Gel Coat Prep

I may be able to help a little...for what it's worth, in my experience/opinion:

1. I used polyester gelcote (thinned with Styrene) from US Composites. My goal was 22 mils. I ended up applying about five coats. The first four coats I applied as much gel as possible before it would start to run. The last coat was a very thin application with surfacing wax to get as smooth as possible finish.

2. I don't know of a window of time after applying gel until sanding. It can be done as soon as it cures. I would give it over night.

3. For the initial buffing I used a 3M buffing compound I bought at NAPA. Can't remember what it was called. The final buffing I recommend using 3M Finesse it III. This stuff will give you a brilliant shine at about 4k RPM.   

4. I made some mistakes on my project and I became impatient toward the end. In some cases where I had significant orange peel, I dove right in with 250 grit. BIG MISTAKE in retrospect. Use only wet. Start with 400. Use trace. Go to 600 and 800. Do not move onto 1000 until all the visible scratches are gone. Use 1000 and then 2000. I used some wet sanding foam pads for orbital sanders as a final sanding at 2000grit.

5. The polyester gelcote uses MEKP or similar initials for very dangerous chemical that makes gelcote cure. It was included with the gelcote.

6. I have tried to forget how much I spent on gelcote because it hurts when I remember. I am pretty sure you are going to need more than 5 gallons. It depends on how many coats, how much you thin, and how much is lost to overspray or sanding.

You may want to talk to the smart guy at US Composites and he can help with estimates and other technical questions. They helped me out a great deal.

Don't know if you looked already, but this site (journal of my 1987 SN rebuild) may help.

Merry Christmas.

Im curious to what the average per gallon everyone pays for a gallon of Poly or epoxy?

The epoxy I used to do some small floor repair work is $125 for a qt. kit
(Hysol EA 9394) hi temp avition grade - way over kill. I thought keep it for ever & I'd be burried in it. Funny how things change.

Bill,

I looked at your site and I saw that. Great information on there. I'm not taking the mustang all the way down. The 5 gal. might just work for us?

We're almost ready to gel. Few more weeks estimate. We want to flip the stang upside down. And I am sure that will be interesting. I'm either going to have to drink a few beers first or not be there during the flip over.

Thanks for all of the info. Was that the first time you've ever used gel coat? What did you like/dislike about using it?

As for matching the yuckytan yellow. Originally, I was going to cut a small piece and send to minicraft. I talked to them in detail and asked them how they matched it. They basically use the same procedure as automotive and/or Sherwin Williams.

That said, Dave's buddy is coming over with his specialty camera to take a picture. He's going to match the gel in automotive paint and paint a piece for us to send to where we purchase the gel. It surprised me to learn that this camera even picks up "gloss". I'm anxious to see what his paint match looks like.

FYI, with polyester, you can buy locally under the brand name Bondo by the gallon at your local parts store, retail its 36.00 per gallon, and its very high quality....and you know me (Gentiles dont pay retail) so i have it down to 26.95 a gallon because autobone price matches. I was buying out of Florida but the 5 gallon pale was 105.00 to ship

BRAND name, Bondo   again its a Brand name, or in these terms Gucci, not a purse but a brand name
lol

eric lavine wrote: BRAND name, Bondo   again its a Brand name, or in these terms Gucci, not a purse but a brand name lol

Moj, Tim, Pete...will you hold my purse while I slap Eric around a little bit?

I will agree to disagree regarding the poly I am using and the reasons I decided to use it.

San, im not shooting from the hip here, I find out of probably 10 different brands of poly the Bondo brand appears to be the best, I havnt had an air bubble in it yet which is good and that comes from mixing many many gallons of the stuff,
also the camera is called a color eye and they are about 1800.00

Bill,

What did you like/dislike about the gel?

Did you notice a huge difference finish-wise where you brushed the gel on versus sprayed?

Michelle

sanity wrote: eric lavine wrote: dont sick the wolfpack on me lol I think you do that on your own

This is almost good enough to print and hang on the wall!   

Sanity,
Guess Im just catching up on your project.   I didnt realize your Mustang was originally Yucatan Yellow...you lucky dog, you!!

I have a 66 "cuda SS that I want to do in the same color, with a white deck.. A lot of guys thought I was off my rocker when I first talked of this combo. I think its one of those colors thats ugly ,but its "60's" cool!

This pic in the liturature has always flipped me out...

Ive been searching a long time for the original formula. Let me know how your sample turns out!

Michelle,
I think Taco Metals has a rail thats pretty close to the original size.

The page I linked to is their aluminimn selection...They also have Stainless rail.

The boat is looking good!

sanity wrote: Thanks for the link, Steve. I will check it out. I do have the original. I'll strip some of the red paint off of it and see what it looks like. I don't know if it will shine up or not. It looks pretty knicked up. Might be more beneficial and look much nicer to get new.

Before you buy new, you might want to try and repair yours. The rail on my 64 was pretty beat up also. Lots of scratches and a couple of deep gouges. I wet sanded it with 400 grit, then used a metal polish to buff it out. A VERY dirty job, but the results were well worth it! I sanded the gouges out..there is still a small "divot" area where they were...but nobody ever notices them.

Hard to see in this pic...but it shines like new.

I use Nevr-Dull wadding polish. I also dampen that with a little crome/metal polish, like Turtle Waxs, to keep it moist.

Great thing about aluminimn is its pretty easy to polish... Be warned tho.. good idea to wear gloves it will make your hands black.

Unbelievable, Reggie Fountain bought out Baja boats and is pulling out the composites and going back to wood, he builds some wave slammers...if anybody understands boat structure this guy does,
i was told this by a race boat friend, I need to find the article on his reasonings...i really dont think the reason is to build them cheaper