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  1. #1
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    shooting gelcoat questions

    I am fixing to make up some fiberglass test panels to get my feet wet using gelcoat before I start up a project. Have a couple questions to try to ease the learning curve before I start.
    I have a little exposure to fiberglass work, but nothing with gelcoat.
    I have a little exposure to painting as well.
    I have read and watched about every video I could find on the subject. A lot of questions have been answered by that but some questions still left uncovered.

    1. Dump gun or HVLP with like a 2.4 tip? The final project will be a 18' top cap.

    2. Current gelcoat on boat is a black base w/ a very small amount of red flake. It's probably 50% base with 50% flake over a given area. My question is this. When I shoot the black base, do I need to let that setup, cure and sand the orange peel before shooting the clear w/ flake? Or if I shoot the flake while the base is still wet/tacky will it hide/blend the orange peel of the base?

    3. A little more advanced... The Ranger stripes... Toss up whether to leave them or remove them right now. Can you tape unwaxed gel once it starts to tack up without getting any blemishes?

    I know it'd be easier to have a pro do it, but I really do enjoy the satisfaction of doing things like this myself.
    Thanks for any insight.

  2. Member Hez's Avatar
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    #2

    Wishin' I was fishin'...


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  3. Member
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    #3
    Look at my other post on this, the HVLP gun I use has a 2.6 tip I believe. I have posted where I buy the gun. Add Duratec patch additive to your gelcoat and thin with MEK until a wet coat will spray. My first coat is always a little dry, allowed solvents to flash completely out then spray one wet coat at a time until coverage. Let that flash very well then spray a wet coat of clear gelcoat thinned with Duratec patch additive just enough to get a wet coat with the fluid tip opened all the way up. while very wet I use a flake gun to blow on the dry flake until a matching coating is achieved. Then I use compressed, dry, air to blow the flake flat. Finally I spray clear gelcoat thinned with MEK just enough to get it out of the gun. Don't worry about peel. your second to last & last coats add 50% Duratec patch additive. Sand to level. If I'm after Million Dollar shine I spray on 2 more coats of clear with 50% Duratec patch additive, allow to cure for a few days then cut & polish. Duratec products really are fabulous to work with. I hope you find this helpful.

  4. Member
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    #4
    Thanks for the info. I've looked into the dry flake guns before and that in itself looks like a fine art. But also looks easier than mixing flake and clear trying to get the right consistency. I'd planned on shooting a lot of test panels to get confident in it before shooting the real thing.
    I am assuming here, correct me if I'm thinking incorrectly, that if I was to keep the Ranger stripes (gold flake with a red flake border) I could follow the above procedure and shoot the gold flake first. Allow that to cure then sand. Tape and shoot the red border. Allow to cure and sand. Then tape and shoot the base, flake and clear. Allow that to cure and sand then come back and shoot 2 top coats to level and smooth the transitions? Or better yet after the flake and first clear over the base remove the tape from the Ranger stripe and clear it all?

  5. Member
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    #5
    Bud, I would really need to see a picture of the stripe before advising. I'm sure your mind is working right but I'm going in the shop at 5am due to the heat and am toast by the time the heat gets the best of me. If I can see a picture while reading your question I should be able to follow it better. I'm doing a very detailed, customized, modified, Hell's Bay Waterman right now. Pushing to have it sprayed inside by the end of the month. (Owner wants his boat, What's new!) Lots of changes to the hull, relocated the transom, converting to a center console, enclosing the aft deck completely, designing a tilting helm seat to allow access to new mid compartment, making the console tilt forward for easy access to the batteries, had to cut the front deck out day before yesterday to replace fuel tank, etc.

    I had to do a stripe on a Champion that was 2 colors a year ago and I think I buried the back stripe flake completely first then worked the front stripe. I was worried I may cut the color off the flake with sand paper, It's all silver underneath. Dry flake is easy to work with. No wet flake to float over and stick to something regrettable.

