I run my finger across the gel coat, feeling for repairs or even seeing them. Most people wouldn't even know the difference, but any one that has built them can spot a repair fairly easy, the finger doesn't lie.
 

Gelcoater

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Bump.
Is that time of year I guess, lol.


I’m still not doing repair, regel, cap work or any sort of external gelcoat.
I specialize in new, in the mold builds exclusively.
 
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Gelcoater

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Nothing more than 220 for me, the gel is going on thick so you won't see anything any way. There are ways of doing and external gel coat jobs on a boat without feeling every new color. Every time I look at a new boat I run my finger across the gel coat, feeling for repairs or even seeing them. Most people wouldn't even know the difference, but any one that has built them can spot a repair fairly easy, the finger doesn't lie.
Hey Scott? Where you been??
 

old rigger

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@Gelcoater, always enjoy your industry posts. Didn't realize this was an older thread until I saw your last question.

Being color blind it's always interesting to read about the different colors, I've always know about yellow being a bitch, just can't see it. Ironically I use to do a ton of side gel/glass repairs back in the day. My wife had to mix my gel for me no matter the color, lol. She was pretty good too as I never had a complaint.
 
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Gelcoater

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@Gelcoater, always enjoy your industry posts. Didn't realize this was an older thread until I saw your last question.

Being color blind its always interesting to read about the different colors, I've always know about yellow being a bitch, just can see it. Ironically I use to do a ton of side gel/glass repairs back in the day. My wife had to mix my gel for me no matter the color, lol. She was pretty good too as I never had a complaint.
Years ago we had a customer who built several boats over the years. Always blue and orange.
They were the only colors he could see, gave me pause to appreciate the little things in life we often ovdrloook. Which to some are far from little things.
 
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