painting fiberglass

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

bondo filler is OK. you can get good results with it, but it sands like ***, and you'll usually get pinholes no matter how careful you are with it...

the bondo glaze is the same way... its so hard to sand that you can often introduce new stuff that you need to get out while trying to sand it...

For your next batch of filler and glaze, buy evercoat... after using bondo you'll REALLY appreciate spending the extra bucks to buy it off the net...

Well i guide coat after i primer the first time and sand it all down til the blacks gone

me too... i musta been on crack when i wrote that lol... basically, as long as you take your time, fix all the errors, and you aren't afraid of going back a few steps to remedy a problem, you'll end up with a good finish...

but that's coming from a trained eye that can see all that stuff without guide coat.

haha, yeah my eye is only ok... i don't paint just a whole lot. i can only spot the most egregious errors without a guide coat... if you don't need it, skip it by all means, because it CAN be problematic to use paint as your guide coat...

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

what do you mean ( tack it ) before your next coat, are you talking about that stuff they use on wood, its like brown cloth thats sticky and they wipe would with it before staining?
also when you say to clean the surface with acetone, wouldn't that strip the paint and filler and all that right off?

Next time your in wally world or an auto parts store . Check the automotive paint section for tack cloth . 3M makes one that they sell for like a $1 . It's basically a sticky rag , that removes any dust or debris from the surface before you paint . While we are on the subject . Always wear rubber gloves once you start cleaning and prepping for paint. Nothing will kill a paint job quicker than an oily fingerprint left behind.

I only use acetone on the unpainted surface . Once the filler is cured , quick wiping with acetone won't remove it . But I wouldn't recommend it on paint . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

and with the evercoat metal glaze, they didint have that at the store i went to but they had this other type of like bondo glaze or something, its a red paste so i used that, i also got bondo body filler cuz they didint have evercoat anything there,
when you said i could mix the body filler with fiberglass resin to get my glaze do i use hardener with that mix, and if i do use hardener do i use body fill hardener or resin hardener

Nothing wrong with bondo spot filler , if you use it as intended . I don't use any glaze most of the time . I smooth the filler to the point the only blemishes in the surface are tiny pin holes . Then go to town with some high build polyester primer . I spray it real well in the pin holes . Don't worry if it runs , your gonna sand it anyway //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dbornotdb 10+ year member]

If it is a big surface, say anything over a dash trim panel, I guide coat it.

But I use a flat black spray paint misted on. The flat black dries quicker than a glossy, and it is only 98 cents a can and can last awhile.

I suggest it, no matter how trained you think your eye is.

 

 

[500000watts 10+ year member]

ok now the other night i painted a pice of board i fiberglassed to see how the color and paint would come out the way you told me, it looked just how i wanted it to exept when i would touch it it would leave prints real easey and almost look smuged, i let it dry for a good 30 minutes under a fan and i could press my fingern nail into the paint, it seems like the clear coat finish was kinda soft after drying almost..

is there a way i can finish my paint job like the pros with a heavy duty Gel Coat like they put on boats and stuff to give it a nice sturdy hard finish?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Your not giving the paint long enough time to cure fully . Unless your baking it in an oven . It can take days , weeks even if it's cold //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

And if you want to get technical . Paint cures harder than gel coat does //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[500000watts 10+ year member]

ok so all i have to do is give it more time?

another question is how can i get my stuff to dry faster, fiber resin, filler, glazing, and painting, i have a heat gun but would it be to much heat to blow on it with that from about 3 feet back?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Yep just give it more time . Auto paints tend to cure quicker than household stuff as well

Polyester resin you can add a little more catalyst , or you can use the heat gun . Filler I wouldn't mix hot , or use the heat gun. If it's not starting to setup in 10 minutes or so , your not using enough catalyst. It's easier to knock down the ridges with a cheese grater if you don't mix it hot also. As for paint , I would at least wait for it to dry tack free . Then if the heat gun is adjustable or really low heat ( hair dryer hot ) you could use it sparingly . Paint is tough to speed up without and oven . Cause there is so much chit that can go wrong and fook up all your hard work //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[500000watts 10+ year member]

whats mixing hot mean, and is catalyst the hardener?

so when i black guide coat it what it looks like then is what it will look like when im done?

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

mixing hot is using more than the suggested ratio of hardener for your temperature/amount of filler.

i like to mix my resin hot when i'm sealing the inside of boxes because it REALLY cuts down on wait time...

 

[500000watts 10+ year member]

sealing the inside of your box?

how about this, I was trying to come up with an idea to get an extra glossy shine, so im thinking about doing it this way. tell me what you think.

prime my fiberglass, tac it down, do that 3 times, then put on my color which is going to be white, tac that down and then follow up witha layer of clear coat, then buff the clear coat with rubbing compound then another layer of white over that and repeat several times, then for the last just like 5 layers of clear coat and buffingeach layer as i go and for the last layer just buff it for like 10 minutes.

how would that turn out, or should i just stick with what you told me earlyer if it wont make much difference?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

whats mixing hot mean, and is catalyst the hardener?

Addind more catalyst (MEKP) makes the resin cure faster . But be careful cause there is such a thing as too hot . If you mix the resin too hot , it will shrink and crack whn curing.

so when i black guide coat it what it looks like then is what it will look like when im done?

Nah , you don't want to use that much paint for a guide coat . The idea behind the guide coat is to give you something to sand off . As your sanding you will notice high spots ( first places the paint dissapears ) and low places ( last places the paint dissapears ) . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

sealing the inside of your box?
how about this, I was trying to come up with an idea to get an extra glossy shine, so im thinking about doing it this way. tell me what you think.

prime my fiberglass, tac it down, do that 3 times, then put on my color which is going to be white, tac that down and then follow up witha layer of clear coat, then buff the clear coat with rubbing compound then another layer of white over that and repeat several times, then for the last just like 5 layers of clear coat and buffingeach layer as i go and for the last layer just buff it for like 10 minutes.

how would that turn out, or should i just stick with what you told me earlyer if it wont make much difference?

No need , and would probably end up making it look worse . When you color sand with 1000 grit , it may feel slick as glass to your hand . But it still has some rough texture . The paint needs this rough texture to have something to stick too. I would stick to the plan that was laid out earlier . I'll post some pics of the pods I made for my boat later tonight when I get home . It will give you an idea of the finish this method can produce //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[500000watts 10+ year member]

awsome

my clear coat looks kinda dull, i layered it about 3 times and it isnt cuttin it the way i was expecting, im thinking its the clear coat i have, i bought Krylon clear coat but instead of getting Glossy like i knew i should of the store guy told me i wanted sattin, since it was only about 3 bucks i just went with what he said but im guessing the sattin is what is giving it a dull look, or i hope anyway cuz i really was hoping it would look alot better then that/

the internet also says if you want a really fine layer of paint from spray paint cans to let them sit in warm water for a few minutes, they say it loosens up the paint and gives it a finer spray?