Gel coat too thin?


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Vips
Vips
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Hi guys,

I had my first attempt at mould making recently on a door handle surround. It may not have been the best initial mould to make but at the same time it didn't look too complex. The one problem I did seem to have was the gel coat appeared to be too thin. It ran off the sharp edges and left a very very thin layer around these bits. I mixed up the gel coat accordingly but it seemed as though it simply ran off the waxed part. I will post pictures shortly. Perhaps I was supposed to fully submerge the part within the plasticine boundary?

Cheers in advance!

Vips
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Matt (Staff)
Matt (Staff)
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Hi Vips,

Thanks for your post. That gelcoat does seem to have gone on suprisingly thinly - the tooling gelcoat is like cake mixture normally! - What temperature are you working at, my only guess is that you're at a much higher ambient temperature than 20C (which is the temp we usually work in).

Certainly, looking at where you are now I would be planning on multiple layers of gelcoat, particularly in the areas where it seems to have run away down to almost nothing. Remember to add your subsequent layers of gelcoat whilst the previous one is firmed up but still tacky - if you are working at a higher ambient than 20C then this window will be shorter than it normally would.

I hope this helps. Multiple gel applications are certainly called for, particularly on those thin looking areas.

Best regards, Matt

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales
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