As the 2Kw heater dried the PVA pretty quickly, I put the gelcoat on tonight
Originally made up 200ml of gelcoat with about 5ml of hardener
Slapped it on with a brush, but it only covered 1/2 the buck
Made up another 200ml and that did the trick.
Rolled over the whole lot several times using one of the metal rollers from CFS...
Gelcoat for the mould
Comments welcome - has got a very stippled surface...
[Edited on 14/1/06 by stevebubs]
I take it you rolled wetted out matt and not the gel coat?.....don't say you rolled the gel coat please...
um....gelcoat...is that a numpty moment that fecks everything up?
If you get the gel coat too thin it might wrinkle and distort, you end up with a wrinkled mould then.
Come on tell me you never rolled the gel coat while it was still wet?....
(Ahem)....take a look....
[img][/img]
I should add that the gelcoat is still pretty thick - only rolled it out to spread it more evenly.... 400ml of gelcoat on 22in x 22in....
Let it dry till you can make finger prints in it but not move it about...ie tacky but not...then gel it again
When ready lay up one layer of matt and let it go off...rub it down with course paper then add a couple more layers..let it go off and blah de
blah....don't go banging loadsa layers down in one go as it will get too hot and distort.
Take your time and the more layers the stronger the mould will be....add some wood to hold it in shape as well...this will let you sit it on a bench
as well without rolling about.
OK...Was Going to do the glassing with it sat on some plywood on the floor...
It's about 12 degrees in the garage with the heater on....how long do you reckon for the Gelcoat to go off....presumably be tomorrow now?
Ideally the surface of the gel wants to be ripple free so the matt is easier to get down without air pockets....add a layer the roller it to get the
air out..
Easier said than done till you get the gist of things.
How course a paper? 40grit?
quote:
Originally posted by Triton
Ideally the surface of the gel wants to be ripple free so the matt is easier to get down without air pockets....add a layer the roller it to get the air out..
Easier said than done till you get the gist of things.
Make a box around the mould then aim the heater at it...not too close though.
All depends on how much squirt you used in the gelcoat as well...has it gone off in the bucket?
dont try and spread the gelcoat too thin, a slightly thicker layer should be less prone to rippling. you should be able to see when it gets too thin as it will star to bead into lumps and not be even if that happens just add a little more till it turns into a uniform layer.
Gel coating is nowt like painting...hardest part to get your head round i found because you are so tempted to brush it out when you shouldn't.
Thick even coat keeping brush fully loaded, avoiding ripples.
If you are unsure let it dry then pull it off and start again, better to waste a bit of gel than find out the mould is knackered
quote:
Originally posted by Triton
Make a box around the mould then aim the heater at it...not too close though.
All depends on how much squirt you used in the gelcoat as well...has it gone off in the bucket?
Fibreglass is satisfying but at times sole destroying when a mould you have taken ages to make and spent a fortune on materials sticks or chips when
you take it off the plug...
Same goes for the parts you make fromthe mould...you don't know the surface is ok till you have made it and popped it from the
mould...........avoid yellow as that's a complete tart!
Best to let the stuff go off inthe bucket then it breaks out easy
Yeah sorry squirt = hardner= catalyst..which also works at different rates depending on what make it is. Some take ages others kick quickly.
Ahem...
Big Hole For Dellortos
quote:
Originally posted by Triton
Yeah sorry squirt = hardner= catalyst..which also works at different rates depending on what make it is. Some take ages others kick quickly.
CFS are good blokes mate, i use them for all my stuff now i only live round the corner from them.
Trick is to buy the top quality resin, gel coat and matt etc.....cheap resin is hard to use as you can never judge when it will suddnely go pop on you
The squirt that cfs supply seems to be slow then all of a sudden it kicks....SG10 is good stuff but kicks quick so you have to work a little quicker
Hi Steve,
Just to clarify - don't use the roller on the gel.
Just a paint brush and spread it thick - it will settle itself and smooth out.
When the gels tacky (about a day later), cover it in resin, put a sheet of mat on and dab with another brush continually dipping the brush in more
resin.
Then put a another sheet of mat on, dab again with a brush and more resin.
Then you can use your metal roller to squeeze out all the air between the gel and the 1st piece of mat and between both sets of mat. But don't
press too hard or you'll just drag the fibres around.
Leave it a day and then do the same again with another two layers of mat.
Leave it another day - then crack the buck off the mould.
Anything to add/correct Mr Triton to my interpretation???
Pat...
Oh, and do all your gel and resin in the bottom of plastic milk cartons (cut in half of course).
You can inspect them a bit later to see if what's left has gone off and just chuck them away after use.
Pat...
[Edited on 14/1/06 by Avoneer]
Moulds are best left for weeks rather than days before cracking them...gel can take a day or just a few hours to go off before you can start with the matt....depends on the squirt added.
Buy the buckets from cfs they are as cheap as chips and last ages if you crack the old stuff out....same goes for brushes if you look after them.
Apart from that - how did I do???
Pat...
Ok matey....suggest you get one of those vapour masks from CFS..(£12+vat).awesome as you can't smell the resin etc which after 8+hrs can give you a really mad headache....
And wee off the wife if you're garage is under your house and the smell drifts through the house for a couple of days!
Pat...
Be carefull with the catalyst as well as it has been known for it to go up in flames all on it's own....if you spill it make sure you mop it up
with wet rag and throw the rag in a bucket of water.
I bet your wife loves you then Pat, glassing under the house....
OK...So my method ss spot on with the vital exception of rolling out the gelcoat... 
Got to order some more on Monday to finish the job now.....
3 Layers of matting now applied (1 x 300gsm, 2 x 600gsm). Here it is after the 2nd layer...
2nd Layer of Matting
And a close-up...
Close-up of 2nd layer
I'm hoping this is probably enough glassing? By my logic, the 3 layers I've applied are the equivalent of 5 x 300gsm layers....
[Edited on 17/1/06 by stevebubs]
We wait with baited breath
Shug.