duratec high gloss additive in-mold???

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by clynad, May 22, 2014.

  1. clynad
    Joined: Apr 2012
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    clynad Junior Member

    Does anyone here have any experience using duratec high gloss additive as a gel-coat replacement. i ordered some today but i am somewhat apprehensive about using it because of its air cure properties, i will be using "good enough" polyester (cheapest around) to hand layup a small 16 ft hull in a old female mold i picked up last year. My original intention was to use a vinyl ester skin-coat but i changed my mind about that and now i fear plane jane polyester may have adhesion problems down the road because of the duratec. What do u guys think??
     
  2. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
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    ondarvr Senior Member

    The Duratec clear does surface cure to a tack free finish rather quickly, but by starting on it prior to it becoming tack free should yield an OK bond.

    Now the rest of it. I'm not sure why you would use clear gel coat for this boat but, but that product doesn't weather that well and isn't the greatest when used in water. Plus compared to gel coat it's rather pricy. It is also very thin (low viscosity), so trying to build up the correct thickness may be rather difficult. Any cheap white gel coat would perform better.
     
  3. clynad
    Joined: Apr 2012
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    clynad Junior Member

    Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. The product i was looking at was Duratec Hi Gloss Clear Additive (PN# 904-001-01), mixed 1:1 with standard gelcoat to improve overall gloss.
     
  4. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
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    ondarvr Senior Member

    IF you plan to use it with gel coat, then you are slightly better off, but not much.

    Gel coat relies almost 100% on pigment for UV protection, Duratec is clear, so by adding it at a 1:1 ratio you cut the amount pigment in half. If we could reduce the pigment loading in gel coat by 3% and get the same weathering characteristics we would because pigments are expensive. So now imagine a 50% reduction in pigment.

    Duratec does give a higher gloss, pigments and fillers don't buff to a high gloss, so when you add all that clear resin to the gel coat it increase the gloss, but it turns yellow in the sun far sooner. It also isn't as water resistant, so if left in the water you may have problems.

    If a product like Duratec clear was good to have in gel coat we would put it in there to start with.

    Duratec can make a refinish job go much faster because it allows the gel coat to level better, so there is less sanding and it buffs out to a high gloss easier, you sacrifice UV and water resistance though.
     
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  5. clynad
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    clynad Junior Member

    That is a good point, it really drives the point home to me. With that thought in mind i can only see a use for duratec in my first boat like a display model (really want to make a impression).
     
  6. gonzo
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Duratec is made to get gloss on repairs or re-gelcoat jobs. It lets you spray gelcoat with a regular enamel spraygun. I have done repairs ten years ago that are still looking good. It is not a good product to spray in a mold. It doesn't matter if the inside of the gelcoat is textured. The surface that touches the mold is what you will see outside of the hull.
     

  7. clynad
    Joined: Apr 2012
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    clynad Junior Member

    Thank you for clarifying that for me.
     
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