If your parts are ever going to see direct sun light your going to have to use a UV protective clear coat anyway. So you might as well use PVA and spray this gelcoat product on. It will lay down better without the fish eye problems. The PVA will only marr the surface a bit which will disappear when you prepare for clearcoat. There is only one way to get a show car finish and that is with wet sanding (block sanding flat the clearcoat) and then compounding to perfection. I tried spraying automotive clearcoat into my mold that had a chemlease release agent applied. I got the worst fish eye from hell you can imagine. I worry that some of these chemical release agents have silicone transfer onto the part. So I will see if the PVA will give me the barrier I need and the marring will be sanded out anyway. Thats my 2 cents worth.

Fred   

 [quote]Carbon Tuner (27/06/2012)

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Here it is boys, something I like to think as the last step in getting a perfect part!

After stepping into the clearcoating/painting business I can tell you, with or without a paint both it is a total PITA. I cant stand clear coating a part after de moulding, then the clearcoat gets wavy or a bug in it. then i san and polish, still not perfect.

I'm starting to learn this real fast; the key to a perfect part, is taking a mould from a perfect part and polishing it there. I plan to make some really perfect molds, then try this.

 



 

The site says you can brush it on, we for my size parts that would be really connivent. Now matter what the surface of the part will be perfect but if your paint strokes on the back are to thick you may see your weave get a little wobbly.

When making parts smaller than ".5 meter" I think my cup gun is a bit much? think an air brush system would work?

Go read the info on GC50... If this is not UV protection why the heck am I even wasting my time with it???? why would I put this on then inject the part then take it out of the mold and clear coat it anyhow? Makes no sense...



If Brute Force Isn''''t working your not using enough...

GC50 is a UV protective layer. It's been well tested in this capacity and works as well as a clear coat. It's also very polishable and, even if you do want to 'detail' it afterwards then it's a good material to wet-flat and polish and it's a tougher surface than a clear-coat.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Carbon Tuner..... I think the 0.8mm nozzle  on your gun maybe a little small for spraying a gelcoat, Could you not get a larger nozzle? say a 1.4mm? I know they are available my Devillbiss SRI has this size nozzle.

A typical nozzle size for gelcoat is around 4-6mm so anything that's a fraction of a mm will be a struggle. As for thinning the gelcoat out, acetone is a no-no as this will certainly damage the gelcoat. Styrene monomer would thin the gel without damaging it but really from a health-and-safety point of view, cranking up the styrene and then atomising it through a gun is a pretty scary idea. I'm not a health and safety nut but I would personally not fancy this without a full air-fed mask.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

You can add styrene up to about 7 % of the resin/gel but you'll find that at that ratio it might start to affect the resin/gel (causing it to become more brittle when cured) so try to add as little as you can get away with.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Hi Carbon Tuner, answers to your questions:

#1. do I have to order these cups for the gun from you? Not that I dont love easy composites but I dont want to import paper cups from another country if I dont have to

No, get them from wherever you can. I think they come from the 'States in the first place. We make pennies on those cups so it doesn't matter to us where you get them from! - They're basically cups for french fries I think.

#2. Can this gelcoat be sanded to smooth out, same process 500, 1000, 1200, polish???

You'd have to experiement with this. The concern would be that it would need to fully cure in order to sand properly and if it does fully cure that it won't bond properly so although there might be something in it, it also might not work.

#3. How do I give the piece I made its final glaze? Should I just hit it with a light cut compund, or start with full cut and work all three steps back?

Should just be a light cutting compound. The gel polishes really well.

--Matt

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Great, thanks for all the input!

Then My next step is getting this cup gun and mastering a good spray technique.

I'll most likley get online tommorow and order it. Glad I dont have to waste package space for the cups! Now I can get the gun and some easylease and I should be good to go!!

 

I plan on polishing that part I made with the GC50 tommorow or the next day, looks glossy already so a final light buff sould be perfect.

 

 

And Marc, the problem with touchup guns is the nozzle sizes. Thier just not designed for epoxy period. the stuff needs to be layed waaay faster than a touch-up gun.

 

Also the touchup guns arent designed for having resin in them and get clogged pretty easily and are a total PITA to clean. I even had to throw out the screen in the gun as it was clogged. I know how ya feel, I got small parts/molds too but to but a smaller gun wont help much. Just get the cup gun from easy composites and I am sure it can be cleaned and used much easier regarless if its the only thing that works right. I'll let ya know once I get it.



If Brute Force Isn''''t working your not using enough...

This could help you to see the correct handling of the gun and application technique of a gel. This is totally different to how you would normally spray...



Kev.