"Save The Manatee "

[Woodonglass]

I have already washed the pva off ... Would it do any good to spray it on again ? I will need to put it back on the flat trailer to move . Its up on blocks right now ..
Thickness idk 15/20 mils maybe .

From what I've learned spraying it on now is moot!!! I'd just wait a few more days in direct sunlight and she should be good to go. If she's only 15-20 mils you might oughta go as light as possible on the sanding a take special care on the corners. What Grit are you wet sanding with?? If it were me I'd start @ 150 grit and go easy. From the pics the OP doesn't look all that bad so you should be able to get her smooth fairly quickly, at least I hope so. But Hey, I've NEVER done Gelcoat so what do I know!!!:noidea:

 

[sphelps]

Started with 320 grit ... The OP is not too bad ..
Seems to be a little more cured this afternoon ... I think I could wet sand it with no problem ...
Now the hundred dollar ?
At this point should it come off with acetone on a rag?
It got down in the 40's last night and never made it out of the 50' all day . It hasn't really had a chance to warm up any ... Debating on shooting 1 or 2 more coats ...

 

[Decker83]

If you removed the PVA before the gel had a chance to cure, then you will be able to remove the very outer coat of gel with acetone.. The gel underneath the outer coat
will cure but the outer coat will not cure if left open to the air..
If your sand paper gums up to much then wipe the area your sanding down with acetone and this will remove the uncured gel.. DON"T SOAK the Area.. OOPS had the same problem with his gel coat.
You can shoot another coat​ on and then use the PVA and let it set for a day or two..
DON"T shot another coat i​f temps or 60 or below..
Hope this helps..​

 

[sphelps]

Can I shoot a coat or two over what I have now without wiping with acetone ?

 

[Woodonglass]

From what Little I know/understand...any totally cured areas need to be wiped down and prepped before shooting another coat. Any areas not cured should be receptive to another coat. Now...how you determine which is which...:noidea:

 

[Decker83]

I would wipe down any places you have sanded.. I don't think it would hurt to wipe down the rest of the hull with a damp rag using acetone..
I would shoot 2 coats just to be sure I had good coverage.. Shoot a lite coat of PVA and then a heavy coat..

 

[sphelps]

Decker I think I will do just that ... Just hope I have enough pva ... I have just over a half of a half gal ...I do have wax if need be .. I guess that will have to be a game time decision .. I,m gunna try and bump up the mekp if I can ... If I cut down on the amount I mix may have enough time to use it all before it goes ..
I'm trying not to use too much thinner if I can get away with it ..
I was thinking with the gravity feed hvlp if I make a little bit larger hole in the cap would that aid in the flow of the thick material ?
I have heard that you can install some type of tube from your air supply at the gun gauge to the hole in the lid of the cup ... Have you heard of this .. I guess it would pressure the cup a little to help push the paint through ...
Hope everyone has had a nice Turkey day !!! Sitting around rubbing the belly at the moment ... :joyous:

 

[jbcurt00]

Tryptophan coma emmenient.....

IIRC, you could further inhibit the air exposure (the whole point of the PVA) w saran wrap or thin painters plastic. Getting the plastic down smooth and wrinkle free AFTER the gel starts to kick would be tricky solo, but w someone holding the other end, a 4ft by 12ft thin plastic could be pulled smooth and applied mostly wrinkle free.

Dont know how PVA and plastic appied at about the same time will work well together.

W little PVA on hand, maybe a light coat over it all, and plastic over it...

Gelcoat not curing topic, w 1 poster (@ post #14+/-) who uses plastic for curing gelcoat:

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...60466-gel-coat-tacky-how-long-to-fully-harden
Good luck..

 

[gm280]

Sam, I wouldn't try to pressurized the cup. That is asking for a huge mess. Your gun tip and valves could get too much pressure and you could have issues with paint coming out even with the trigger closed. I would just shoot the gel coat with the gun as it is. But that is just me! I also would not try to open up the tip opening either. The parts are made to work together, and if you change one part then the gun may not shut off correctly anymore. Again, just my opinion. :noidea:

 

[sphelps]

Yeah , the hose to the cup thing was something a guy at work was trying to explain to me ... I just could not picture it in my head ...
My thoughts on the hole size was it is such a tiny hole a slightly larger one may allow more or better flow of the thick gell ... Kinda like the finger over the end of a straw effect ... idk just a thought ... As long as the needle seats in the tip correctly there should be no problem with it shutting off ...
Before I do the Bobcat a serous upgrade of my compressor is gunna happen ..
Hopefully ....

