Gelcoat never cures with the same color outcomes. That's what seperates the men from the boys in patch work. :) tape typically allows for 3 thousandths which is about what ur gelcoat will shrink to minimizing sanding. Pull your tape on a 45 though so you don't mess up you patch. Typically gelcoat dries darker than it appears.
the man who tought me told me to just put your finger in the gelcoat and like home depot does on paint lids, just dab a finger tip on the affected area let it dry and you can see the true color sands off with ease ..
Yes, it does to some degree, which is probably the second difference between an expert and a amateur like me. Getting the color right is the #1 challenge with these repairs, and some colors change slightly when they cure. The other problem is that it is very difficult to mix the gel coat the same when you make two batches.
Possibly, but gel coat can shrink and leave the flat surface below the surrounding surface. In general, I've always had to sand to make the repair as smooth as possible.
I also agree with the comment below. Covering your gelcoat could result in porosity. It needs to gas off while curing the potential result will look like a billion little dots in the paint. They are actually just trapped bubbles. It doesn't look good. If you were working with white no one would notice but a color like a flag blue is pretty obvious.
I think the majority of gel coat is mixed by eye (or better yet, by stirring stick). You could probably contact the maker of your boat and find out their exact color, but most of us will blend the primary colors together and get as close as possible.
I didn't actually use "fillers", per se, I was filling gel coat scratches. Since the entire bottom of the boat is coated with gel coat, it's certainly fine below the waterline. You do need to avoid fillers that absorb water below the waterline, like those that use chalk or similar materials.
Actually, no paint in this case, just gel coat. The materials are pretty generic, with brands like Fiberglass Evercoat and West Marine, among others. The pigment comes in very small tubes, but a little goes a long way, even with dark colors like my dark blue Megabyte. At some point, it might make sense to stop patching and just paint the entire boat, but that would be a long way off.
you probably shouldnt put cellophane or plastic over your gelcoat as the air wont be able to escape and you could end up with porosity in your gelcoat....
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Gelcoat never cures with the same color outcomes. That's what seperates the men from the boys in patch work. :) tape typically allows for 3 thousandths which is about what ur gelcoat will shrink to minimizing sanding. Pull your tape on a 45 though so you don't mess up you patch. Typically gelcoat dries darker than it appears.
the man who tought me told me to just put your finger in the gelcoat and like home depot does on paint lids, just dab a finger tip on the affected area let it dry and you can see the true color sands off with ease ..
You would probably get much better color match without sun glasses :)
Great video though, very helpful ! Thanks !
Yes, it does to some degree, which is probably the second difference between an expert and a amateur like me. Getting the color right is the #1 challenge with these repairs, and some colors change slightly when they cure. The other problem is that it is very difficult to mix the gel coat the same when you make two batches.
Nice Job! very professional .... thanks for sharing...but it doesdry the same as the mix color no changes....
Possibly, but gel coat can shrink and leave the flat surface below the surrounding surface. In general, I've always had to sand to make the repair as smooth as possible.
I also agree with the comment below. Covering your gelcoat could result in porosity. It needs to gas off while curing the potential result will look like a billion little dots in the paint. They are actually just trapped bubbles. It doesn't look good. If you were working with white no one would notice but a color like a flag blue is pretty obvious.
If you pull the tape when wet the edges should flow out better
Thanks for the tip, Timothy!
I think the majority of gel coat is mixed by eye (or better yet, by stirring stick). You could probably contact the maker of your boat and find out their exact color, but most of us will blend the primary colors together and get as close as possible.
I didn't actually use "fillers", per se, I was filling gel coat scratches. Since the entire bottom of the boat is coated with gel coat, it's certainly fine below the waterline. You do need to avoid fillers that absorb water below the waterline, like those that use chalk or similar materials.
interesting way of doing that .
This is from West Marine? You would think they would have pointed out which products specifically with close ups are being used.
Thank you for the feedback. We will pass it along to our creative team.
are gel colors coded like car paints? Planing on fixing scratches on my boat but not sure how to buy gel coat and how much of it.
Aren´t you to use epoxy-based fillers under the waterline?
what is the name of the tubes your using ? is it pigment color ?
Unforunately this video is so old and he doesn't mention it on the video. It could be a pigment color.
Which kit did you use here?
Actually, no paint in this case, just gel coat. The materials are pretty generic, with brands like Fiberglass Evercoat and West Marine, among others. The pigment comes in very small tubes, but a little goes a long way, even with dark colors like my dark blue Megabyte. At some point, it might make sense to stop patching and just paint the entire boat, but that would be a long way off.
ALWAYS WEAR APPROPRIATE GLOVES WHEN USING ACETONE OR ANY SOLVENT OR CHEMICALS!!!!!!
What kind of paint did you use?
But i heard it dries the same color as when you mix it...
you probably shouldnt put cellophane or plastic over your gelcoat as the air wont be able to escape and you could end up with porosity in your gelcoat....
What scratch!!