Matching old gelcoat to new

G

gettinthere

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Nov 26, 2008
1,970
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
I sustained some deep scratches to my gelcoat. The repairs match the color of my old gelcoat quite well. But the repair is significantly glossier than my 35 year old gelcoat. The repair guy is willing to do some undermined level of buffing to fix this but tells me it will never stay matched.

This is about 20% of one side of a 42' hull

I'm looking for ideas that will work in this situation. Can the new gelcoat be deglossed to match the old?
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
13,070
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The gloss will eventually even out. Start with buffing out the old gelcoat to get it as shiny as possible and let the new stuff oxidize for a while.

Tips For A Great Buff & Wax

Buff Polish & Wax Try these products (for Gel-Coat only not intended for Awlgrip) The Cliff Note Version: Steps: #1-Clean the hull with an acid base cleaner like FSR, oxalic acid or On & Off to remove rust & tannin staining. (only if necessary) #2-Wet Sand by hand 600 (if real bad)...
forums.sailboatowners.com
 
G

gettinthere

.
Nov 26, 2008
1,970
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
Its been 6 months and looks pretty bad. I need to clean my icw mustache so i'll do the whole side with cleaner to start. BTW, toilet bowl cleaner works just like On & Off for a lot less $.
Then do a bit of testing with 3m compound now. Gel guy won't get to it till January, I'm traveling.
 
D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
13,070
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
gettinthere said:
Its been 6 months and looks pretty bad. I need to clean my icw mustache so i'll do the whole side with cleaner to start. BTW, toilet bowl cleaner works just like On & Off for a lot less $.
Then do a bit of testing with 3m compound now. Gel guy won't get to it till January, I'm traveling.
Click to expand
Even less expensive is muriatic acid from the hardware store. It is 30% hydrochloric acid, dilute it with 50% water to get a 15% solution. Also removes dried scum along the water line and clears calcium deposits in hoses and fittings.
 
G

gettinthere

.
Nov 26, 2008
1,970
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
Toilet bowl cleaner, like on & off is thick and won't run off easily from topsides.squirt it on, swish it around and let it sit for a bit.
I suppose a spray bottle of your mix would work but I've got the bowl cleaner on hand for this.
I have muriatic too. Good stuff
 
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