Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

opmope

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Jul 1, 2011
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Hoping someone will reply Just finished re gel coating the deck of my boat with white gel coat. I have taped off three areas of the deck so to add red metalic, (ploy flake), stripes. so before clear coating, what grade sand paper should I sand the white?
I don't have to polish and give the white gel a shine before clear coating do I?
Dave.
 

opmope

Seaman Apprentice
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Jul 1, 2011
Messages
35
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

Hoping someone will reply Just finished re gel coating the deck of my boat with white gel coat. I have taped off three areas of the deck so to add red metalic, (ploy flake), stripes. so before clear coating, what grade sand paper should I sand the white?
I don't have to polish and give the white gel a shine before clear coating do I?

So all I'm wanting to know is do I just sand down the orange peel with 180 paper till I have a smooth finish or do I have to continue sanding up the grades of paper, 280, 400, 600, 800, etc to an almost polished condition before clear coat gel?
Dave.
 

ondarvr

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Apr 6, 2005
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11,527
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

If you just sprayed it you don't need to do anything, you can go over it with the flake layer with no sanding. This assumes you didn't have wax in the white. If you do need to sand it 180 would be fine.

The white will affect the color of the flake and the finished product, so have you tested it to see what it looks like?
 

Cadwelder

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Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

If you just sprayed it you don't need to do anything, you can go over it with the flake layer with no sanding. This assumes you didn't have wax in the white. If you do need to sand it 180 would be fine.

The white will affect the color of the flake and the finished product, so have you tested it to see what it looks like?

Oh so true, there is no truly "clear" clear gelcoat, it will change the color slightly of the color it's sprayed over. Ondarvr and I have discussed this in debt. I only wish I knew half of what he knows about this stuff....

CW
 

opmope

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Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

If you just sprayed it you don't need to do anything, you can go over it with the flake layer with no sanding. This assumes you didn't have wax in the white. If you do need to sand it 180 would be fine.

The white will affect the color of the flake and the finished product, so have you tested it to see what it looks like?

The boat deck is going to be two colors. The white which I have already sprayed and the last coat had the air dry additive added. The second phase is stripes that where taped off that will be red metal flake. I will first lay a red base coat down followed by the red metal flake clear coat gel mix , NO AIR DRY. After the metal flake has hardened, I can't sand that because it's metal flake and not air dry. So before adding three coats of clear coat gel over top of both colors, the taped off white should be sanded with 180 paper. Is that correct? The sanding marks wont show through the finished clear coat?
 

ondarvr

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Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

You don't want to use clear over the white, it will discolor (turn yellow) and be noticeable. When clear is used with flake or with dark colors the yellowing is hidden better. The rest sounds good.
 

opmope

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Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

You don't want to use clear over the white, it will discolor (turn yellow) and be noticeable. When clear is used with flake or with dark colors the yellowing is hidden better. The rest sounds good.

So here is what I found out for any of you that are in the same boat!! Get it? boy I crack myself up sometimes.
Talked to the guys over at Skeeter boats. NEVER clear gel over colored gel coat at all. As ondarvr said, it will yellow. I should have done the metallic portion of the deck before doing the white. That was my first mistake but no biggy. They say that the tape line when removeing will lift some of the flake so if sprayed first you can use a sharp carpet knife to make a straight tape line for when spraying the white.

Poly Flake mixture is 3/4 pot clear gel coat (1/2 clear gel and 1/2 Duratec high gloss additive) then 1/4 pot Poly Flake plus catylis.

Apply flake till the red base is completely covered all in one shoot. Let harden then apply three coats of clear gel coat and duratec high gloss additive 1:1 mix plus catylis leaving 1/2 hr. between coats. 4th and final coat they say to mix 1/4 pot (1/2 and 1/2 clear and high gloss) and then 1/2pot of Patchaid plus catylis.
They say it will look amazing.
I'll let you know the out come.
Thanks for the replies, Dave
 

Yacht Dr.

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Feb 26, 2005
Messages
5,581
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

Hoping someone will reply Just finished re gel coating the deck of my boat with white gel coat. I have taped off three areas of the deck so to add red metalic, (ploy flake), stripes. so before clear coating, what grade sand paper should I sand the white?
I don't have to polish and give the white gel a shine before clear coating do I?
Dave.

Are your stripes inlayed or are they on top of the white ? I hope they were inlayed ..

If they are not inlayed then you should sand and buff ALL of your white..then tape and prep for your stripes..then sand and buff out your stripes and Try to feather in your tape line without burning through the clear.

The boat deck is going to be two colors. The white which I have already sprayed and the last coat had the air dry additive added. The second phase is stripes that where taped off that will be red metal flake. I will first lay a red base coat down followed by the red metal flake clear coat gel mix , NO AIR DRY. After the metal flake has hardened, I can't sand that because it's metal flake and not air dry. So before adding three coats of clear coat gel over top of both colors, the taped off white should be sanded with 180 paper. Is that correct? The sanding marks wont show through the finished clear coat?

180 is way to much for any gel finish first off.. 220 is max .. 320 is standard for heavy orange peel starter grit..

Basically .. if your inlaying your gel then dont sand anything until your done with the spraying..

If your Overlaying stripes..then yes you have to buff and polish your Main surface First before you do the stripes or add-ons.

If your Overlaying its faster to do the sand/buff stage Through the stripe area Before you lay out your lines for the stripes. .. Layout your stripe tape and reprep to the tape line for your next coatings..

This is why Inlays are Faster and Sooo much better :) ..

