Plug and Mold for 18' sailboat

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by John Merritt, Oct 1, 2018.

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  1. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 2,929
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    Location: Monroe WA

    ondarvr Senior Member

    You can use this gun to spray the Duratec.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXP4K61/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_Vti-Eb5PGQBQ7

    You will need a compressor large to enough keep up with spraying.

    When the time comes to spray gel coat you need to step up to larger equipment designed for thicker (higher viscosity) materials.

    The gel time extender will make your life much easier on this size project.
     
  2. John Merritt
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 36
    Likes: 1, Points: 8
    Location: Ada, MI

    John Merritt Junior Member

    Thank you everyone for your help. The problem that I'm running into now is that every distributor for Hawkeye that I've called either doesn't keep the Gelx in stock or will only special order it for me if I buy an entire case.... when I only need two gallons. I am going to try to track down a supplier again today. Thanks again.
     
  3. John Merritt
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 36
    Likes: 1, Points: 8
    Location: Ada, MI

    John Merritt Junior Member

    Oops. After contacting Hawkeye rep in Chicago I discovered that it only takes 2% of the Gelx. I was able to get a qt from a distributor in SoCal. So I've got my spray system set up and will wait for a cooler day to actually spray. Going to practice with some old latex house paint.... I'm sure this is "old hat" to most here... but I'm a newbie at all this. So as I understand, I should spray a light mist coat, wait a few minutes , then I can lay down 2 to 3 full coats waiting 30 minutes between coats for solvents to evaporate. I should clean out the gun with acetone after every two pots to prevent it from hardening in the gun. Is this right ? From what I've been able to discern, I should hold gun about 6" away from plug, 40 psi at the gun and adjust the needle so that I get 1/16" droplets..... yes? Sorry this is so basic......
     
  4. John Merritt
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 36
    Likes: 1, Points: 8
    Location: Ada, MI

    John Merritt Junior Member

    Oh, my compressor is a 27 gal Fortress rated 5.1 SCFM at 90 psi. .... Enough?
     
  5. KD8NPB
    Joined: Mar 2018
    Posts: 162
    Likes: 39, Points: 28
    Location: South Carolina

    KD8NPB Senior Member

    barely.

    It’s going to get hot as heck spraying. You need some type of cooler and drier.

    I have used about 25 ft of 3/8 copper line in a bucket of ice water with an auto drain water separator after it. It works quite well and gives you a 40-50F dew point.
     

  6. John Merritt
    Joined: Oct 2018
    Posts: 36
    Likes: 1, Points: 8
    Location: Ada, MI

    John Merritt Junior Member

    KD8NPB... you were spot on. compressor just couldn't cut it. Looking now for a 60-80 gallon unit and will have to make some type of drier! The plug is now sanded down to 1200 grit and looks very nice. Big mistake using a roller to apply Duracoat.... had to end up removing 95% of what was put down.... will only spray in the future. Should I now polish the plug with compound? Also I want to go totally overboard when it comes to wax / PVA..... is it OK to put a light coat of PVA over wax? How many coats of wax would be the "overkill" I'm looking for? I plan on buying a dump gun for spraying the gelcoat (comes with 5.4 nozzle) what would be the right nozzle size for spraying the PVA ? Thanx again.
     
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