gel coat curing

[Bgbbgb246]

I did a full gel coat job on an old 80s bass boat. The process was a real pain and took a lot of time but everything went really well. I used FIberglast materials starting with a red base coat, followed that with clear and flake, and then many coats of clear over that. On the last coat i used the styrene wax additive and put a real uniform heavy coat on. Its been about 36 hours and the boat is still a little tacky. Its not soft enough for me to push my fingernail into it or disturb it but still a little tacky and obviously not ready for the sanding and buffing process. Its been a little cold lately and humid so I'm wondering if it just needs more time or it its possible that not enough wax rose to the surface to seal the gel coat. I was thinking of maybe spraying a thin coat of strait styrene thinner on the boat to really seal it but i havn't heard of anyone doing that or if it could cause the gel coat to fail in any way. So what do you think? More wax or just let it sit?

 

[chevymaher]

can you get it hot warm it up.

 

[Scott Danforth]

spray another coat of PVA

 

[Bgbbgb246]

can you get it hot warm it up.

Luckily, its a much warmer day today. Also in response to Scott (how do you quote two people in one post?), I did not use PVA I used wax. I don't have any PVA but from what I've read, it must be applied right after spraying final coat or it doesn't work due to a cross-linking process that makes it effective. I did a sample spot where I sprayed the styrene wax over the gel coat so we will see what it does. Ill report back so that this info is out there for others if it works or does not work.

 

[Scott Danforth]

not sure what you are reading. however PVA is mold release. you can use it a month later if you want. it then washes off with a simple hose and water.

if you are using wax, apply another 2-3 layers as unless you rub in wax, your not getting enough coverage.

styrene is basically the thinner used in gel. that wont seal it up against the air like you need.

 

[Bgbbgb246]

not sure what you are reading. however PVA is mold release. you can use it a month later if you want. it then washes off with a simple hose and water.

if you are using wax, apply another 2-3 layers as unless you rub in wax, your not getting enough coverage.

styrene is basically the thinner used in gel. that wont seal it up against the air like you need.

This is what i read from 'FiberGlast.com'; a large supplier of gel coat products. Im willing to believe what your saying though as I've seen incorrect information when it comes to (my expertise) Automotive and industrial painting online before

"#13 PVA Release Film can also be used as an air inhibitor. Simply spray the PVA onto the gel coat and allow to cure. The timing of the application of the PVA is important. The gel coat needs to crosslink with itself right from the start without interference from the atmosphere. Applying the PVA right after you spray the gel coat will also trap styrene in the gel coat and prevent it from evaporating, thus aiding the curing process. Once the gel coat has cured, the PVA can then be washed off with soap and water."

Spraying the wax infused styrene made it maybe a little firmer in my test location but still ever so slightly tacky as before. Seemed like putting very little on was a must as I had one drip of the styrene wax that hung on under the boat and it actually reactivated the gel coat and made a wrinkle in the finish. One thing the extra wax did though is made the boat a pain to sand, cut, and buff as my sand pads would immediately fill up with a bunch of wax. It actually ended up being much easier to sand and cut the areas where i didn't apply a coat of wax. It seemed like after i took off the very top layer of the finish, it was no longer tacky. Maybe i was just feeling the wax on the surface when i felt that it was a tiny bit tacky but while being hard as a rock? In conclusion, the only reason i would see that anyone would apply pure wax infused styrene after the fact is if maybe they forgot to add it to their final coat and also dont have enough gelcoat to apply another coat.

 

[Scott Danforth]

paint or gel? you seam to go back and forth

regarding gel, the best thing I found was Duratec gloss additive. Used that on my last spray job and it flowed like paint.

as far as PVA, That is what I used exclusively after I realized that adding wax simply sucks.

 

[Bgbbgb246]

paint or gel? you seam to go back and forth

regarding gel, the best thing I found was Duratec gloss additive. Used that on my last spray job and it flowed like paint.

as far as PVA, That is what I used exclusively after I realized that adding wax simply sucks.

Gel. sorry for the confusion. After my experience I agree with you on the opinion that wax sucks and I would probably use PVA if I did another project like this. Additionally, I didn't use the Duratec gloss additive but sure wish i did because spraying was a real pain sometimes using a bottom feed gun with a 3.0 nozzel. But it was my first gel project and i learned a lot.

 

[AShipShow]

Cant agree more with Scott.. after using duratec I'll never go back