 

[gm280]

Yeah , the hose to the cup thing was something a guy at work was trying to explain to me ... I just could not picture it in my head ...
My thoughts on the hole size was it is such a tiny hole a slightly larger one may allow more or better flow of the thick gell ... Kinda like the finger over the end of a straw effect ... idk just a thought ... As long as the needle seats in the tip correctly there should be no problem with it shutting off ...
Before I do the Bobcat a serous upgrade of my compressor is gunna happen ..
Hopefully ....

Sam, I honestly have no idea how your gun is made, but the guns I have use a purposely size taper on the center needle that was made to work with the tip opening. Because I have different size tips and needles I can change out on my Devilbiss guns. So if I were to change the opening, the needle may not fit it anymore. But that is how my gun tips are designed. If yours will allow you to opening the tip up a little and still work properly, use your own discretion on that. I was just trying to help out and not damage a gun. Just remember one thing, with openings in a circle, it take very little change in diameter to double the opening area. And even with mere millimeter tip size openings, a very little difference goes a long way in flow rates. :noidea:

 

[sphelps]

Not talking about opening the tip ... That would be asking for trouble . I am referring to the little hole in the top of the canister cap ...
If you put water in a plastic jug with an 1/8" hole in the bottom ... With the lid on tight the water at most would dribble out . If you drilled an 1/16" hole in the cap the water would begin to stream out of the bottom . Put an 1/8" hole in the top and the water would flow even more freely ..
So my thought was to drill the same size hole in the lid as the diameter hole on the fluid tip ... The same volume of air coming in as fluid going out ...

 

[Woodonglass]

Sam, I use the Plastic disposable cups on my HVLP when painting. I ALWAYS drill the vent hole out to 1/8" prior to using them. They are so small that any sloshing of the paint will close them off and stop the flow of the paint. Pretty sure you'll enhance the performance by enlarging the vent hole. I'd Highly recommend it!!! I'd also recommend using the 20 oz. disposable plastic cups from HF. Really Cheap and no worries about cleanup. I clean mine a few times then throw it away and put on a new one. $6 bucks for 5 of em!!

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece...ups-97098.html

 

[archbuilder]

Just wondering, after spraying the hull, have you thought about going to a dump gun? I haven't sprayed gel, so I don't have a reference point, seems like the ease of cleaning one of those would be worth the cost.

 

[gm280]

OH Sorry Sam, I some how thought you were talking drilling out the tip opening and not the cup vent. :facepalm: Ha, have at it. If air can't come in, paint can't get out. The only thing you will have to watch out for is the paint coming out of the large vent if you move the gun to any angle while spraying. But my mistake thinking you were going to open up the spray tip.

 

[sphelps]

A dump gun would be great but I think it requires more air supply than I have at the moment ..
Woody I looked at those but I did not know they came with adapters .. The gun I have has the male fitting for the cup ... It didn't look like they would work at first glance ..Otherwise I would have got some ..

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup, they'll work!!!!

 

[sphelps]

Well the deed is done again ... Wiped down with acetone rag .. Mixed a little gell with no thinner and used a chips brush and bondo spreader to hit a few pin holes and trouble spots ...Then 2 coats right at 2% mekp and 5% thinner ... Sprayed the rest of the pva I had on ... 2 decent coats . then layed a layer of light thin painters plastic over the whole thing .. About 95% bubble free so hopefully it will cure ok .. 5 coats should give me enough thickness I hope ..
Almost lost the gun .. :facepalm:
A couple seconds more and it would have been a paper weight for sure ..
Had to stop half way and do some emergency cleaning ... :lol:

 

[Woodonglass]

Just another reason why It's always good to have a helper on these types of projects!!! I KNOW it's not always possible but it shore nuff would be nice!!! Glad it all worked out for you Sam!!! can't wait to see her all nice and sanded and polished.

 

[Decker83]

Sounds like you did a great job.. The PVA should let the gel cure..