gel coats?


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Old 03-24-07, 01:09 AM
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gel coats?

Hi I have just got the black streaks off my RV. My dealer told me they would never come off. I used 30 second outdoor cleaner and stelle wool. Now that I have it off I'm back to clean now but still no shine. Has anyone every had real bad oxidation and minor cracks. What can you use to restore shine?
 
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Old 03-24-07, 12:39 PM
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if this is a gel coat finish, the steel wool would have really caused you a lot of work.
At this point, you would need a power buffer and buffing compound to restore the shine. If you are not ecperienced with using a buffer, you should try it on something that if/when you burn it, it won;t matter.

When I say burn, I mean exactly that. If too much speed or to dry of compound application is used, you can actully develope heat and burn the gelcoat. It is not diffficult to do but it does take some practice to get it right.

The minor cracks. Not much you can do about them. After you have brought the luster back to the gelcoat, apply a good wax and work it into the cracks to prevent water from entering. If the cracks are large enough so this is not acceptable, you only choice would be to refinish (paint of some type) Gelcouat is not designed to be applied to an exterior surface such as this. It is used by spraying it into a mold and the fiberglass material is then placed on top of that. Gelcoat has to be catalyzed to make it harden and it does not give a smooth surface when sprayed (done when a repair is made) and must be sanded and buffed to achieve a smooth shiny surface.
 
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Old 03-24-07, 05:25 PM
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You might find these articles helpful for gel coat restoration:

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/01.htm

http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourself/gelcoat/restoregelcoat.htm

You will likely have the best luck finding products and info at your local marine and boat store.
 
 

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