Are 2 layers of wax and 2 layers of release sufficient?

[Bill Brasky]

Building a small boat off a male plug I made. Will 2 coats of wax and 2 coats of mold release be enough to glass over and expect a clean release? Thank You.

[tinhorn]

By mold release, do you mean PVA?

I've seen many molds put into service with your mold release process. Seen a few stuck parts on the first pull, too. Apparently, sticking first parts is some kind of mysterious phenomenon probably related to bad karma.

That's why a lot of guys prepare the mold, gelcoat it normally, then blow the gelcoat off with a blow gun. If the first part is gonna stick, it's easier to sand gelcoat than fiberglass. Wax and prep the mold again, then make your first part.

[Topdiver1000]

It is enough,very well applied,i normally do a gelcoat first,to be safe.

[Bill Brasky]

What do you guys mean by gelcoat, what is the product called? I looked on uscomposites and didn't see anything about gel coat.

[Herman]

This sticking of the first layer usually is because of a bad cure of the tooling gelcoat. It co-cures with the new applied gelcoat.

Your supplier should be able to tell you which procedure to use. Without any brand names, it is impossible to tell what you should do.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Bill Brasky

What do you guys mean by gelcoat, what is the product called? I looked on uscomposites and didn't see anything about gel coat.

It's 2/3rds down the page.
http://www.shopmaninc.com/polyesters.html
The layup will tend to shrink so especially on a male plug/mold you have to be sure to have some draft (slope) to the sides and no negative shapes so the laminate won't be locked on the plug/mold.

[ondarvr]

We don't exactly know what you mean by "2 coats of wax and 2 coats of mold release", mold release is a generic term used for all types of these products.

Is two coats of wax enough.....no, do it few more times, this has more to do with making sure everything has a good coat or two than it actually needing 5to 7 coats. After the first part or two you can reduce the amount of wax and even skip waxing between parts.

Doing a blow coat can be a good idea, far too many first parts stick, the result can be a total loss and starting over.

[afrhydro]

most release wax,s have the directions right on the can
and 90+% of them say 6 coats for un seasoned molds or plugs

[tunnels]

Originally Posted by Bill Brasky

Building a small boat off a male plug I made. Will 2 coats of wax and 2 coats of mold release be enough to glass over and expect a clean release? Thank You.

Ok lets go back a couple of steps !
You made a plug ! How big is the plug ?
What is the surface coating material??
If its painted what kind of paint did you use ? Not all paints are compatable with mould release waxes !!!.
Not all two pot paints are compatable either !!
How long has the surface coating been on the plug ? Is it completely hard ?
What is the name of the Mould release wax you have or what to use ?
Have you read about waxing moulds ?
Pva release !do you know how to apply it over the wax coat ? Some times Pva dosent go on evenly !.
After the wax and the pva Then what ??