Re: Worn Gelcoat on Keel
Here is everything I have collected on spraying gel coat. Are you sure a keel shield wouldn't work?
Spraying Gelcoat
I've sprayed Gel coat on two projects now, and both of them turned out good. I used Car Spraying (binks model) gun, and went and bought a 2mm orifice. I evercoat gel coat from west Marine, mixed the hardner by volume, not by drops, and then mixed in 25% acetone and it worked great. I sprayed at 60 psi, and was very happy with the results. There was minor orange peel, but a light sanding with 320 and 600 and a buff and it looks mirror shiney after wax. Check out the projects at:
www.eriklassen.com/projects/hobie18/index.htm
The mix for 25 sq ft coverage was:
14 cc Mineral Spirits
30 cc Wax S10
40 cc Acetone
1 qt Gel-Coat
9 cc Catalyst
For cleaning the surface before spraying we used MEK.
Shooting gel - so far it has been a breeze. I am using 4oz acetone/quart gel to thin the gel...I am mixing everything except the hardener in a mixing cup first...getting the color to where I am happy...then pouring it into the sprayer cup...adding hardener and shooting. It took alittle playing with the adjustments to get it to spray how I wanted it. I am very impressed with the outcome so far (this is my first attempt at painting anything with a gun).
Merton (from Mertons.com) had a great idea for gelcoating the floor with a no-skid texture. Put down 1 coat smooth. Tape off an area that you want textured. Mix up some gelcoat with cabasol to a ketchup consistancy. Roll on to taped off area. You will end up with an intense orange peel effect. He had a sample he did and it looks like what I want. I don't like carpet in boats...they always end up moldy and smelly.
I bought 2 of these on sale for 30-40 bucks..
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93312
As I dont take chances with my jobs I always have a backup on hand.
BTW..Always flush your new guns with a full pot of Acetone b4 use !
oh yea..one other thing..with a pressure pot you have 2 pressures..one is for the air at the tip..the other is for the pressure in the pot ( your not siphoning..your forcing the paint to the tip ..)
now you have 3 adjustments for how much paint/gel comes out..one at the gun ( the lower backside thumb screw on your gun ) and your main how much pressure you dial the pot up with. norm max is 50psi but you wont go there..your like 10-20 psi on the gage depending on reduction of your gel product . ( paint is like 8-12 ). the 3rd and comes in handy is just how far back you pull that trigger on the gun..
Lets say you come into a tight corner..or relief. Instead of re-adjusting your settings ..just dont pull that trigger all the way. you can do some fine spraying in spots with this technique.
your gonna wanna buy a small air valve that you connect at the base of your "red" or "air" line at the gun ( to quickly adjust air flow for the tip
when you clean your gun turn your air OFF at this valve ( making a solid pee stream of cleaner ( Acetone ) from the tip of your gun. Dont spray your acetone out..let it flush your hose independantly.
Buy it..play with it..know this gun..and you ( i guarantee ) like it.
Ive sprayed a condo with latex paint with this little jewel
YD.
There are several gelcoat additives that, when used properly, make matching a repair easier. These are clear, low-viscosity resins which are not air inhibited. These products are mixed with the pigmented gelcoat in place of a wax solution to provide a tack-free cured surface. They also provide the added benefit of thinning the gelcoat without changing the color of the cured patch the way acetone or styrene can. A few such products are Duratec Hi Gloss Clear product number 904-001; Fast Patch by American Colors; and Cook Paint and Varnish Company's number 970-X-900 Speed Patch Additive.
