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Thread: Sanding gel coat fast? How?
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12-06-2021, 01:31 AM #16Member
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LakeFever, If your just looking to get rid of the flake, how about trying some Aluma Brite, the flake being so thin that it might just eat the flake away to the surface, i've used it to clean the scum line off boats before and doesn't eat the gel, rinse hard and wash with Dawn. I heard that back in the day builders used acid to take the exposed edge off of production hulls, not sure if true, never tried it, but muratic acid will eat the flake for sure. Of course this leads you to the secondary bond issue, you have to get it 100% clean. I've sand blasted hulls before to remove heavy marine slim/barnacles and the blaster/water combo worked good but didnt remove the gelcoat !00% but left alot of pin holes,not bad if your rolling multi coats of sealer and coats of bottom paint but I don't think you'll get the finish your looking for, I'd try the Aluma Brite, about $15 a gallon at any hardware store down here, worth a try, if that does what you want we can move to the next step of priming, I don't see what total gelcoat removal is going to accomplish, also, I wouldn't paint the inside of my hull while needing to spray primer, gel and flake on the outside,do one step at a time cause you will have flake and overspray everywhere, the inside should be the last thing gelled on a job like this, John
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12-06-2021, 11:44 PM #17
Disclaimer: I know nothing about sanding gel coat, but has anyone tried this tool?
https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-co...=google&wv=3.1
www.InjectorService.com
Call/Text - 204-326-0390
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12-07-2021, 06:41 AM #18
I bought some duratec high build primer. Going to rough the gel and spray this down see how it goes. Appreciate all the info gents
Hydrostream dreamin
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12-08-2021, 03:41 AM #19Member
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Lake, if I was doing this job i would fix any stress cracks, gouges, etc, I would then mix the primer or gelcoat with a little 3M micro spheres [bubbles] to just take the sag out of it, then i would spread it on hull and smooth it down with flexable putty knife, bondo spreader, etc, Let dry then hit it with 80 gt to block the shape back in, then spray the primer to a surface thats filled, shaped. Then you can start wet sanding in the 150 range to get the final blocking shape, respray a "color coat" and sand to 400 gr for gel spray, Remember, everybody has their own way, find what works best for you, but fiberglas, gelcoat work is all about the PREP, John
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12-08-2021, 04:00 AM #20Member
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Also, I would still use the acid to eat the exposed flake away, clean/wash down and then spread gelcoat/primer putty mix , John
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12-12-2021, 06:52 PM #21
I love Duratec high build primer. It lays down fairly nice and sands like butter and amazingly begins to shine even as it is still being wet sanded. But be careful just how thick you leave it. If it is left more than about 40 mils thick after sanding it can crack with age especially under a dark color finish coat. Awlgrip 545 grey primer is a tougher and harder primer but is also harder to sand.
1970 15' Allison/135 Chrysler stacker
RC Mod-VP Boats
IMPBA District 13
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LakeFever liked this post
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01-10-2022, 03:35 PM #22
How many stress cracks are there on top? Seems like you have already made up your mind for the bottom, that is going to take a very long time to do as you described, 1000 hours+ block sanding after CSM !!! Do you know what CSM looks like after the resin hardens !! LOL Doing it for the whole top and bottom I cannot even image, might as well prepare it for a plug to pull a mold off of if your gonna do it that way !!
Anyways I would use a 36 grit flap disc on a grinder to grind/sand the larger areas of spider cracking, a couple larger patches here and there is nothing like sanding the WHOLE boat...Those patches don't need to be smooth or look pretty, just try to keep the same lines, because that what the fiberglass (reinforcement), filler/fairer and duratec will be used for
Took me several hours to grind out spider cracks all over my hull with a Dremel+rotory ball burr style bit, then I just filled them with epoxy filler, and then duratec before gelcoat
The best trick I learned when dremeling/using the flap disc is that after you grind a little bit the whole section will be white with dust so you are essentially grinding blind...I used a wet rag to wipe it down even so often to I could actually see all the cracks I was missing. That might help you narrow down the areas to grind
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LakeFever liked this post
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01-10-2022, 03:45 PM #23
No I don't agree with that because you can grind the larger "flatter areas" pretty quickly because you can see how much material comes off in real time, without putting waves in the surface like a palm sander type might...you are STRIPPING the gel there is no really anyway to do with that won't require block sanding after THE WHOLE thing so might as well get the gelcoat of FAST with a 36grit grinder flap disc and use a palm sander, sandpaper by itself for the curves or high sections
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LakeFever liked this post
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