fish eyes when mixing with duratec

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by discopimp, Mar 24, 2009.

  1. discopimp
    Joined: Mar 2009
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Vancouver, Canada

    discopimp New Member

    hey guys, i just registered here, thought i would ask some advice with some problems ive been having. ive got about 5 years experience with fiberglass, still got a lot to learn tho. ive been working at a boat dealership in vancouver canada for searay/boston whaler. mainly doing warranty work for our boats that come up from the plants in florida, but also do a lot of work for customer boats localy. i also get the chance working other makes of boats (ie. bayliner, campion, maxum etc). im able to do small spot repairs to re-spraying whole hulls (ie up 25ft). anywho im currently re-spraying the port side of a 23ft searay. its got a bad case of perosity. oh and did i mention the hull is black? proly the worst colour to work with. ive noticed working with patchaid/propatch i get a lot perosity, maybe cuz its so chily up here in canada it freezes over and crystalizes, even when i filter the mix. so i decided to go with duratec. ive done a test piece (sprayed/sanded buffed/pollished) and it looked great, i couldnt be happier with the way it turned out. i noticed the black gelcoat i was using was running low, so i sent the test piece out to spectrum gelcoat to match and makes us more. when i recieved it i decided to make another test piece. but as soon a i layed a light coat down it immidiatly fisheyed like crazy!..i thought it mite have been moisture in the line or in the gun cuz it has been raining a bit lately, but i then dripped some mixed gelcoat from my mixing cup onto another test piece and spread it out with a metal spatchula and again fish eyes! i then decided to order new duratec, it came today and still the same affect. i dont want to believe its the gelcoat...but i did mix some other coloured gelcoats with my duratec and it worked fine. i also mixed up the new gelcoat with a new batch of propatch/patchaid i got and i sprayed a test piece. it went on with a bit of orange peel, but i wont kno how it looks in the end until it drys so i can then sand it out and buff it. id rather not use propatch/patchaid cuz my of perosity problems in the past. i was much more happier with the way my first piece came out(duratec+gelcoat) sanded with 400 and buffed to a nice shine. ive also used straight gelcoat and a layer of pva at the end,,but the gelcoat goes on soo orange peely. it took me a few days just to sand it all down. id rather make this easy on myself and use the duratec, but it doesnt want to work for me. does anyone have any suggestions? could be the gelcoat? maybe i should send it back? thanks for reading any feedback would be greatly appretiated!
     
  2. fiberglass jack
    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 463
    Likes: 16, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 95
    Location: toronto

    fiberglass jack Senior Member

    nothing new to find out you got a bad batch of gel,, i once ordered green gelcoat and got a gallon of green pigment ***** to wipe off.. i use duratec all the time what i like to do is after i spray the last coat on the boat i go and fill my gun with air dry wax turn the presure up on the gun to around 50psi ( i use a devibliss plus hvlp ) and fog coat the gelcoat,,, the gel will level and most of the orange peel will disapear..

    the other proplem with patch aid and waxed gelcoat up here in canada is the temperature,, the wax will soilidafy in the gelcoat, it will spray normal but when it drys the wax will get solid in the gel before it can rise to the surface,, so when you sand and polish you will get small pitting in the surface,, thats why i find using unwaxed gelcoat with duratec the best and then fog coat the surface that way all the wax is on the surface..

    try and spray a tack coat first a light haxe coat and let it flash off for an hour so that its almost dry but still tacky this way the rest of the coat should lay down with fishing on you
     
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