Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

Brush applied GC50 gel coat

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic5955.aspx

By Exocet - 4/30/2013 9:50:39 PM

Hi, I have used you GC50 clear gel coat on a couple of different projects

1. to make a flat carbon fibre panel, using a glass sheet
2. carbon fibre dash board, using a contiboard and plastic home made mould

for both I used Easy-lease release agent. 

My problem is when I brush out the gelcoat I seem to get thin streaks in the gelcoat where the gel doesn't want to flow?

Any idea what I'm doing wrong please.

thanks  
By Jess8bit - 6/28/2013 12:57:42 PM

Ok here's the result of my last test :

- the rigt side with the brush (and the fish eyes) :

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/d5091aac-b79e-4858-ad14-f9e1.jpg


You can see, the fish eyes is visible unfortunately, as the resin and the gel coat are not equally clear (gel coat seems much misty, milky than the clear resin) I guess I cannot correct this at polishing step ?
You can also obsere the visible result of the tracks made by the brush.

- the left side, with roller :

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/72fb027b-3c8b-4fea-94b7-f4f7.jpg


the carbon has a lumpy look, because of the many medium spots left by the roller. Too bad, the 2/2 twill is not that nice, deformed like this.
As matter of fact, if you put aside the fish eyes and "track effect", the brush gives a better result, regarding the carbon look.

note : the fish-eyeing could have been provoked by the chem. release agent : I wipe one layer before gel coat, an d mybe did not wait enough time in between.

Well, so, guess I have to come back to the spray gun way. I'll probably try the brush + roller trick to smoothen the tracks though.