Gel coat polishes okay, luverly

[beanpole]

Having read all the advice in the forums concerning rubbing down and polsihing Gel Coat, I took the plunge today.

First I rubbed down the flash lines with 1200 , and used plenty of water applied with a hand sprayer. Then applied G3 with a polisher and then G10. I have to say the result fare exceeds my expectations, the finish is superb, several people have had a good look and cannot tell where the flash lines were.

It does help that the Pilgrim flash lines are very small and can easily be rubbed down with 1200.


:tu :tu :tu

Steve

[Robin427]

Congratulations... I have had to rub mine down with 400 first and then 1200. I've done a tester patch with the ol' Farecla, but think doing it with a machine will be a better route.

That said, just had a ride in a beautiful Dax with as deep blue metallic paint finish... I can't see how my humble gelcoat is going to compare...



Robin

Drive it like you stole it...
http://www.creffield.com/cobra/index.html

[beanpole]

Robin,

I could not get a very good finish until I used the polisher, it makes all the difference.

Okay it will never compare with a paint job but not bad at all and will do me until I eventually paint in about a year or so.

Steve

:tu :tu :tu

[Miket]

Steve

I built a Pilgrim before my AK, if you have patience and spend time on the polishing it will pay dividends, the Pilgrim gel-coat is the best on the market bar none, mine came up so well that folks could not tell that is was not painted.

Good luck and don't despair.

:tu :tu

Enclosed picture after polishing.

[Robin427]

Wow!!

Robin

Drive it like you stole it...
http://www.creffield.com/cobra/index.html

[martin]

Robin,

Here's another gel coat body, plenty of rubbing down, all the way through the grades from 400 to 2000, then G3 and G10.

[mjculley]

Looks good

where is the best place to buy the compounds and wet and dry. Can you buy the wet and dry pre cut to fit a polisher.

Just taken delivery of my AK and there looks like there is alot of work to do to get to your standard.

Mick

[Miket]

Mick

Don't use a polisher with the wet and dry you will end up going through the gel-coat, use a 3M rubber sanding block and do it by hand.

The rubber blocks, wet and dry and the Farecla compounds can be bought from any decent motor factors.

Do at bit at a time or you will get bored and end up with a cr** job.

:tu :tu :tu :tu

[maxGD059]

>That said, just had a ride in a beautiful Dax with as deep
>blue metallic paint finish... I can't see how my humble
>gelcoat is going to compare...

Just give it a few years, Robin. Your 'humble' gel coat will still be looking good. Mine has had no end of bumps & bashes from things falling out of the garage roof, my 4 year old daughter crawling over it etc etc & any minor marks have just polished out easily. Compare that with all the stone chips that you get on the nose of a painted body, scrapes from bicycles passing by etc. I shudder to think what mine would look like now if it had been painted 7 years ago!

Cheers

Richard
(Hillclimb convert)

[robert]

I wish I had not had mine painted, the front looks horrid, but I did have fun getting it like that!!!!