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?

 



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

[[EDIT - DOUBLE ANSWERED! YOU ARE LUCKY!!]]

Spraying will certainly mean that you can put it on thinner than you will with a brush and, as with gelcoats of every kind, if you have a very slippy mould surface (like chemical release agent or wax) then if you try to apply the gel too thin with a brush then you will see the gel breaking out in fish-eyes. It's particularly important to avoid this with the GC50 because you CAN'T double-gel. If you try to repair a fish-eye with some more gel over the top (once the first layer has tacked off) then the second application won't bond to the first at all. The GC50 simply will not bond to itself, only epoxy will bond to it. 300g/sqm if applied by brush without fish-eying wouldbe very impressive. I think whenever we brush or roller apply polyester gelcoat (which the GC50 effectively is) then the least gel we can put down is more like 500g without fish-eying. By spray-gun you coudl be less than half that.

The clarity of the GC50 is very good and a thicker application by brush or roller won't cause any problems in terms of the clarity of the carbon; the only thing to watch out for, which has already been noted, it the 'ripples' that you can see in the carbon fabric if you have too much texture in the surface of the gel. You won't ever see this if you just 'wet-lay' the carbon onto the gelcoat because the extra resin floating about in a wet-lay lay-up means that the carbon will 'even itself out' and not closely follow the ripples in the gel surface. Under vacuum (resin infusion, pre-preg, vacuum bagging etc.) then the carbon is pressed so hard against the gelcoat that any ripples in the gelcoat will have an efefct on the appearance of the carbon.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales