Gel paste and coloring

[Euroski]

I have a few minor chips to repair on my bottom. I have evercoat gel paste which is a neutral color and the can states to use color agent(white my hull) to tint. Is it possible just to use some white gel coat and mix in with the paste?

TIA

[XstreamVking]

Should work fine with some white gell added. Fill a little low first. Then use just the white gell to cover the thick stuff. After curing overnite you can sand with increasing grit paper and polish out.

[Brabender]

Throw that away and call Peter for some Gel coat.
Those repair kits sit on the shelf for a long time
at the store, Some is good, Most is old
Will be tough to get a good color match
as it changes when it dries, if it completely dries
many times you will wind up w a tacky or gooey mess.

[JUPITER PULSARE]

The neutral colored gel paste works great. The pigment is cheap. Just mix a few drops of the white pigment with the paste and catylist and stir. You can pick up the pigment at any West Marine Store or Boat Owners Warehouse.

[RobF]

mixing white gel in that neutral gel paste is ok, im sure Peter used standard 005 Cooks white, which if used today would not match anyhow

[Euroski]

Been thinking, which is dangerous at times. Could I use westsystems epoxy and just tint it. Will the end result be the same without the worried of gel drying?

[Brabender]

mixing white gel in that neutral gel paste is ok, im sure Peter used standard 005 Cooks white, which if used today would not match anyhow

True Rob, But isnt it easier to start w a color that is closer and add some tint
from there

[RobF]

when you tint neutral pastes its more of a "gets the job done" approach then a perfect outcome

those sharp edges on that boat can be considered a maintenance issue so it will come down to how much effort you want to put into it

[Euroski]

when you tint neutral pastes its more of a "gets the job done" approach then a perfect outcome

those sharp edges on that boat can be considered a maintenance issue so it will come down to how much effort you want to put into it


I mixed some up today and added the white color. Looked good until it cured and then turned faint greenish color. Same after sanding it. Should I have added more color?


While I was doing that I mixed up some epoxy and added a dab of white color agent... looks a lot better and left to cure on a plate. Will see what that looks like Monday. Is it a no-no to add color to epoxy?


Yes I know it ain't going to be a perfect color match, but it's better than doing nothing for the chips/scratches.

[BottomsUp]

blading in the paste and then a runny mix with a lot of color on top. Wet sand and buff

[RobF]

if it looked "green" you might have over-cured it, it essentially cooks itself to a darker color

Some gelcoats, especially Cooks gelcoats, turn slightly darker once you add the MEKP, I had Cooks here to show them this and they came with 6 different MEKPs and we even measured the gels on a scale, finally after talking to the lab the rep admitted this.

This is why I say if you have a boat made with Cooks from like 7 years ago the same gel made today will not match it, nevermind the gel fading and weathering over the years. You will see this more with very small repairs then larger ones because the larger ones will have more area to blend themselves in versus a small bullseye

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

All white touch up's done at Skater are done in Imron 555-U and have been for many years .

[RobF]

straight 555 does not match a 15 year old skater

if you were spraying the whole bottom it would not matter, new from the factory I guess you could get away with straight white out of the can 555

[JUPITER PULSARE]

when you tint neutral pastes its more of a "gets the job done" approach then a perfect outcome

those sharp edges on that boat can be considered a maintenance issue so it will come down to how much effort you want to put into it

The neutral paste works outstanding with black gelcoat pigment..:thumbsup:

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

EUROSKI , i just did some small touch up's on a 24 nic's chips ,small gouge's and used Jell that i had from Skater and to tell you the truth it was not dead nuts on but looked pretty dam good for an old boat and the owner was very happy Besides the fish dont care ,because it all depends on the owner and how much time he wants to spend on doing the work himself and like i stated in another post Skater uses 555-U imron for all touch up's on all new and most older boats depending on were the touch up is needed and if it was for a bottom there would be no question about it .