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    #6
    I paid for a class with Craig Fraiser at the House of Kolor plant in Picayune MS years ago. Actually I was in their very first class. One of the biggest take aways I had was "do your artwork first". This means fix the stripe maintaining hard mask lines. Then fix the gold flake masking right against the hard mask line left fixing the stripe. After fix anything else continuing to mask right on the ledges left in the clear by the previous repair. This is where dry flake shines as it takes a lot less gelcoat clear to bury when the flake is blown flat with compressed air. If your unsure of your personal skills add clear gelcoat over each step locking down and insulating your previous work. Be absolutely sure your gelcoat undercoat is fully cured (30 Days) before continuing. If you make a mistake you can wipe it off with acetone but only if the underlying gelcoat is fully cured. Your picture looks to me that the boat needs sanding on the blue area to possibly bring color back. My usual move it to rig the boat down, flip it over and just re-gelcoat the faded stuff. It's about the same amount of work to me, I can rig one down pretty quick.
    Last edited by rojoguio; 07-13-2019 at 09:16 PM.

  7. Member
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    #7
    Last summer I cut and polished a couple spots on the hull just to see what I could bring back. On the transom and up close to the bow. The transom came back to the dark blue/gray it should be, but faded back out pretty quick. Up by the nose is actually more the original color, but with some streaks of light and dark mixed. Cut and polish didn't help here. I stopped there till I knew I was going to really kick this project off. Knew it was going to take a good wet sand there. Probably get the Pro Tech moisturizer and sealer if I can even the color out.

    Appreciate all the info. Has been very helpful and very informative.

  8. Banned
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    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by rojoguio View Post
    I paid for a class with Craig Fraiser at the House of Kolor plant in Picayune MS years ago. Actually I was in their very first class. One of the biggest take aways I had was "do your artwork first". This means fix the stripe maintaining hard mask lines. Then fix the gold flake masking right against the hard mask line left fixing the stripe. After fix anything else continuing to mask right on the ledges left in the clear by the previous repair. This is where dry flake shines as it takes a lot less gelcoat clear to bury when the flake is blown flat with compressed air. If your unsure of your personal skills add clear gelcoat over each step locking down and insulating your previous work. Be absolutely sure your gelcoat undercoat is fully cured (30 Days) before continuing. If you make a mistake you can wipe it off with acetone but only if the underlying gelcoat is fully cured. Your picture looks to me that the boat needs sanding on the blue area to possibly bring color back. My usual move it to rig the boat down, flip it over and just re-gelcoat the faded stuff. It's about the same amount of work to me, I can rig one down pretty quick.
    Lol I went to his class in Sacramento CA. at Jerrys paint supply in the back room. Dude was amazing and thats where I learned to paint fire.

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    #9
    Very Cool!!! My Champ will be restored to factory finish. I need it to get done. Now I have another VL100 and your picture is remarkably close to my visualizations for it. It is a factory black boat. So many hooks & rockers in the hull to straighten out. Both VL100 hulls I own have a rocker in the pads 12-18" forward of the stern. Must be in the mold. Anyway I'm going to blueprint the second VL100 with the Champ pad design over the existing pad. My second plan was to skip the gelcoat and do a old school HOK paint job with the Realistic Flames. Yours look great.

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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by rojoguio View Post
    Very Cool!!! My Champ will be restored to factory finish. I need it to get done. Now I have another VL100 and your picture is remarkably close to my visualizations for it. It is a factory black boat. So many hooks & rockers in the hull to straighten out. Both VL100 hulls I own have a rocker in the pads 12-18" forward of the stern. Must be in the mold. Anyway I'm going to blueprint the second VL100 with the Champ pad design over the existing pad. My second plan was to skip the gelcoat and do a old school HOK paint job with the Realistic Flames. Yours look great.
    Thanks, I just wanted something different. Its all HOK with Imron clear. I had to use a fresh air mask for that crap.
    I wouldnt paint it unless you do something custom. Gel coat is so easy to fix and so easy to shoot.