How to mix flake for touch up??

[Bobby05]

I ordered some flake from ranger to touch up a scratch in my boat and it didn’t come with instructions lol. This is my first time messing with gel coat. I tried looking at YouTube videos and they weren’t much help. I haven’t opened it the can but pretty sure it’s powder I know add a hardener but is there anything else you add. It doesn’t look like add much harder at all. What do you mix it with to get a liquid? I’m a complete beginner with mixing gel coat so I’m clueless lol. Is there a chart somewhere I can measure out just a small amount to use for touch up? Thanks in advance for the help.

[paulrodbender]

[Bobby05]

Thanks what does he have in the sprayer ? Just clear gelcoat thinned down ?

[paulrodbender]

Clear gel coat thinned with Styrene. Last coat of clear gel coat gets wax or better yet, Duratec Patch Additive / High Gloss Clear

Do a search here for some good info from member, rojoguio, "Champ Full Transom Replacement" on page 4 he talks about spraying and mixing clear gel coat.

I have never blew in the flake to fix a scratch like Justin did in the video, I've mixed it in the clear gel coat but I'm sure blowing it in works also.

[Bobby05]

Ok thanks a lot I appreciate it. It’s not a big area I’m trying to fix just a big scratch Dow the side from the dock.

[paulrodbender]

I have fixed a few pretty deep scratches by mixing in the flake in the clear, dap it into the scratch with a foam brush and then top coat with just clear gel coat with a foam brush. Build it slight higher, let dry good and then wet sand and buff.

[Bobby05]

Thanks for the help i appreciate it. Do you have a link of good clear gel coat to use ? I want to get the right stuff. I don’t need much just enough to touch up a few scratches.

[paulrodbender]

Most places are very helpful if you give them a call and tell them what you're planning on doing. I've had good luck with LBI Fiberglass and Express Composites.

[geodebasser]

I had decent luck doing the following. I had a couple of small dings and a few scratches on my 06 Stratos 201 XL. Unfortunately I can’t order Gelcoat or flakes from them as they no longer exist. I went to ORiely’s with my boat and had them match the colors with their spectrometer and had them mix a one stage urethane paint. The color was spot on but no flakes. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a kit that had about 20 different color and sized flakes. I filled in the deeper ding with bondo and sanded down like in the video. I then cleaned it up and applied the paint and before it dried I blew in the metal flake that matched the best. I taped the area off that needed repair but did not want to involve any other areas like he in the video because I was not using clear Gelcoat. Then I lightly wet sanded with 1,000 and 2,000 grit. Finished with a good wax and buff. Not perfect but you won’t notice unless I tell you. My boat must be Yamaha navy blue because the paint also matched my Yamaha almost perfectly. So then I filled in all the nicks on my cowling. Buffed and waxed. Also painted the Skagg. The first time I had the boat out after that someone at the launch yelled that boat looks like it’s never been used. Better than paying a $2,000 or more for a professional to do it on a 17 year old boat.

[rojoguio]

Bud I have a pile of flake. A little goes a long way dry flaking. I use a dry metal flake gun for touch-ups. This is the gun I use, works great for scratch repair 2in wide repairs. I didn't buy from this site the link is for reference only. I spray catalyzed background color gelcoat first wet. Then I spray the clear Gelcoat over that allowing 10-15 minutes for the excess solvents to escape. As soon as the clear goes on I switch to the dry flake gun and shoot to cover. After a air line fine tip gun is used at a reduced air pressure just to blow the standing flake flat. Hit it with another coat of clear but this time 25% Duratec added. Second coat same, third and fourth 50% Duratec. I'm using a 2.5 tip HVLP gun for the Gelcoat. It's posted somewhere on this site, actually several spots. It's a cheap gun, say $50-60 but I get an enormous amount of mileage from it. If you don't blow the standing flake down it takes way more Gelcoat to bury. I hope this helps.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...2usa4itemAdapt

[APS]

That video is a joke. Sure it looks better than the chip but it's visible as hell and it's not a good idea to thin gel more than 10% with styrene. I never thin gel when spraying. I do use the mini flake buster at times but normally mix my flake in with the clear. Doing flake repair is alot harder to make look right than solid colors, that's why it's 3x more expensive to get done.

[rojoguio]

APS, almost all my repairs was blending the transom skin back after a core replacement/repair or since I build custom T-Tops if a gouge was in a Saltwater boat that had flake like an old Bay Champ I would hustle the repair to pump my shop bill a little. Material costs being next to nothing since I have a bunch of flake (House of Kolor was here in Picayune and their warehouse roof leaked creating a bunch of rusty lids on the flake cans, I bought them for 25c on the dollar) a gouge repair was all gravy. Flake repairs are much more difficult in my book too.

[Ron H 520]

I refinished a gouge in mine, which is flaked. I would guess I spent more time and money in practice than the actual job. Read, study, read, study, study some more, and read different sources. Take your time. DO sweat the little stuff. Go to you tube, watch different sources, watch some more.

It can be done to where it looks well, even if it’s your first time, because you’ve practiced and it’s not your first time. By the time I was through, it looked pretty good, smooth as glass, and the finish has held up well going on about 6 to 8 years.