I started sanding on the dock box lid two weeks ago up until the point where I pulled a muscle in my lower back... ouch! Anyway, I ended up having to start with a light 100 grit sanding to break through the wax layer but after that it sanded easily with 180 grit to smooth out the orange peel. I later talked to a guy at our lake who does gel coat repairs and he said it does not sound like I ended up with an excessive amount of wax and I could have probably removed it with a good cleaning with naphtha and soap/rinse. I laid off the boat work this weekend to give the back a break and have a bike trip planned for next weekend (that should help heal the ol back) so I won't get back to the lid for a couple of weeks but will post up some pics once the sanding is done. Once the orange peel is knocked down I will spray the final coat of gel and (hopefully) get to the point of making it shiny. I'm considering buying a dump gun for when I spray the boat since I'm going to need to keep moving once I begin and the dump guns look like they have larger capacity cups and clean up faster.
Yea anybody that has sanded such things for any amount of time, gets the achy back and arms. I know I do all the time. But also amazing how quickly you forget all about the pain when the project is finished and you are looking at a nice finish.
When using a waxed product, it usually rises to the top to protect it from the air so it cures solid. But a lot of solvents will remove that wax really fast. Like you stated naphtha, lacquer thinner, acetone, and such chemicals like those, will cut that wax quickly without effecting the gel coat or poly resins in general. But nothing cuts the orange peel, but sanding.
Why you do get back to it, do post the pictures, I am interested in seeing your results. :thumb:
