Carbon Fibre Gel Coat?

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Carbon Fibre Gel Coat?

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AdamHutchin	AdamHutchin posted 10 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 8, Visits: 53	Hi, I've been reading through the forum but can't find the specific answer I'm looking for so wondered if anyone could advise? I have some previous experience (although quite a long time ago now!) of working with pre-preg carbon and wet lay up glass but have yet to try wet lay up carbon. When I used pr- preg carbon, it was just laid straight into the mold and vac-bagged. When I used glass, I first coated the mold with a gel coat, allowed it to go tacky, then laid in the CSM. With wet lay up carbon, I'm unsure of the correct process here and there seem to be different answers around the internet. I know it's a bit of a noob question but I thought I'd post here as this is where I'll be ordering the materials from and there are often differences between manufacturers products to consider too. My aim is to produce a few cosmetically pleasing, lightweight, non-structural parts. I will be vac-bagging the parts and have the resources to cure at elevated temperatures. My question is, can I achieve my goal by applying a layer of epoxy to the mold and proceeding with the lay up or should I allow that coat to go tacky before proceeding? I have seen different recommendations from different sources. Alternatively do I need a separate gel coat? I intend to use EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin and "Easy-Lease" release agent, the mold contact surfaces are a mixture of mild steel and chrome. Thanks in advance.
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Hanaldo	Hanaldo posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 28K	Nothing needs fixing, that's how it works. The gelcoat gun doesn't have a needle to stop fluid flow, it's designed to have very little parts so it's quick and easy to clean, and all it needs to do is get the gelcoat out as quickly as possible, hence 'dump gun'. So while you've got the gelcoat loaded into the gun you need to keep the thing pointed in the air. Start spraying with it pointing up and then quickly come down onto your surface. If you don't use all your gelcoat, make sure you point it upright again before releasing the trigger. It's part of the reason I'm not a huge fan of the gelcoat gun. It works great and it certainly applies the gelcoat better than a brush does, but it makes a hell of a mess doing it. At 80psi, the overspray is utterly ridiculous, if you are doing it somewhere where you need to keep things clean make sure you mask off a good 3 metres around you. And I would advise wearing disposable shoes if possible, otherwise you step in the overspray on the ground and track it everywhere... Edited 10 Years Ago by Hanaldo
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