Tuesday 25 November 2014

Fix Scratches On The Gel Coat

A gel coat is a covering placed over fiberglass to build a smooth glossy surface that can be easily waxed. Though the gel coat cures packed, it can all the more foster scratches from typical manipulate. Most of the kid scratches are dealt with buttoned up common gel coat perpetuation, with a hasty buffing fading. For aggrandized cold sober scratches, on the contrary, you'll corner to repair the gel coat using a gel coat filler compound. With the pulp in settle, the surface becomes total again, allowing you to blend in the patched universe smoothly with the surrounding gel coat, creating a seamless unnoticeable patch.


Instructions


1. Collect a colour average card from a tint assistance store and fix a colour on the card that matches the colour of your gel coat as viewed in anticipated cloudless. Repay to the whitewash assistance store and investigate those at fault for mixing the paints what colours and ratios are crucial to reproduce the colour of your gel coat. Acquire a gel coat repair implements containing gel coat paste, hardener and pigments matching the colours you demand.


Make further adjustments if needed, then write down the final formula for the mixture in case you need to mix a further batch.4. Add the hardener from the kit to the paste to catalyze the gel coat for use. This shape is needed To admit the gel coat repair compound to completely fill the scratch, creating a dissimilar solid surface. Swab any residue created from scratching the gel coat gone with the damp cloth, then pat the surface dry with a dry cloth.


3. Settle an ounce of gel coat cement into a Mug for colour matching. Add tints from the repair apparatus to the Mug, matching the colour formula if at the gloss shop as closely as feasible. Compound the tints into the pulp using the stir sticks included in the kit. Keep careful track of the colors added adjusting the colors as needed until you reach a match. Test the mix onto the gel coat by placing a drop onto the surface.2. Disinfected the surface of the gel coat with a damp cloth to remove any dirt that could interfere with the repair. Catch a screwdriver and trail it down the length of the scratch to widen it into a "V" shape.


Follow the instructions provided by the kit manufacturer on the amount of hardener needed. Stir the mix thoroughly.


5. Wipe the scratch with a cloth dipped in styrene to reactivate the gel coat for a better chemical bonding with the new paste. Immediately fill the scratch with the paste using a plastic spreader. Slightly overfill the scratch To admit for shrinkage of the paste as it hardens.


6. Cover the patched area with plastic film, taping it into place with masking tape. Allow the paste to cure for Day and night, then remove the plastic to finish the repair surface.


7. Attach a 150-grit sheet of sandpaper to a sanding block. Sand the gel coat with the edge of the block to level out the patch with remainder of the gel coat surface. Switch to 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Saturate the sandpaper and then use the flat of the sanding block to feather the patch with the surrounding surface, blending the new paste in with the old gel coat until it's level to the touch. Keep the surface wet with water while feathering the patch.


8. Switch to 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper without the sanding block and sand the area until it's visibly blended with the surrounding gel coat. Change to 600-grit wet/dry and go over the area a second time, smoothing out the area and removing any scratches made from the coarser pieces of sandpaper.


9. Pat the surface dry with the dry piece of cloth. Apply rubbing compound to the area with a piece of soft cloth. Buff the compound using small circles to create a glossy shine.


10. Wax the entire surface after polishing it to protect the newly patched area and further blend in the repair.