OK, so I have been spending some of my free time refinishing some hatch covers for the 95 Islander that are starting to delaminate aound the edges. I finished spraying the anchor hatch cover yesterday with the textured finish and set it aside for the night. Well, the next afternoon it was still tacky. I figured it was due to the fact that I had to minimize the gloss additive which thins the gelcoat too much to achieve the texture. The duratech gloss additive also elimiates the need for wax in the mix, permits curing of the gelcoat and elimiates a lot of the sanding. I was spraying several layers in order to get the texture and did not wish to enter wax into the mix. No PVA on hand and I did not feel like buying a bottle for just a small job so I pondered what I might have laying around the shop to cover the still tacky coating. I had some paste wax wich I did not really want to be so aggressive applying. I know PVA has an alchohol content so I mixed a little denatured with the paste wax and viola, a thin waxy pancake syrup consistancy coating that I could gently brush on without disturbing the nicely textured surface. A little time in a sunny window and about an hour later we were set up. Just thought I would provide an alternative to purchasing some of the expensive or difficult to obtain supplies in a timely matter. Panel looks great. A little 800 grit wet sanding and some compound and it is ready to install. Oh yea, I also shortened the lip at the notch for the chain and rode in order to elimiate some of the chipping of the glass. Since I also filled in the lift knob hole, I would like to install a newer style of lift ring/latch.
Tip on Gelcoating
- Thread starter 1st grady
- Start date
ROBERTH
GreatGrady Captain
Interesting. My experience so far with the duratec.....I have been redoing swim platform, forward anchor hatch, bow pulpit this winter and will start on transom hatches that cover the bait box and storage box in next couple of weeks.
Using the duratech 50/50 with gelcoat, and then using styrene to thin for texture, I get really good results. When I did the 50/50 with no reducer, it does not atomize into smaller droplets and the larger droplets allowed more time to flow and would create a smoother texture than I wanted. I found that more styrene reduction allowed me to atomized better, but have to crank up the psi to about 70 or 80 and pull the gun back after initial coat to allow it to snow down on the surface. I keep spraying every 10 minutes, or until I know it is tacky and not wet and build until I have a good thickness to allow it to kick.
So far, I am happy with the results. Next morning, it is hard and ready for a coat of wax and reinstallation.
Using the duratech 50/50 with gelcoat, and then using styrene to thin for texture, I get really good results. When I did the 50/50 with no reducer, it does not atomize into smaller droplets and the larger droplets allowed more time to flow and would create a smoother texture than I wanted. I found that more styrene reduction allowed me to atomized better, but have to crank up the psi to about 70 or 80 and pull the gun back after initial coat to allow it to snow down on the surface. I keep spraying every 10 minutes, or until I know it is tacky and not wet and build until I have a good thickness to allow it to kick.
So far, I am happy with the results. Next morning, it is hard and ready for a coat of wax and reinstallation.