YD.
 

Yacht Dr.

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
5,581
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

So here is what I found out for any of you that are in the same boat!! Get it? boy I crack myself up sometimes.
Talked to the guys over at Skeeter boats. NEVER clear gel over colored gel coat at all. As ondarvr said, it will yellow. I should have done the metallic portion of the deck before doing the white. That was my first mistake but no biggy. They say that the tape line when removeing will lift some of the flake so if sprayed first you can use a sharp carpet knife to make a straight tape line for when spraying the white.

Poly Flake mixture is 3/4 pot clear gel coat (1/2 clear gel and 1/2 Duratec high gloss additive) then 1/4 pot Poly Flake plus catylis.

Apply flake till the red base is completely covered all in one shoot. Let harden then apply three coats of clear gel coat and duratec high gloss additive 1:1 mix plus catylis leaving 1/2 hr. between coats. 4th and final coat they say to mix 1/4 pot (1/2 and 1/2 clear and high gloss) and then 1/2pot of Patchaid plus catylis.
They say it will look amazing.
I'll let you know the out come.
Thanks for the replies, Dave

You beat me to the post lol..

Actually the White before the metallic is better for inlays ..

Spray the White.. peel the tape .. spray your red and clear and everything right over your white. Then sand it all down flat and buff it ;) ..

Shh.. dont tell them about this trick :D .

YD.
 

opmope

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Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
35
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

Are your stripes inlayed or are they on top of the white ? I hope they were inlayed ..

If they are not inlayed then you should sand and buff ALL of your white..then tape and prep for your stripes..then sand and buff out your stripes and Try to feather in your tape line without burning through the clear.



180 is way to much for any gel finish first off.. 220 is max .. 320 is standard for heavy orange peel starter grit..

Basically .. if your inlaying your gel then dont sand anything until your done with the spraying..

If your Overlaying stripes..then yes you have to buff and polish your Main surface First before you do the stripes or add-ons.

If your Overlaying its faster to do the sand/buff stage Through the stripe area Before you lay out your lines for the stripes. .. Layout your stripe tape and reprep to the tape line for your next coatings..

This is why Inlays are Faster and Sooo much better :) ..

YD.

Yes YD the red was taped off first brfore even spraying the white. So the red metal flake is inlay.
Dave
 

opmope

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
35
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

You beat me to the post lol..

Actually the White before the metallic is better for inlays ..

Spray the White.. peel the tape .. spray your red and clear and everything right over your white. Then sand it all down flat and buff it ;) ..

Shh.. dont tell them about this trick :D .

YD.

This is what I wanted to do but was told by three people now that you should not clear gel over everything, (WHITE), because the white will yellow. I was told that because I only have 4 coats, 25 mil, of white down now and air dry added to wait and do the red first, ( red base, metal flake to cover base, 3 clear and one final clear with patch aid), totalling 6 coats from initial boat surface. Then go back and add another 2 coats to the white to bring to the same height. Sand and polish and wax. NEVER CLEAR GEL OVER COLORED GEL COAT. That's what everyone is telling me.
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

I did tech service work at Skeeter on gel coat, but that was about 15 years ago.

The mix of flake and clear is up to you, you just mix until you get the look you like, there are limits to how much you can add though.
 

Yacht Dr.

Vice Admiral
Joined
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Messages
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Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

This is what I wanted to do but was told by three people now that you should not clear gel over everything, (WHITE), because the white will yellow. I was told that because I only have 4 coats, 25 mil, of white down now and air dry added to wait and do the red first, ( red base, metal flake to cover base, 3 clear and one final clear with patch aid), totalling 6 coats from initial boat surface. Then go back and add another 2 coats to the white to bring to the same height. Sand and polish and wax. NEVER CLEAR GEL OVER COLORED GEL COAT. That's what everyone is telling me.

You can get your overspray on the white all you want to .. call it a guide coat lol..

Your gonna sand and buff .. so sand on the tapeline as much as you like until it gets to your razor edge tapeline. The clear will be Gone over the Main spray when your done so no worries about having clear over your main spray.

The reason I do the Main spray first is because I have a bigger fan spray ( right over the stripe tape ) and cover all of it. When it gels up I pull my tape line/masking for the stripes and start spraying again for the stripes ( overspray goes right over the Base color ( white in this case ) .. I sand until I get a razor edge and then buff it all together.

Now if you do the stripes first you have to mask up more to cover your prepped hull..and when you spray your Main Second your going to basically cover your stripe ( unless you mask it off ) making it harder to sand down your overspray on the stripe.

I hope you understand what I am saying..

YD.
 

opmope

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
35
Re: Applying Clear Gel Coat ????

You can get your overspray on the white all you want to .. call it a guide coat lol..

Your gonna sand and buff .. so sand on the tapeline as much as you like until it gets to your razor edge tapeline. The clear will be Gone over the Main spray when your done so no worries about having clear over your main spray.

The reason I do the Main spray first is because I have a bigger fan spray ( right over the stripe tape ) and cover all of it. When it gels up I pull my tape line/masking for the stripes and start spraying again for the stripes ( overspray goes right over the Base color ( white in this case ) .. I sand until I get a razor edge and then buff it all together.

Now if you do the stripes first you have to mask up more to cover your prepped hull..and when you spray your Main Second your going to basically cover your stripe ( unless you mask it off ) making it harder to sand down your overspray on the stripe.

I hope you understand what I am saying..

YD.

I do understand. Thank you for the input.
Dave.
 
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