grumman41

I'm looking for a gel coat recommendation for my 71 Vette. My preference is for the PVA activation type (non wax). I also would like to know what type of gun, pressures and tip size.

My original plan was to take this car up to VPA and then have a shop gelcoat, prime and paint. I'm currently done with the hood (VPA) and feel like I need to gel coat- sand to see if my prep is good enough before doing the whole car.

Kevin

DUB

Kevin,
I get my gelcoat from a company in South Carolina where I can drive and get what I need. I know he can not ship it. I have asked before.

If you go back in the archives of posts in the paint and body section.,...you will find posts dealing with this issue and where I responded and what the person found.

OR...if you look at Evercoats gelcoat and any others...post what you find with all part numbers and I can ask the guy I know who really knows this stuff due to that is all he does is fiberglass fabrication.

Or maybe one of the members of the forum sees this and replies.

DUB

grumman41

DUB,
My finish color will be Brands hatch Green, will the gelcoat color really matter? Is there a preference you have?

Kevin

DUB

Kevin,
The color of the gelcoat does not matter when you are talking about exterior paint color...because you are going to be applying some primer and or sealer over the gelcoat.

I use black gelcoat myself due to being able to see what I am doing much easier than with a white or light gray gelcoat when applying ti and or prepping it. Lighter colored gelcoats... when sanded.... often times do not show up the dullness visually as fast as when you scuff black gelcoat or a dark gray. SO...the speed of getting ALL of the gelcoat scuffed is easily confirmed...or at least much easier than with white ...or light gray...where you have to move around and look for shiny spots.

**** BOLD PRINT is to show IMPORTANCE******
Keep this in mind.....ALL...and I mean ALL of the gelcoat that you scuff and get dull is where your next applied product will adhere. IF you leave shiny areas of gelcoat and NOT prep it...then DO NOT expect ANYTHING to stick to it for long. And this philosophy ( in my opinion) holds true to just about everything else that you applied or have applied. POOR prep is just that...and a person cannot expect a job to be on the highest standards when the simplest actions are not followed. I am NOT implying anything..I am just 'saying'.

DUB

grumman41

DUB,
Are you familiar with the Fibre Glast gelcoat products? I was looking at this product or Evercoats.

Kevin

TWINRAY

I got mine from Boaters Plus over the internet. I used 2 gallons per car and did about 5 coats each on my 67 and 69. Plus 5 bottles per car for the PVA Layer spray - I might have gotten by with 4 but I didn't want to run short. I used the Vapor guns from Northern Tool. The 2.3 tipped for the GC and the 1.4 for the PVA.

TWINRAY

Nasty stuff to shoot. And you need to throughly clean the gun after each coat. Just mix up enough for each coat causr it'll set up in the gun and you will be SOL.

TWINRAY

One BIG advantage of the EC GC is that the PVA layer washes right off with water, a bit of detergent and a sponge. No fuss, no muss. I cannot image how it would be to deal with sanding the wax layer off with the Eklers GC.

grumman41

Thanks for the info. What type of grit and wet or dry sanding for the gelcoat? Not really looking forward to the gelcoat process but I know its the correct way forward for me.

Kevin

TWINRAY

I'm covering it with Sandslick. They say #80 or finer - I used #180 blocked. Try to lay it on as smooth as you can cause you want to leave on as much as possible. I did 5 coats or so. Maybe 6 in my critical areas.

DUB

Kevin,

I assume you are asking to see what grit to have the body ready FOR gelcoat....if so...then I agree with TWINRAY....I like 180 grit.

**** A BIT OF PROFESSIONAL ADVICE*****

Try not to get yourself all worked up and already begin regretting the gelcoating process. And...as I may have written...shoot a test panel and see what goes on with it. When I am gelcoating...depending on the air temperatures at the time....I will add some acetone to the gelcoat BEFORE I activate it and get the acetone mixed into the gelcoat FIRST.....so it will thinned it a little bit.....so it lays down flatter. WHICH is why I mentioned TEST it first. YES...when I am doing this I am like a 'mad scientist' and being quite CAREFUL in how much acetone I am adding so I do not get it so thin that the gelcoat is useless ( due to being so thin).....MUCH LIKE when adding water to mortar/concrete mix.

SO...often times in HOT weather I often times add 1 ounce of acetone to a QUART of gelcoat mix and see what happens when I shoot it. If it doing what I want ...I leave it alone and apply that quart. IF not..i add a little bit more. Then if I need to mix more...I mix it the SAME way. Then...as TWIN RAY wrote...thoroughly wash out the gun with acetone and let the gelcoat flash. Then mix up your next batch and you can use the acetone that you used to wash out your gun to thin out this NEW batch (saves on fresh acetone)....and if you have a little of the previous mix of gelcoat sitting in a mixing bucket that you did not apply due to slightly overmixing....MIX up a fresh batch in another bucket and then thin it the same way as you did previously. THEN you can take the previous batch of left over gelcoat mix and add it to the new batch and stir well.

NOW...sometimes I will add a little bit more acetone to compensate for the thicker previous batch of gelcoat. I can NOT tell you how much....due to I do not know how much you are mixing at a time. But one thing I ALWAYS DO and that is ....if I begin using acetone to thin a mix...I DO NOT use less acetone in ANY of the mixes AFTER the first mix that has acetone in it. I always either keep it the same amount...or add a little bit more until I find that ;'sweet spot' where it is laying down well and the texture is very minimal...so sanding the gelcoat will go much easier.

AND...THAT is why I wrote to do a test panel. BECAUSE if your gelcoat has SERIOUS texture like the back of an alligator....you and ONLY you are to blame and when you cuss and scream on how hard it is to get the texture out of tight areas.

Adding ACETONE to the mix to thin it if needed DOES NOT effect or CHANGE the ratio of MEKP you add IF you were NOT adding acetone.

DUB

TWINRAY

I think Evercoat says no more than 10% acetone. That's what I used FWIW.

TWINRAY

Thickness of the GC. This is the door. I don't know why the photo is horizontal. It should be turned clockwise 90 degrees

DUB

So what I wrote falls in line with there MAX.

DUB