Peel ply!!

**tunnels** · 09-24-2016, 09:09 PM

How many people have used peel ply ??
and if you have used what did you think??
Any advantage and saved time ??
or a pain and not worth the hassle ?

I got introduced to peel ply years ago, about 1980 ! it took some sorting to under stand what it was for and how to use it , the more I used it the more uses i found .it can save hours of sanding ,it can protect finished surfaces during the building process and keep everything 100% spotlessly clean right to the end of a job when painting is the last thing to be done.! Just rip it off days latter or even months latter and the surface underneath I ready to paint.

While building racing yacht's peel ply covered completely the inside of the hull as in every where. when the deck had been dry fitted and ready to be glued then was a peel and paint! next day deck was fitted and glued!

in general laminating we used it over the top of the 2 final layers of glass all at the same time! complete panels all rolled out in one go! Its twice as easy to see air bubbles , the surface is smooth like a pool table without blemishes ,roller marks , humps or lumps and absolutely perfect all over totally. PLUS it takes out surplus resin and wet patch's !! If you are careful and with practice its possible to get a glass to resin ratio the very close to that of resin infusion . We have had professionals ask how do you get it so perfect?? Just say nothing and smile .

http://www.associatedindustriesinc.c...%20BONDING.pdf

this is rather interesting to read !!

I almost forgot to mention doing repairs and using peel ply as the finishing layer !
Have done some quite sizable repairs ,and finished off with a couple of layers of csm then peel ply over the top! if you make it wet and shiny its really easy to see hollows or bumps and its possible to roll the csm and move the glass about to fill low places and get almost the perfect finish and very little filling required after the peel ply is taken off

Done with thought and care saves grinding and all the dust! saves time and materials

**FUJIMO** · 09-25-2016, 11:44 AM

Times two. Peelply is simply part of the mandatory process needed to build a proper lightweight & strong boat...as all boats, in my opinion, should be built.

**W2F a V-King** · 09-25-2016, 03:09 PM

Getting ready ( next month or so ) to do the glass work in the hull of my V-King.

So the peel ply process looks easy enough, and if I understand correctly....It pulls the waxy curing residue off the laminate and leaves it ready for another coat of epoxy, or if done, primmer and then paint?

I like the idea of getting the resin to glass ratio correct. More is not needed, and less.... well...

Also is peel ply just 100% polyester cloth?

Thank you.

James

**tunnels** · 09-25-2016, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

Times two. Peelply is simply part of the mandatory process needed to build a proper lightweight & strong boat...as all boats, in my opinion, should be built.

here here !!!and the quality is much much better all the time !

**powerabout** · 09-25-2016, 06:55 PM

Why not bag it and do the complete job?

**tunnels** · 09-26-2016, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by powerabout

Why not bag it and do the complete job?

using just peel ply and roller out properly done with a professional crew its perfect .And easier and cheaper less waste materials never been one for bagging it can be done much easier and better looking just with peel ply ! so why not save time and materials and just peel ply it? .

Before any job was started all materials were measured and calculated to the last gram of the resin to be used ,used digital scales under the the resin barrel, scales under the catalyst as well so there was no "shell be right that's close enough" in a temperature and humidity controlled environment as a piece of cake!. once you learn to work to Survey specs and accept them as bottom line and exceed there minimum requirement's it all becomes second nature for everyone on our crew to work that way all the time on everything we made. We started off bagging everything but found it was to slow and wasteful so short cut the system and speeded everything up no end !

**rjdubiel** · 09-26-2016, 08:58 AM

I used it and will from now on with epoxy. Once all the core was bagged and done in the vking I had to cover the core with glass. One side I did one layer of glass then washed the blush off, grind, and its ready for more glass. The other side I glass over the core just as the side just done, then covered with peal ply. the next day you pull off the peal ply and boom, ready to glass again! I always used it when bagging the core, it is one of the layers they say to use to be able to remove the breather. But now over everything I do now gets it! No more washing off amine blush off with water and drying with towels and grinding to get ready for another layer!

**Deznuts3570** · 09-26-2016, 09:46 AM

Im interested in learning about this peel ply method some more. Anybody have a link or reference where i can learn more about it? Do you wet you panel out then apply?

**XstreamVking** · 09-26-2016, 10:05 AM

Watch a vaccume bagging vid or an infusion build. They use the peel ply to separate the glass from the bagging materials. It is good for lots of applications. Has a test has been done using a fresh ground surface vs peel ply surface showing one superior upon re-coat?

**skeeter91** · 09-26-2016, 10:05 AM

X2,very interested to learn more about this,as i have a major restoration project in the works!

**rjdubiel** · 09-26-2016, 10:23 AM

just lay it over the wet glass and you can still work out air and extra resin

you can see the difference in the part that did not have peel ply. The left side still needs to be washed to remove the blush and sanded before another layer. The right side with it is dull and ready for more material, this is what it looks like once you pull the peel ply up off the surface after the epoxy is cured.

**W2F a V-King** · 09-26-2016, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by rjdubiel

just lay it over the wet glass and you can still work out air and extra resin

you can see the difference in the part that did not have peel ply. The left side still needs to be washed to remove the blush and sanded before another layer. The right side with it is dull and ready for more material, this is what it looks like once you pull the peel ply up off the surface after the epoxy is cured.

Very Nice!! And exactly what I was wondering !! Here's a beer for you !!

I am hoping to get to this stage in the next month or so...funds slowing me down...

Thank you!!

James

**tunnels** · 09-26-2016, 03:31 PM

Like everything you have to look at what you are going to achieve at the end result !I have always used to get that really nice finish it easy to get when used with three layers of wet glass and a the peel ply wet out also then rolled with a wide hard roller to compress the glass and bring the resin up through the surface ! done with a keen eye its like a sheet of glass! that showcase finish can be had and its only the cost of the lpy material and your time to get it !!

**powerabout** · 09-26-2016, 07:06 PM

I think bagging comes into its own when you have a core under your glass.

**tunnels** · 09-27-2016, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by powerabout

I think bagging comes into its own when you have a core under your glass.

Bagging any core is essential and necessary !!! there's a big BUT as to the amount of vacuum that's actually needed to do what you wanting!
just to hold the core firmly in place??
or
suck it to death ??.Strange things happen to air pockets trapped under cores specially when using core bond and the like ! believe me !!