Gelcoat Touch Up
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I have some deep scratches in the gel coat that need to be filled/feathered. What is the best way to blend the color back in? The hull is white and i have a very close imrom color. Does anyone recomend blending imrom back into the gelcoat?
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There is a company that makes gel coat touch up gell. I bought some for my PQ. You just give them the make and year of the boat and they have a match. (for most) If you can wait till monday I will let you know the manufacturer. (I forget and the bottle is at my office). It was about a 1 Oz. Jar with hardner. A small scratch would not be hard to fix.
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They sell gell coat repair kits at boat US. They are actually pretty good. You can also ussually as has been said get a close match to your boats gell from the manufacturer. White is hard to match but you should be able to get it close. Even if it is not a perfect match when you put it on then give it a little time it will blend out ok as it sees light.
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The scratches are in a wide spread area with some minor, some deep. I really need to feather fill the entire area. It looks as if the boat was tied to a dock with no fenders for a long period of time. To use something as that may take me quite a long time to do. I have "blended" imron into gelcoat before but was really not too impressed with the results. However, I am interested in that manufacturer for minor repairs. Does anyone have any solutions for a fairly large area ?
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To do a large area it is really quite easy. Sand it down smoote with 180 grit sand paper, feather it out on the sides with 400 grit. Then re-gellcoat it. Wet sand it out and buff. In a pinch I have even rolled out the Gell with a roller as is it SO thick. WIth the roller the finished product is just as good as when sprayed, it can just take a little more sanding. I use a foam pad roller when I use a roller. Otherwise I get out the gun and then it sucks because you have to clean it out when done.
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If you have a real good match initially you will see the blend HOWEVER after time that actually fades away. Just do not make it like a square of something. You want to have a fairly odd shape so that it is not so obvious. When I did touch ups on my boat I did not thin the stuff out. A couple coats with a roller and wet sand and buff it out and there is NO WAY you can see the repair. I had a really good match so I was lucky. Some times you have to play with the tints to get it perfect.
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Color match, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of the repair, as, you can sand, fair, and buff to a perfect finish, but if the color is off, the repair will stand out like a sore thumb no matter how smooth you get it.
MAKE SURE the area is prepped properly. If it's just a few scratches, my favorite method is a dremel tool with a sharp little grinding bit, to "V" out the scratches.
I would usually then mix the Gel Cote with hardner (just enough---you want thick consistency---this is why those gel cote "paste" repair kits work well), and would put it in one of those WEST System "syringes", to apply into the "V"-ed out grooves.
Unless the repair area is HUGE, I like audiofn's method of gel-cote application---rolling or brushing as opposed to spraying. Even on a slightly larger area, I personally like to brush it on---thick as hell---as thick as I can without sagging. This way, when you sand to fair it in, you won't break through to the fiberglass underneath and have to start all over.
Good Luck.
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MAKE SURE the area is prepped properly. If it's just a few scratches, my favorite method is a dremel tool with a sharp little grinding bit, to "V" out the scratches.
I would usually then mix the Gel Cote with hardner (just enough---you want thick consistency---this is why those gel cote "paste" repair kits work well), and would put it in one of those WEST System "syringes", to apply into the "V"-ed out grooves.
Unless the repair area is HUGE, I like audiofn's method of gel-cote application---rolling or brushing as opposed to spraying. Even on a slightly larger area, I personally like to brush it on---thick as hell---as thick as I can without sagging. This way, when you sand to fair it in, you won't break through to the fiberglass underneath and have to start all over.
Good Luck.
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