Fiberglass and painting tips

[Cookieman]

There are many people here on the site with fiberglass and painting expertise. So with this sticky thread we hope those with tips or knowledge of how to help others with fiberglass or painting  can ask questions.

 

[spd500]

This is a great idea . There is a similar thread over on PB where all of the professionals help out us wanna be painters , and it is a great resource for asking questions . I have also been to a few forums that are specific to paint and body , the best one I have found is autobody101.com .  If you can't find what you are looking for here it might be a good idea to try one of those places , then share what you learned with the rest of us here .

 

[SimplyOrange]

This is a great idea . There is a similar thread over on PB where all of the professionals help out us wanna be painters , and it is a great resource for asking questions . I have also been to a few forums that are specific to paint and body , the best one I have found is autobody101.com .  If you can't find what you are looking for here it might be a good idea to try one of those places , then share what you learned with the rest of us here .

anybody that wants paint or bodywork help, i can point them in the right direction, i have done it all for the past 10 years, i have a shop just for doing paint work in my spare time.i doubt you can come up with a question that i cant answer. i am always open to anyones questions.
i also check the forum every 15 minutes so you will get a poretty speedy response.my number is in the contact thread if you need to contact me in a hurry for an "on the fly" problem while you are painting.

warning: all paint procedures are open to everyones opinion of right and wrong, i can only tell you what has worked for me for years.

 

[customtouch]

If people are interested, I can occasionally post up some little "how to's" or tricks & tips that I use, and of course I am always willing offer  advise or answer any questions I can.

 

[Patchman]

How do you touch up 30 year old gel, or do you? think.gif

 

[spd500]

Might need to post some pics of the gel . I have seen alot of 30 year old gel that looked great , and even more that was beyond touch up .

 

[Patchman]

I have some cracks in the Hawaiian I would like to address some day. I need to get some pics. I don't think the gel looks really faded or nothing like that, just some stress cracks.

 

[spd500]

I am not really sure , but I have always heard it depends on how deep the cracks are and where they are . If they are into the glass and you only patch the gel the cracks will be back . Also have heard that if they are at a stress point and its not ground deep enough and repaired right the cracks will return pretty quick .

 

[Malibu Surfer]

I have done quite a few gel jobs and yes, if you don't grind the crack away and build back up with glass, it will inevitably be back... I have heard and seen that just trying to repair a spot or spots in a gel, you will be disappointed. Cracks will eventually be back. When gel sets up and is older, it becomes "brittle".. That is why lots of boat restorer's are going to urethane (base /clear) auto based paints. From personal experience urethane auto paints seem to "flex better". Urethane down the road are easier to repair, color match, and shine, clean, etc.... Downside = not as tough in our conditions of h2o... Just my .02

 

[SimplyOrange]

How do you touch up 30 year old gel, or do you? think.gif

buff a spot real good, bring it to your local ppg dealer who has a paint camera, they will match it perfectly,do your repairs, then sand around the area with 1200 grit,tape off insode of that area (you want some of the sanded area under the tape)and respray with single stage paint but dont go all the way to the tape line, you want to fade it in before you hit the tape , after it is dry watersand the blend line with 1500 grit then 2000 grit and then buff the whole boat.

 

[spd500]

What about if he is wanting to do the repair with gel coat ? I am guessing its a fairly similar process ?

 

[Patchman]

How do you touch up 30 year old gel, or do you? think.gif

buff a spot real good, bring it to your local ppg dealer who has a paint camera, they will match it perfectly,do your repairs, then sand around the area with 1200 grit,tape off insode of that area (you want some of the sanded area under the tape)and respray with single stage paint but dont go all the way to the tape line, you want to fade it in before you hit the tape , after it is dry watersand the blend line with 1500 grit then 2000 grit and then buff the whole boat.

I was thinking along those lines, but can it be done with gel like speed asked? think.gif

 

[spd500]

I know it can be done , but I dont know how to do it . But the fiberglass shops do repairs with gel coat all the time , so it can be done .

 

[TintMan]

There are many people here on the site with fiberglass and painting expertise. So with this sticky thread we hope those with tips or knowledge of how to help others with fiberglass or painting  can ask questions.

Ask 3 painters ...get 3 answers. Paint materials are constantly evolving.Prep and finishing are the keys, along with name brand materials.  :smile27: 

 

[SimplyOrange]

yes it can be done with gelcoat too, but gelcoat is ALOT harder to buff the scratches out.most fiberglass shops around here are doing gelcoat repair with paint, theres not much difference in the single stage paint and gel coat other than mtaching the color better.i dont know of anybody around us(baton rouge) that can take a picture with a paint cam and color match gelcoat.

 

[SimplyOrange]

Ask 3 painters ...get 3 answers. Paint materials are constantly evolving.Prep and finishing are the keys, along with name brand materials.  :smile27:

you dont have to use name brand materials, people hate on omni because of the price, its made by ppg and i have sprayed numerous vehicles with it with flawless results even after 5 or more years.the clear is where its at, i like the matrix line of clears.

NEVER use autoparts store duplicolor custom shop shit.unless you are painting an engine or tractor.it didnt even hold up on my buddys rc boat that i painted for him.

 

[TintMan]

Ask 3 painters ...get 3 answers. Paint materials are constantly evolving.Prep and finishing are the keys, along with name brand materials.  :smile27:

you dont have to use name brand materials, people hate on omni because of the price, its made by ppg and i have sprayed numerous vehicles with it with flawless results even after 5 or more years.the clear is where its at, i like the matrix line of clears.

NEVER use autoparts store duplicolor custom shop s***.unless you are painting an engine or tractor.it didnt even hold up on my buddys rc boat that i painted for him.

Cars and boats are different creatures. But just as i said every painter has his own preference.

 

[SimplyOrange]

Ask 3 painters ...get 3 answers. Paint materials are constantly evolving.Prep and finishing are the keys, along with name brand materials.  :smile27:

you dont have to use name brand materials, people hate on omni because of the price, its made by ppg and i have sprayed numerous vehicles with it with flawless results even after 5 or more years.the clear is where its at, i like the matrix line of clears.

NEVER use autoparts store duplicolor custom shop s***.unless you are painting an engine or tractor.it didnt even hold up on my buddys rc boat that i painted for him.

Cars and boats are different creatures. But just as i said every painter has his own preference.

i agree, and its never a bad idea to use high quality parts, but your clear is what holds the paint job together, i can paint a boat with omni primer and base caot and cover it with imron high solids clear and itll outlast anything out there. i spend more on the clear and less on the base if given a budget.