dimanche 31 juillet 2016

Old Clear Coat

Hello PB,

My mostly original '77 Sleekcraft Kaui had a coat of clear put over the gelcoat back in the day.

From what I see the root beer metal flake and yellow gel are in really good shape under it all.

Our short seasons and lack of sun are pretty kind to gel and 'glass up here. Not sure why the PO cleared it over.

Worst spots are around the fuel fillers, front deck and trim edges where the clear was staring to haze, chip and look like shitte.

Most likely gonna get worse before it gets better and the foggy clear makes the yellow look like calf puke.

I'm not looking for a show boat finish but wanted to take some of the fugly from the worst spots.

After doing some searching it looked like a whole lot of elbow grease and wet sanding / polishing may get me there but also found some references to using oven cleaner.

I spent some time wet sanding with 600 grit at the worst spot, the port fuel filler deck, it was slow going with meh results....but it was better. Stll needed more work to look decent.

Had (quite) a few beers and got brave.....hit same area with oven cleaner, only let it sit for 10-20 seconds in case it affected the gel.

Wiped it down and it looked way better, appeared to soften the clear at the open edges and actually remove it with just a little rubbing.

Also gave a less noticeable transition to the bare gel and the stuff with clear over it. Didn't notice any effect on the gel coat.

Seems like mission accomplished, a good temporary Hillbilly Fix. :))THumbsUp

I'll be doing the other fuel filler area (with pix this time) using the same timing and technique ..... also the deck area and a couple spots along the edge of front deck.

My question is...

If I decide to get serious and remove all the clear from the cap and sides of hull this winter, how aggressive can I get without hurting the gel?

Can it sit until I see the CC blister / wrinkle / soften?

It's said that gel is pretty tough, at least compared to the clear. I just don't want to eff up the gel and make things worse.

Appreciate any advice.


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Old Clear Coat

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