Gelcoat Spraying Equipment

I am repairing a small gelcoat scratch and looking for recommendations on a small gelcoat sprayer . Wondering if liquid gelcoat is to viscous for an airbrush to work?

On Friday, November 2, 2012 6:08:07 PM UTC-7, Terry Edmonds wrote:
I am repairing a small gelcoat scratch and looking for recommendations on a small gelcoat sprayer . Wondering if liquid gelcoat is to viscous for an airbrush to work?

You can thin gelcoat with either acetone or lacquer thinner. Lacquer thinner tends to work better since it flashes slower and doesn't tend to orange peel as much. Thin the material until it sprays well. Probably about the consistency of 2% milk. Start with a very light fog coat and let that gel a bit before putting on a full coat. This will help keep the paint from running off the prepped surface.

Small scratches also respond well to brushing since you'll have to block out the repair and polish it anyways. Often you can limit the extent of collateral damage by just grooving out the scratch and filling it with gelcoat. Far less messier than spraying.

Good luck,
Craig