Gel coat thru a Wagner - anyone done this?

Hi all - I've searched as hard as I could... even called Wagner... but no conclusive answers on this question: I have seen where people speculate that a Wagner (airless) Power Sprayer should be able to push gelcoat, but has anyone ever actually used one? If so, successfully? And did you thin the gelcoat first?

(Background - I'm helping my son repair and completely re-gel coat his Hobie 16. I don't want to go with an hvlp because the air requirements are more than I can handle with a pancake compressor. I just bought a Wagner on sale for $55 in the event it will work.)

Thanks for comments - Fred

 

It will work with some types of sprayers very well, but I think we need a bit more info on the model you have.

One thing that will happen with some types of sprayers is the gel coat flow is slow through the unit and the pump can create enough heat to start the gelling process. Having catalyzed gel coat in hot pump can mean $$$$.

I've done it many times though, just used a good sized airless paint sprayer and was very careful, you only want to mix a very small amount of gel at a time.

 

Thanks - I checked and the Wagner Power Painter model I bought is the new Optimus Dual Tip (Model 0525110). I got it on sale for about $55.

It is airless and holds about a quart. It says it can spray oil and latex paints.

I'm a newbie at spraying gelcoat, but know that both hulls need a complete regel, so a Preval is out of the question.

My plan would be to start slow with about 1/3 a quart. And I plan to thin it with Styrene. Painting a flat surface at a time (I guess I mean a horizontal surface) to minimize drip and run.

Does that sound about right?

 

Try spraying paint first!
I bought a Wagner several years ago in the expectation that it could spray paint, but it couldn't. Only diluted paint with the viscosity of water went through, but that is not what you buy an airless spray for.

So I didn't bother to clean it, put it back in the box and placed it near the dumpster, from where it was gone in 5 minutes...

 

Vaporized Styrene and electric motor

Vaporized Styrene and electric motor.


WAGNERS SPARK AND Get WICKED HOT!

Sparks and Paint thinners makes a big BANG! You might as well smoke a cigar while your doing it.

I just Sprayed my stockade fence with one using Latex and threw it in the trash when I finished. They SUCK!




Excellent recipe for an excellent FLASHBANG! Let me know so Im not anywhere around you.


Many years ago I spraypainted my Chevy Van outside using a good Tractor Enamal from the hardware store.

It was a nice hot summer day in the 80s with typical New England Humity running Max on the Soppyness R/h Scale.

The paint job was Great. As everyone stood looking at their reflections in the Van the Chocalate Color paint started to drip.

So the Van was from that day on called the Hershy Van.

Go for it!

 

You might need a bigger model unless your going to spray only a small surface. And yes you probably have to thin it and but a delayer. Try spraying in the shade.

 

Thanks all - got it... thin it significantly, test it first, spray in shade (garage should work), wear fire-retardent suit, have fire extinguishers handy, 911 on speed dial.

Assuming the test works, (and I survive, of course), am I correct in planning to lay several layers, with only the last layer having wax added? The chandler said initial layers are ok to remain tacky, but last coat needs wax. Or should each layer be allowed to dry non-tacky?

 

The unit you have is rated at 4.8 gallons per hour and I wouldn't doubt if that was with water thin paint. The ones I used were full sized and more in the $1,000 plus range because gel coat isn't easy to pump.

You may need to thin it a great deal to make it spray at all and that amount of styrene wouldn't be good for the gel coat. You'd be better off using a patchaid type product to reduce the viscosity, the problem is most of them also shorten the gel time a great deal.

Give it a try and see what happens. Don't catalyze the gel coat while checking to see if it will work though.

You don't need to let each layer cure tack free, just let it get hard and give it another coat. If it will spray gel coat, it will most likely be so slow you can just sart on the next coat as soon as you're done with the first one.

 

Thanks all! - Fred

 

Ähhh.. just an idea...

what do you expect to get? A refurbished gelcoat? No way, that way.
If you have a (usual) cracked gelcoat, you will do nothing good spraying some stuff on it.
Make a epoxy repair and spray that with paint, (the Wagner will do it).
But that is "elbow" job.

Regards
Richard

 

Duratec clear aditive will thin gelcoat to spray and it is 98% solids. The problem a Wagner sprayer may have is with the styrene in the gelcoat. It may disolve the diafragm and soften the plastic tips. Do you want to avoid using a regular spray gun?