Hello,
I have some questions as I prepare to gel coat my '72. I'm trying to decide between Eckler's that has the wax catalyst vs. Evercoat's that requires PVA be sprayed on.
1) I've heard the wax is a pain to sand off, as it clogs the paper. Would the extra step of spraying PVA on and rinsing off with water end up being worth the extra step over the wax-catalyst type because it would then be easier to sand?
2) I've read someone's warning that to spray more than one coat of the wax-catalyst type causes problems because the succeeding coats do not stick to the wax on the first coat, yet I also read one should do 3-4 coats... Is this just an issue of making sure to follow the directions and re-coat within the window of time and there should be no issues?
3) So if I go with the wax-catalyst type, will the wax still "rise to the top" properly if I have sprayed the *underside* of the floor, such that the gel coat is upside-down now? Would the wax still migrate to the surface, even though the surface is *down* in this case?
4) If I go with the PVA type, do you spray the PVA on with a spray gun, or is it a squirt-bottle type application? Is the PVA particularly dangerous/poisonous to work with?
5) I've also heard that additives are used to help the gel to flow out, which can significantly reduce sanding time. Would those additives be in both types of gel coat, such that flow-out characteristics would be similar between the two products?
6) OK. Maybe I'm being too anal here, but Evercoat advertises that their gel coat is made using isophthalic/neopentyl glycol polyester resins, while I discovered Eckler's uses orthophthalic resins. I was told that the isophthalic resins are more expensive and have slightly tougher mechanical properties. I am wondering if it is a big enough difference to bias my decision as to which brand to go with. I'm wondering if any of you have used both and have a preference or could tell a longevity difference?
Sorry for too many questions. Help with any of them would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Patricia
I have some questions as I prepare to gel coat my '72. I'm trying to decide between Eckler's that has the wax catalyst vs. Evercoat's that requires PVA be sprayed on.
1) I've heard the wax is a pain to sand off, as it clogs the paper. Would the extra step of spraying PVA on and rinsing off with water end up being worth the extra step over the wax-catalyst type because it would then be easier to sand?
2) I've read someone's warning that to spray more than one coat of the wax-catalyst type causes problems because the succeeding coats do not stick to the wax on the first coat, yet I also read one should do 3-4 coats... Is this just an issue of making sure to follow the directions and re-coat within the window of time and there should be no issues?
3) So if I go with the wax-catalyst type, will the wax still "rise to the top" properly if I have sprayed the *underside* of the floor, such that the gel coat is upside-down now? Would the wax still migrate to the surface, even though the surface is *down* in this case?
4) If I go with the PVA type, do you spray the PVA on with a spray gun, or is it a squirt-bottle type application? Is the PVA particularly dangerous/poisonous to work with?
5) I've also heard that additives are used to help the gel to flow out, which can significantly reduce sanding time. Would those additives be in both types of gel coat, such that flow-out characteristics would be similar between the two products?
6) OK. Maybe I'm being too anal here, but Evercoat advertises that their gel coat is made using isophthalic/neopentyl glycol polyester resins, while I discovered Eckler's uses orthophthalic resins. I was told that the isophthalic resins are more expensive and have slightly tougher mechanical properties. I am wondering if it is a big enough difference to bias my decision as to which brand to go with. I'm wondering if any of you have used both and have a preference or could tell a longevity difference?
Sorry for too many questions. Help with any of them would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Patricia
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