Spraying Gelcoat

moranatang

New Member
What is the best thinner for thinning gelcoat on i have been using acetone but i have heard about duratec. Can you purchase it in england ?
 
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Call them and ask them! They should have all the answers you need. Be prepared, it's not cheap
 
There are a few options that you have beside using the duratec. I have been woriking in the marine industry for about five years now. I don't really use the dura tec that much anymore. I tend to lean toward a product called Pacth Aid. It thins it enough to spray and I believe that it helps it to harden quicker. but still leaving you pleny of time to spray it. Just cut back on the MEKP a bit. Don't know were it would be avalible, we always got ours through a distributor. and if it is still too thick, cut it with acatone. Nothing wrong with that. Hope this helps
 
The problem with using copius amounts of Patch Aid is it can cure too quick if you're not careful and make the gelcoat brittle... which is why you cut back on the MEK.

I use acetone. It's never failed me.
 
True enough, but I works get for te small stuff. you can spray it and come back in about three hours and finish it out. But if you were spraying a whole hull, I would not use it, I should have metioned that. I sprayed the bottom of my laser and just used acetone. can out fine
 
Now... when you spray with acetone... do you end up with a very fine textured finish which has to be sanded down? I can't seem to avoid it. I mean, the wetsanding is no big deal but I would like to have it come out perfectly smooth or close to perfect if there is a way to do that...
 
I ALWAYS have to finish my work. But, there is hope. The better you spray, the less sanding you have to do, which means less chance to burn thourh the gelcoat that you just sprayed. If you don't mind dry sanding, which is what I choose to do, you can get a graphite powder that "dusts" all the highs. Get rid of the grapjite, you have a smooth surface. It will even mark all your 220 grit scratches.
 
Dry sanding with graphite paper? Do you find that leaves you with a smoother surface than wet sanding? I've only ever had expereince with regular dry sandpaper. I use that for taking the big stuff down then always finish wiht wet sanding up to 1000 grit. I've never used the graphite stuff... but you certinately have peaked my interest!!!
 
Well, I think that dry sanding leaves about the same as wet sanding. no better, no worse. I use 220, 400, 800, 1000. then I buff it so it comes out really smooth. By the way, it isn't graphite paper, it is just using a very fine graphite to mark the area. you can do the same by marking lines with a pencil over the hardened gelcoat. It just serves as a very good guide so you don't brun through.
 
Ha.... that makes much more sense... it also explains why I couldn't find graphite sandpaper at Home Dept...
 

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