Spray gun

[powerabout]

I agree once you pressure pot you will never go back

[tunnels]

I agree once you pressure pot you will never go back

I have lost count of all the pots I have made over the years and a very high percentage were made completely from what everyone classed as junk in boxes in the store room .The rough treatment of Guns was something that almost bought tears to my eyes in one company I became factory manager of . Some of the best of Binks spray guns with threads stripped and places where spanner fitted all rounded from using the wrong size tools ! and the hang up on top broken off by some pissed person throwing the gun against a concrete wall .
Any one don't care who if they were to do such a thing in my workshop are sent packing instantly No arguments and just a few words spoken and they will never be taken back ever . Bad tempered people I do not like ,regardless of how clever they think they are ,or what rank they have even if its the bosses son, hes gone !

[home made tunnel]

I've had good experiences with the el-cheapo spray guns from HarborFreight. I sprayed all my high build primers and Gel coat with both of these cheap guns, and both came out pretty good. Obviously you won't get the Gel to come out silky smooth without the duratec additive to thin it out - but I had good results.

Here is the HVLP gun I use: http://www.harborfreight.com/air-too...gun-67181.html
Here is the Pot gun: http://www.harborfreight.com/air-too...gun-97855.html

[RobF]

I Know we are "on the subject" but i dont think a pressure pot is a good choice for a guy who wants to spray a car hood, especially if he isnt familiar with it. He will likely waste over a quart of paint dialing it in, getting used to it, and whats left at the bottom that it doesnt draw through the pickup
even for me i waste a good deal of paint whe i use it but its necessary sometimes on larger jobs

try the astro 2.0 and i bet you anything it out performs that 2.5

i should have went with my gut- using HVLP for heavir primers and gelcoat is no good, you just dont get a good amount of material on the surface. Try spraying 2 quarts or more of gel with a gun thats slow and you end up with the material gelling before you can finish

[tunnels]

I've had good experiences with the el-cheapo spray guns from HarborFreight. I sprayed all my high build primers and Gel coat with both of these cheap guns, and both came out pretty good. Obviously you won't get the Gel to come out silky smooth without the duratec additive to thin it out - but I had good results.

Here is the HVLP gun I use: http://www.harborfreight.com/air-too...gun-67181.html
Here is the Pot gun: http://www.harborfreight.com/air-too...gun-97855.html

Spraying gel coat and having to mix thinners is not good as its diluting the gel coat and that means it out of the specifications that the manufacture made to be so there is no guarantee!! Everything you mix changes the gel coat and so it ability to withstand years of service is shortened .And if you want silky smooth surface why not use A GOOD 2 POT PAINT ?.

[home made tunnel]

Spraying gel coat and having to mix thinners is not good as its diluting the gel coat and that means it out of the specifications that the manufacture made to be so there is no guarantee!! Everything you mix changes the gel coat and so it ability to withstand years of service is shortened .And if you want silky smooth surface USE PAINT .
A thumb nail is your depth gauge ?? ! just shows what kind of workmanship you are likely to expect because it sure isn't very professional !

Ha Ha - No, my thumbnail wasn't a depth gauge. That pic was from a while back while working on my tunnel hull. It was just showing how it had hardened within a day with the final layer having the wax additive.

For the original poster's question, for a one time use on an automotive hood, an HVLP cheapo gun would work just fine. That was the point we were sharing.
Not everyone is building multi-million dollar yachts around here haha.

[RobF]

. It was just showing how it had hardened within a day with the final layer having the wax additive.

it will harden within hours, if it isnt cured by the next day something went wrong

tunnels- little harsh on the guy no? take it easy a little

[tunnels]

Sorry !!!!

If the correct catalyst type and ratio is used , GOING hard should never be any problem . Its always best to up the ratio a little the more things that get added to the gel coat such as wax and thinners etc , Me I like to use thinners that mostly evaporate out and not dilute ! There is a big difference !
Lots of sanding to be done ?

[LongShot]

The one I quoted sprays gel very well,really lays out the material.Here is a pic of some gel before sand and buff.Attachment 349412

Doesn't look like gel! How did you get it to lay down that slick? Additives?

[1BadAction]

i should have went with my gut- using HVLP for heavir primers and gelcoat is no good, you just dont get a good amount of material on the surface. Try spraying 2 quarts or more of gel with a gun thats slow and you end up with the material gelling before you can finish

Got that right, tip size matters but the passages also matter, and a HVLP just can't blast the gel like a regular old gun. I have a 3.5MM tip Iwata "High Efficiency" gravity feed, and it's about the best I've found outside of the old school big siphon feeds or pressure pots. $90 jobber price isn't bad either.

[outasite]

Doesn't look like gel! How did you get it to lay down that slick? Additives?

Yes Dave,there is some Duratec in there.Im in the second year now,so far so good.The top deck was popped out of the mold,the hull was done by spraying with the Duratec,witch is clear,and diluted the gel somewhat.But after it dried I cannot see any difference in color,compared to the straight gel on the deck.

[LongShot]

I have an XR2002 and an XB2002 Allison that at some point i want to re-gelcoat the entire boat. I had some areas on the XR2002 repaired but the shades of white are not even close. If you are familiar with the Allison's they used a textured surface in large areas of the deck. I want to do one and remove all the texture and make it slick. From the sound of it maybe a small pot type outfit when I get to that point. Your hull looks like it would take minimal sanding. Very, very nice. Did you use waxed gel or pva?

[XstreamVking]

Did you follow instructions, or have a secret formula? I have never had good luck with the duratec.......

[outasite]

Dave, no wax in the gel,and no pva.Followed the duratec directions to the letter.There are a couple things that i think helped.I premeasured a bunch of gel with the activator cup right beside the container,and mixed just before going into the gun.I flushed the gun every third load.I put material on heavy,and fast and used a good light to see where I was spraying.Lastly and maybe most important,I kept the temperature at or just below what was allowed for the mix.And did three coats,four on the last six feet---Maybe I just got lucky, and the stars aligned dunno.I have read of guys having trouble with DT but that was not my experience.Some say not to use it where there will be water contact.My boat never sits long in the water and so far has not been an issue.

[LongShot]

Outasite it came out real nice. Should have my spray guns tomorrow. I will try one out with some high build primer on my hoods. I had a shorty hood on it, it came back to blower drive pulley, that got damaged due to my stupidity and since then bought a full hood where the blower sticks up through a cut out. I have the shorty ready for primer. Need to long board the full hood and prime it. I have to put some bracing in after I cut the hole out for the blower.